Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of Stranger Things, responded to the backlash the show is receiving following the cringe gay coming out scene in the show’s penultimate episode.
In the show’s penultimate episode, Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, declares that he is a homosexual and that he does not like girls. The other characters then embrace and accept him.
The episode is the worst rated Stranger Things episode of all time with a current rating of 5.7 on IMDb from over 176,000 reviews.
When asked about the episode’s poor rating, which was described as “review bombing” by Variety, Ross Duffer initially responded, “The coming out scene is something we’ve been building to for nine years now. It was a really important scene for us, and a really important scene for Noah — not just from a thematic point of view, but also a narrative point of view.”
Ironically, he then claimed, “This show has always been about our characters overcoming evil, and in order to overcome this evil, Vecna, in so many ways, represents all the dark thoughts and the evil of society. And for our characters to overcome that, it really becomes about embracing themselves, and then also embracing one another and coming together.”
To be clear the sodomy is a sin and evil. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
Nevertheless, Matt Duffer then added, “Right. It was the final step in Will’s journey. And Will is, in so many ways, the key to defeating Vecna.”
“Volume 1 is really about self-acceptance, right? I mean, that’s sort of step one. And then step two is Will is talking to Robin — it’s something that he wants to do. He’s trying to figure out how to come out, and he knows that he needs to do that, and that that’s the final step for him. And he finds the courage to be able to do it. And it’s really the ultimate [expletive] you to Vecna. That was the intention,” he added.
To be clear, this is the Duffers explicitly attempting to normalize sodomy and homosexuality.
This is contrary to the teachings of the Gospel and Jesus Christ. One does not defeat Satan by accepting one’s sins. Christ calls us to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In the Gospel of John, he forgives the woman caught in adultery and tells her, “Go [and] from now on do not sin any more.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church also makes clear, “The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes: ‘He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows.’”
Put simply one cannot defeat evil with evil. One must rely on Jesus Christ, the Living God-Man who is good, in order to defeat evil. Not only must one rely on Christ, but we must also strive to reject vice and grow in the virtues.
NEXT: James Gunn Admits His Goal With DC Studios Is "To Help Shape How People See" The DC Characters
Sure, it was the 80's, when we were terrified of AIDS and incredibly wary of gay men, but of course everyone just loves Will and can't wait to celebrate him. There is no semblance of actual reality here.
The only episode I watched was the last episode. The fight to me wasn't great but kid, and Will's future being going to a gay bar and finding his boyfriend there was cringe.