It turns out that if you stayed up to watch Stranger Things season 4 part 2 as soon as the episodes dropped on Netflix on July 1, you may have experienced a slightly different version of the hit TV series’ finale.
Collider’s editor-in-chief Steven Weintraub revealed on Twitter that the Stranger Things creators, the Duffer Brothers, spoke to him and disclosed the fact that the duo were still working on the effects of the series on June 30, a day before the big release. “FYI, the Duffer Brothers told me they finished a bunch of VFX shots on Stranger Things season 4 episode 9 this morning and uploaded them to the Netflix server,” he Tweeted. “So, if you watch the episode at 2 am tonight, you might not see the final shots. Better to sleep and wake up and then watch.”
Replying to the original Tweet, Weintraub went on to clarify that if fans did choose to brave the early hours of the morning to watch the season 4 finale that the changes would probably not be noticeable.
You can read the original Tweet below:
FYI the #dufferbrothers told me they finished a bunch of VFX shots on #StrangerThings4 episode 9 this morning and uploaded them to the @netflix server so if you watch the episode at 2am tonight you might not see the final shots. Better to sleep and wake up and then watch. pic.twitter.com/de2igDhnRJ
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) July 1, 2022
“I guess it takes 24 hours after upload to populate in the Netflix system,” he continued. “I believe they said 20 VFX shots. Should have said that. Which means you can watch episodes and probably not notice what wasn’t 100% done. I don’t want to make it sound like the episode wasn’t 99% done.”
So far, it is unclear if the episodes were released slightly unfinished or not, as the Duffer Brothers are yet to confirm Weintraub’s statements.
There also haven’t been any confused fans online pointing out janky effects in the big finale, so either way, it seems like you are safe to view the episodes without worrying about overall quality.
Stranger Things season 4 part 2 is now available to watch on Netflix. For more news on the Upside Down, here is our guide to Stranger Things season 5.