India, Dec. 4 -- T he fifth and final season of Stranger Things has dropped its first volume, earning rave reviews and record-breaking viewership. But for creators Matt and Ross Duffer, delivering a satisfying finish to one of Netflix's biggest global hits has been both exciting and terrifying. Matt says, "It was stressful..." He adds that one thing grounded them: "We always knew what the last scene was going to be, for about seven years. That was our North Star. Writing the season was about building toward that moment. We're very happy with it, the actors are happy, and hopefully it resonates with the audience on New Year's Eve." Ross echoes the anxiety of closing such a sprawling story: "There were so many mysteries we kept pushing to the next season. This time, there was no next season. Every arc, every question, every storyline we'd ever wanted to address, we had to finish it here. That was the challenge." The Duffers reveal they originally wanted to make films, not television. What changed? The evolving nature of long-form storytelling. "TV keeps changing as you shoot. The characters surprise you, especially because of the actors," Matt says. One of the biggest surprises was Steve Harrington, played by Joe Keery. "Steve was written as a jock and a bully. He wasn't supposed to be likeable, or even stick around. I think we were going to kill him in Season 1," Matt laughs. Stranger Things also propelled its young cast, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin, into worldwide stardom. The Duffers admit they often felt protective. "We've all seen horror stories with child actors," Ross says. "But they handled the spotlight beautifully."...