Stranger Things has become a pop-culture sensation since its release on Netflix, and the viewers are obsessed with the monsters, twists, and '80s flair of the world. However, Stranger Things Season 5 has received some poor criticism. The 7th episode titled “The Bridge" is currently the lowest-rated episode in the entire history of the show on IMDb, and has become a topic of intense discussion on the internet.Although the last season remains action-packed and full of emotional scenes, this episode did not fully resonate with a number of viewers. Fans have split on whether the problem lies in poor writing, uneven shift in tone, or a mere burnout after so many seasons. Anyhow, it is a strange low point of the series.Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 7 is officially the lowest-rated episode of the series View this post on Instagram Instagram PostStranger Things Season 5 Vol 2 dropped on Netflix on December 25, 2025, and The Bridge is the 7th episode there, which was supposed to lead to a powerful conclusion, but many viewers think it did not succeed in doing so. Just before the release of the final episode, on December 31, 2025, Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 7 has already been crowned as the lowest IMDb-rated episode in the entire series with a 5.8/10, even below the widely-lamented and previously lowest Season 2 Episode 7 titled “The Lost Sister,” which stands at 6/10.People have primarily criticized the slow pace and lengthy explanations, where the characters spelled out on screen what the fans had already deduced earlier. Certain unexpected changes in character and relationship dynamics were rather confusing, not emotional.With that said, IMDb scores are dynamic, and it is not clear to what extent the low rating reflects genuine disappointment and to what extent it is review bombing. In any case, the episode definitely caused a considerable amount of responses, not the sort that many of them were looking forward to.Fan frenzy View this post on Instagram Instagram PostWith the emergence of the social networking era, TV ratings no longer remain silent and have become a full-blown debate on social media. When Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 7, "The Bridge," became the lowest-rated Stranger Things episode on IMDb, social media erupted with active reactions and criticisms hurled at the episode. Some of the fans praised its emotional scenes and character development arcs, but others referred to it as the weakest link of the series.The critics also cited the unbalanced storytelling in Episode 7 of Stranger Things Season 5, with too little emphasis placed on the old characters and the plot progressing too slowly for a series moving towards its series finale. The supporters, however, argue that the outrage is unjustified and has resulted from review bombing and recency bias towards the series, with their recent exposure to the series making them overly critical and biased against it, hence the negative feedbackIn either case, Stranger Things has everyone buzzing again, this time about ratings rather than monsters. Now that the finale is looming, fans are patiently waiting to see if this series can end strongly and make up for the lag in the penultimate episode.For more such insights on Stranger Things Season 5, keep following SoapCentral.