‘Uncontrollably crying’: David Harbour offers a heart-stopping ‘Stranger Things’ finale update

Given its ever-growing popularity and monumental following, it’s natural to understand why Netflix’s Stranger Things has caused its fanbase to shed a considerable amount of tears in the past. Flash forward to now, and it looks as though we’re going to need a dozen tissue boxes again.

The super-sized series has effortlessly become one of the most beloved projects in television history, borrowing nostalgic inspiration from the ‘80s and introducing the modern-day generation to a beautiful realm of otherworldly monsters and unbreakable friendships. During its Netflix venture, the Duffer Brothers’ brainchild has certainly pushed us to grab a few tissues at a handful of tear-jerking scenes — but it’s safe to say that the waterworks are only about to begin.

Enter David Harbour, a fan-favorite fixture on the show known for portraying Jim Hopper. Hopper, of course, is introduced to Netflix subscribers in the first season as the rough-and-tough Sheriff of Hawkins, Indiana. And while his near-death experience in the finale of season 3 was enough to collectively stop our hearts, the 49-year-old recently teased just how emotional the series finale is going to make us all.

In a fresh-faced Happy Sad Confused podcast episode, Harbour unapologetically laid everything out on the table in regards to the finale’s overwhelming moments, so much so that the actor happily insisted that the Duffer Brothers “land the plane” on the finale and that this is the “best episode they’ve ever done.”

“The end of this episode when we were reading it — just us reading it — about halfway through, people started crying,” Harbour added, only to up the ante of the emotional department by revealing how the cast and crew were “uncontrollably crying” for the final 20 minutes of the finale.

Harbour followed up by sharing that long-time fans of the show will “absolutely love” the final season, although perhaps we should bunker down in our apartments for a few days in the aftermath of crying our eyes out and witnessing the end of a television era.

At the time of this writing, we have yet to be rewarded with a solid release date for the upcoming final season, but speculators currently believe that the timeframe for the release of the fifth season will happen at some point in 2025. And, yes, the waiting game is definitely putting all of us in agony, especially when you consider the fact that the last episode of Stranger Things to release on Netflix was all the way back in 2022. Good (and stranger) things come to those who wait, right?

So, what exactly are the cast and crew crying about? What unforgettable moments are we to expect in the fifth and final season of Stranger Things? Are there any character deaths that will leave us devastated? Well, it’s all entirely speculation at this point, with passionate stans crowding the drawing board and creating potential ideas and theories as to what might unfold in the final chapter of the record-breaking series. 

So while we await to see what happens to Eleven, Will, Hopper, and the rest of the unforgettable Hawkins gang, let’s enjoy the peace we currently have before Vecna tears our hopes and dreams (and Hawkins) completely apart.