A New 'Stranger Things' Countdown Clock Has Some Speculating About a Secret Episode

The final season of Stranger Things concluded on Dec. 31, and fans had a wide array of reactions to it. Some people were happy with how things wound up for the show's broad ensemble, while others were left scratching their heads about some of the decisions characters made. Because the reaction was so varied, some people started to theorize that the whole thing had been an elaborate ruse.

Those theories only gained steam after a countdown clock appeared that seemed to suggest we should prepare for another Stranger Things drop. Here's what we know about that countdown clock, and what it might mean.

A Stranger Things countdown clock was circulating on TikTok, and many people seemed to believe that it was evidence that there was a secret episode of Stranger Things coming. The theory suggested that there were clues hidden throughout the fifth season to suggest that this entire season had been some sort of elaborate dream created by Vecna, and the real finale would reveal that to be the case.

As it turns out, though, the website for that countdown clock was never connected to the show and was instead intended to fool people who were getting their hopes up about another episode of the show. The website now says, "Just because it got posted on TikTok doesn't mean it's true. Now go outside and touch some grass."

If there is a secret episode, it seems like this countdown clock had nothing to do with it.

Instead, it was created by someone who saw the theories about the show circulating and decided to make something that would stir people up. As they have now made clear, though, they also wanted to tell people that they shouldn't believe everything they see on the internet. Anybody can make a convincing countdown clock these days, especially when they're trying to trick people who want to be fooled.

Part of the reason people seemed so eager to believe that the countdown was leading up to a secret episode was that they didn't want to be so disappointed by the show's actual ending. When you love something, you want it to end well.

Unfortunately, TV shows don't always end the way you might want them to, but that doesn't mean that something is being hidden from you.

Making TV at the scale of Stranger Things is hard, and that's especially true when you've been doing it for a decade. The show's finale certainly has its fans, but if you're not one of them, the finale doesn't undercut the things you loved about watching the show over the course of its long and wildly successful run.

Stranger Things was never a perfect TV show, but it's always been a beloved one. Love the finale or hate it, you still get to watch the rest of the show again if that's something you feel like you want to do.