The total run time of Stranger Things season five has an emotional secret meaning

The Stranger Things finale is getting absolutely slated for its many, many plot holes and unresolved stories, but one thing nobody can attack is the amazing hidden details. The Duffer Brothers love a sneaky pop-culture reference or link back to an old episode, and even the run time of season five has a secret meaning.

If you add up the length of all eight episodes in season five, the total run time is 10 hours and 20 minutes. (If you want to add it up yourself, the exact episode lengths are 71 minutes, 57 minutes, 69 minutes, 86 minutes, 68 minutes, 75 minutes, 66 minutes and 128 minutes).

Credit: Netflix

So, why is this so special? Well, it links back to the first-ever episode of Stranger Things, which was released all the way back in July 2016. I’m crying!

In the scene, the boys are all playing Dungeons & Dragons in the basement, and Mike Wheeler’s mum opens the door and tells them to stop playing. Mike says they’ve been playing for 10 hours and pleads with his mum to let them keep playing for just a tiny bit longer, saying: “Mum, wait, just 20 more minutes.”

Sound familiar? Yes, 10 hours and 20 minutes is exactly how long they needed to finish the entire campaign. And that’s the season five run time. It’s a full circle moment, as we see the kids playing Dungeons & Dragons again in the basement after their graduation, when they’re all grown up. You can watch the full scene from season one below.

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Now, here’s where it gets really interesting. This all links to another theory that the whole of Stranger Things was actually a Dungeons & Dragons game all along, and none of it was real. People think the post-credit scene proves this, although the show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, debunked this idea in 2023.

Whatever you believe, one thing’s for sure. A game of D&D started it all, and ended it all. In one way or another.