David Harbour says the Stranger Things finale is the best episode they’ve ever done

After being delayed several months by the writers strike and the actors strike, season 5 of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things (which is also the last season of the show) finally went into production at the start of the year and is now deep into its twelve month shooting schedule… and during an appearance at the Happy Sad Confused podcast’s 10th anniversary celebration, cast member David Harbour said the series finale will be worth the wait, because it’s the best episode they’ve ever done.

Stranger Things has the following synopsis: A love letter to the ‘80s classic genre films that captivated a generation, Stranger Things is a thrilling drama set in the seemingly normal Midwestern town of Hawkins, Indiana. After a boy vanishes into thin air, his close-knit group of friends and family search for answers and are pulled into a high-stakes and deadly series of events. Beneath the surface of their ordinary town lurks an extraordinary supernatural mystery, along with top-secret government experiments and a dangerous gateway that connects our world to a powerful yet sinister realm. Friendships will be tested and lives will be altered as what they discover will change Hawkins and possibly the world — forever.

Harbour told Happy Sad Confused host Josh Horowitz and the people in the audience that he has very strong opinions about the show that may not match the opinions of a fan. Since he works on the show and sees “the nuts and bolts,” he’ll get very mad at what he thinks is a bad episode or if there’s a season he didn’t like. He said (with thanks to People for the transcription), “I can be very critical of this show,” but with the series finale, “They land the plane, and it is the best episode they’ve ever done. The end of this episode when we were reading it – just us reading it – about halfway through, people started crying. Then about the last 20 minutes, it was just uncontrollably crying, waves of different people. Noah Schnapp being my favorite. I think part of that also is the fact that these kids, it was their childhood. Like, they started the show when they were 11 and 12, and here we are reading [the finale]. It’s 10 years later, and we examine that idea, and it’s so well done and so beautiful. It’s such a great episode, and it’s such a great season. You guys will love it.“

Here’s the list of the cast members and the characters they played in season 4: Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Matthew Modine (Dr. Brenner), Paul Reiser (Dr. Owens), Jamie Campbell Bower (Peter Ballard), Joseph Quinn (Eddie Munson), Eduardo Franco (Argyle), Sherman Augustus (Lt. Colonel Sullivan), Mason Dye (Jason Carver), Nikola Djuricko (Yuri), Tom Wlaschiha (Dmitri), Myles Truitt (Patrick), Regina Ting Chen (Ms. Kelly), Grace Van Dien (Chrissy), Logan Riley Bruner (Fred Benson), Logan Allen (Jake), Elodie Grace Orkin (Angela), John Reynolds (Officer Callahan), Rob Morgan (Chief Powell), Amybeth McNulty (Vickie), and Freddy Krueger himself Robert Englund (Victor Creel).

Stranger Things is produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment. Series creators The Duffer Brothers serve as executive producers alongside Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps Entertainment, Iain Paterson, and Curtis Gwinn.

10 Cloverfield Lane and Prey director Dan Trachtenberg directed an episode of the final season before heading off to make the new Predator movie Badlands, starring Elle Fanning. The Shawshank Redemption director Frank Darabont also ended an 11 year break from directing to take the helm of an episode. New to the cast for Stranger Things season 5 are Linda Hamilton (The Terminator), Nell Fisher (Evil Dead Rise), newcomer Jake Connelly, and Alex Breaux (Joe Pickett).

Are you looking forward to the last season of Stranger Things, and to seeing how things are going to be wrapped up in the finale? Let us know by leaving a comment below.