Season 5 draws to an epic and emotional close.

• Fans have meticulously dissected scenes and delved into previous seasons, attempting to piece together the potential ending of The Upside Down.

At 01:00 GMT, viewers flocked to watch the final episode, concluding the 10-year run of the sci-fi horror series.

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.

Stranger Things, a 2016 television series set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, 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 all five seasons together, giving closure to the characters that we’ve fallen in love with over the years.

The finale had you cheering and crying, and at times, it was thrilling.

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

So far this season,

Fans have meticulously dissected scenes and delved into previous seasons, attempting to piece together the potential ending of The Upside Down.

Viewers have been quick to point out gaps in the story or issues they felt with the scriptwriting, pointing out flaws in Will Byers’ coming-out scene or issues such as Holly Wheeler’s jacket having a logo for Under Armour (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 which main character might die and some had far-fetched thoughts about Henry Creel “Vecna” using mind control on the characters throughout this season to explain various holes in the storytelling.

Ultimately, some theories proved to be accurate. Others, however, were wildly inaccurate.

If you don’t want to know what happens in Stranger Things’ finale, stop reading.

In the finale, we see an epic final fight that requires all the characters to finally defeat Vecna and the Mind Flayer before worlds merge and Hawkins, Indiana – and Earth as we know it —take over.

We don’t see dramatic deaths in the core group of stars we’ve come to love over five seasons – though we did see the death of Kali (Eight).

What happened to Eleven, though, is up for interpretation. She is left with an impossible choice.

At first, viewers are left to believe she chose to remain behind in the Upside Down as it explodes and is demolished forever in order to eliminate the possibility of being used to create more children with powers like hers.

But later, in a lengthy epilogue scene, Mike Wheeler takes us down another possibility – Eleven uses Kali’s illusion powers to make it seem as though she died before making a grand escape.

He says he thinks she finally made it to the place they talked about running off to – a land with three waterfalls.

Mike says it’s what he likes to believe – and each member of their Dungeons and Dragons party – Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max – all agree that they, too, believe.

It’s a fitting end that leaves open the possibility that Eleven, too, has a happy ending.

The epilogue transports us 18 months into the future, following the destruction of the Upside Down and the defeat of Vecna, along with the Mind Flayer.

Hooper and Joyce announce their engagement, while the older teens discuss their university and career journeys.

It’s a happy ending for everyone.

Despite the epic finale, the last episode left some unanswered questions about the story.

It’s sure to be a finale that pleases some fans and has others wanting more.

The finale received a full cinematic release in theatres in the US and Canada.

Fans in Los Angeles stood in the rain for hours outside The Egyptian Theatre along Hollywood Boulevard to watch it in one of Netflix’s very own theatres.

The streaming giant, which is currently attempting to purchase Warner Bros, renovated the historic 1922 theatre and now uses it to host premieres and special screenings of projects.

Fans, many dressed up as characters or demogorgons, took pictures in the Stranger Things-themed lobby. Netflix handed out special merchandise, such as T-shirts and figurines.

While waiting for the special screening, fans in the theatre speculated on who might die or how it would end. Many pointed to popular theories of Steve Harrington’s demise and clung to hope that he would survive the last battle.

Liv and Alina Valdez, dressed up as fan -favourite buds Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson, said they couldn’t have been more pleased with how it all ended.

“It’s been basically 10 years,” Liv told BBC News, wearing Harrington’s Scoops Ahoy ice cream shop uniform outside the theatre.

“The Duffer Brothers did a good job of giving the audience what we needed, maybe not necessarily what we wanted.”

They both applauded the both happy-at-times and, perhaps, bittersweet ending.

“It was an emotional roller coaster,” Alina added, noting Eleven’s up-for-interpretation ending was perfectly done.

“It was just many emotions,” Diana Espinoza told the BBC, standing in the lobby of the theatre with a new Demogorgon plush.

“I lost control of my tears!”

She donned a lengthy mind-flayer dress to the screening and said she’d attempted in vain to steer clear of various fan theories that have been going viral on social media because she wanted to be “blown away” by the final episode.

Being in a theatre filled with fellow fans who were screaming and crying during pivotal scenes was an unforgettable experience.

“I loved the finale. There was no better way to end this,” she said, calling it both bittersweet and emotional and the “happy ending” that everyone deserved.

Steven McIntosh provided additional reporting.