The last season being a big mess aside, it was 100% guilty of re-explaining the plot, not just the recaps. Together with those unnecessary "LET ME EXPLAIN" scenes, like Robin using vinyls to explain a very basic concept. They really treated us like idiots. 

Yes and no. This season has been pretty weak in the writing department, so some of these ideas that worked before were overused/used poorly this season. And for an 80s-throwback series, it ends rather depressingly, no matter how you spin it. But it's par for the course these days for the final season/finale to shit the bed, I guess.

Added to my list, thanks.

While yes your money is being eaten by inflation when sitting in the bank, if you’re seriously considering purchasing a house that is the correct place to put your money while continuing to build a deposit but you have to commit to an actual plan.

We'll most likely need this money in the next year or two, so you might be right there.

IMO I don’t think you are psychologically prepared to invest (which is probably the biggest factor).

I'd say it's more about poor understanding of how investments work than anything else. I've seen multiple people I know lose a lot of money for the simple reason of having no clue what they're doing. Hence my apprehension.

Ironically buying a house is also investing but you’ve somehow created a divide in your mind on those two things which makes me think your risk tolerance is low (that’s ok).

I wish something as basic as housing wasn't used for profit. It's either we're stuck paying more for rent than what our monthly mortgage rate would be and have an unstable housing situation (especially with dogs in the equation) or we commit to paying off a 30-35 years of mortgage.

Media literacy tells me two main characters didn't get their happy endings. It also tells me neither of the endings are logistically possible or make much sense. I think it's fine we agree to disagree on this.

Thanks, I'm adding this to my research.

If we take Duffer brothers' word as gospel, they will never see each other again. Which was the intended message to go along with their "she represents childhood magic, and that has to end for kids to grow up" statement. Nothing hopeful there.

It was fully happily ever after.

Hard disagree. Fully happily-ever-after wouldn't have ended with ::: spoiler S5 finale spoilers the main 16-year-old character either dying or somewhere all on her own with no family/friends/support circle, useful life skills, money or even documents to travel anywhere outside the US. While her boyfriend is stuck with depression and potentially living in delusion that she is still alive. The whole idea that El represents childhood magic and that she has to die/disappear, so other characters could move on is genuinely out of touch and potentially harmful, considering she's been "used, abused and manipulated" since she was born. Sends a real fucked up message there. This could have worked, if the show had finished in one season. But it does not work after 5 seasons of growth (though in S5 she was completely sidelined). The one character that deserved happily ever after, and they didn't give it to her. Not to mention how Vickie has been completely forgotten in the epilogue, or rather discarded with an offhanded comment about being an "overbearing significant other", when Robin has been an asshole to her the entire season. :::

I actually would have loved a true happily-ever-after. This tired trend of every show—even something that's supposed to be lighthearted—getting a tragic or "bittersweer" ending, because that's considered "deep", should just die already.

What's hopeful about El disappearing from everyone's life? I'm hardly the only one who sees it this way.