Stranger Things draws to an epic and emotional close

Stranger Things has drawn to an epic and emotional close, with a dramatic two-hour finale that briefly jammed Netflix's servers, BBC reports.

Viewers rushed to watch the final episode, which concludes the 10-year run of the sci-fi horror series, as it was released at 01:00 GMT.

Some fans also attended special cinema screenings of the finale in cities across the US and Canada, several of which were attended by the show's stars.

Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, Stranger Things first aired in 2016 and stars Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder and David Harbour.

The dramatic two-hour series finale, titled Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up, initially overloaded Netflix servers.

Several fans said they were shown an error message as they tried to play it - something that often happens with big new releases on streaming platforms.

But the episode was soon restored and viewers were able to watch a finale that included massive battle scenes and emotional tributes that brought in all five seasons, giving closure to the characters that we've fallen in love with over the years.

The finale left you on the edge of your seat at moments and had you both cheering and crying in others.

A lot was riding on Netflix and The Duffer Brothers, who created the 1980s-inspired, monster-infused, inter-dimensional series. Ending any beloved series comes with both anticipation and a lot of critics.

So far this season, fans have picked apart scenes and gone through past seasons in an attempt to piece together how it all might end in the Upside Down.

Viewers have been quick to point out gaps in the story or issues they felt with the script writing, pointing out flaws in Will Byers' coming out scene or issues such as Holly Wheeler's jacket having a logo for Under Amour (a brand that wasn't created until 1996) appearing on screen.

Countless theories discussed on social media only hyped up the ending of this saga.

Fans guessed about possibilities like time travel coming into play (clocks have been a major plot point for multiple seasons, after all), took bets on what main character might die and some had far-fetched thoughts on Henry Creel "Vecna" using mind control on the characters throughout this season to explain various holes in the storytelling.

In the end, some theories were spot on. Others, not one bit.