David Harbour CallsStranger ThingsSeries Finale 'The Best' Episode, Reveals the Cast Was 'Uncontrollably Sobbing'

Mar. 15, 2025

David Harbour in San Diego, California on July 27, 2024.Photo:Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty

David Harbourgave his stamp of approval to theStranger Thingsseries finale.

Harbour teased a little bit of information regarding the upcoming fifth and final season ofStranger Thingsat theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast’s10th-anniversary celebrationin New York City on Thursday, Oct. 17.

The 49-year-old actor, who portrays Jim Hopper in the belovedNetflixshow, told host Josh Horowitz and the event crowd that the cast recently read through the final episode of season 5.

“Look, I’m very close to the show, so I have very strong opinions,” he began. “And they may not match yours if you’re a fan of the show.”

“I’m an actor on the show. So I see the nuts and bolts,” he said before confessing that “sometimes [he’ll] get very mad” at what he thinks is “a bad episode” or a season he “didn’t like.”

“I can be very critical of this show,” he admitted to the crowd. However, he revealed that in season 5 episode 8: “They land the plane, and it is the best episode they’ve ever done.”

David Harbour in “Stranger Things”.Netflix

“The end of this episode when we were reading it — just us reading it — about halfway through, people started crying,” he said. “Then about the last 20 minutes, it was just uncontrollably crying, waves of different people.Noah Schnappbeing my favorite,” he said before jokingly, imitating Schnapp’s wailing sobs.

“It’s 10 years later, and we examine that idea, and it’s so well done and so beautiful,” he notes before admitting that he “was totally prepared” to not tell the crowd that. “It’s such a great episode, and it’s such a great season. You guys will love it,” he concluded.

Roy Rochlin/Getty

In May 2022, Harbour toldVarietythathe knows how the series endsand “it’s quite moving and quite beautiful.”

However, Netflix hasn’t revealed the official plotline for season 5 yet, it will likely follow the Hawkins kids as they try to defeat Vecna once and for all now that the Upside Down has invaded their town.

Alongside Harbour, Brown, Wolfhard, Matarazzo, McLaughlin and Schnapp, the season will also starWinona Ryder,Joe Keery,Maya Hawke,Natalia Dyer,Charlie Heaton,Sadie Sink,Priah Ferguson,Cara Buono,Brett Gelman,Jamie Campbell Bowerand Amybeth McNulty.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Netflix has not announced the season 5 premiere date;Stranger Things’first four seasons are currently streaming on Netflix.

source: people.com