A major moment in the Stranger Things finale hints at a positive future for two characters, but it’s also a secret Easter egg that harks back to the show’s origin.
The brainchild of twin brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, Stranger Things was pitched more than a decade ago, and Netflix was the studio that ultimately decided to take a chance on the siblings and their nostalgia-fuelled sci-fi series.
Ten years on, the show is a monster hit, that broke viewing records for the streamer, while turning its young cast into global superstars.
But the Duffers haven’t forgotten their roots, which is why a plot point during the conclusion connects back to their original idea…
‘Montauk’ is a secret Stranger Things Easter egg
More than a decade ago – and inspired by the ‘Montauk Project’ conspiracy – the Duffer brothers developed a found footage movie called The Montauk Experiment.
When that didn’t come to a fruition, that pumped their research into a TV idea called ‘Montauk,’ for which they produced an Episode 1 script, a pitch booklet, and a mock trailer. That idea was the one that sold, and Montauk eventually became Stranger Things.
Meaning fans that know the behind-the-scenes lore will be loving a moment in the finale when Hopper tells Joyce that he’s been offered a new job in another town that just happens to be… Montauk.
“We did the Montauk shout-out because the show was originally going to be set in Montauk,” Ross Duffer told Netflix. “It felt like a nice little wink to the superfans of the show who were aware of that nugget.”
Though don’t expect said location to trigger a future series revolving around Hopper and Joyce, as Ross Duffer told Deadline: “There’s no Montauk spinoff. That was more of a wink to the fans; deep-cut fans that know that the show started as Montauk.”
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