Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 7 has a record-breaking low rating on IMDb. The episode, “The Bridge,” has a weighted score of approximately 6.9 out of 10. This score is far lower than the show’s typical ratings and marks it as the worst-received episode in the entire series.
Available data strongly suggests the rating has been heavily influenced by coordinated review bombing. Community reports on IMDb’s official forum note a campaign encouraging users to give the episode a 1-star rating. This activity appears to be driven by fan reactions to specific character storylines, not the episode’s overall quality. The rating does not reflect genuine audience perception, with analysts estimating its true score should be much higher, around 9.1 to 9.3.
Why Episode 7’s Rating Plunged on IMDb
The dramatic drop for “The Bridge” is not a result of typical viewer feedback. Evidence points to an organized effort by a specific segment of fans to lower the score deliberately. This practice, known as review bombing, involves many people rating a title poorly at once to skew its average.
On social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), posts were shared that directly linked to the IMDb page for Episode 7. These posts urged people to rate it with 1 star. This campaign was largely tied to a storyline involving the character Will Byers. In the episode, Will openly discusses his feelings for his best friend, Mike Wheeler, confirming that his love is unreciprocated. Some fans, who had long hoped for a romantic relationship between Will and Mike (referred to online as “Bylers”), expressed strong disappointment with this narrative outcome.
A user on the IMDb community forum stated the issue clearly:
“Episode 7 of Stranger Things Season 5, ‘The Bridge,’ is currently experiencing coordinated review bombing on IMDb. Social media posts are encouraging users to mass 1★ the episode, based on personal preferences regarding character relationships, not the episode’s actual quality.”
The timing and volume of ratings support this claim. Episode 7 accumulated a very high number of votes extremely quickly. It reached over 60,000 ratings in a short time, a figure comparable to Episode 4, which had been available for a much longer period. This sudden surge of negative votes is not a normal pattern for audience reception.
Understanding the Review Bombing Pattern
The targeting of Episode 7 follows a recognizable pattern of review bombing often seen with major franchise releases. The goal is to make a public statement about a creative decision by artificially damaging its review score. In this case, the campaign appears focused on a single character’s emotional storyline.
Further analysis of the ratings reveals unnatural activity beyond just Episode 7. Episodes 5 and 6 from Volume 2, titled “Shock Jock” and “Escape from Camazotz,” also show signs of similar, though less severe, review bombing. Estimates suggest their organic scores should be between 9.2 and 9.6, far above their current averages.
The motivation seems rooted in a specific fan expectation. Some viewers had built theories and hopes around a potential romance between Will and Mike over several seasons. The show’s final confirmation that this would not happen led to a backlash from a portion of that fanbase. The review bombing was their method of protesting the writers’ decision, which they accused of “queerbaiting”.
How the Episode Compares to Series History
Before Episode 7, the title of the lowest-rated Stranger Things episode belonged to Season 2, Episode 7: “The Lost Sister.” That episode, which focused on Eleven meeting another psychic child, has an IMDb rating of 6.0. It has been a point of discussion among fans for years, often cited as a standalone story that felt disconnected from the main plot.
The current rating for Season 5, Episode 7 is notably lower, officially making it the new historical low for the series. However, the context is completely different. “The Lost Sister” received its rating through years of general audience consensus, while “The Bridge” received its score rapidly due to a concentrated campaign.
It is also worth noting that, based on IMDb’s own data and community investigation, the authentic rating for “The Bridge” is estimated to be in the high 9s, which would place it among the show’s best episodes, not its worst.
Fan Reactions to the Review Bombing
The review bombing has sparked significant conversation among the wider Stranger Things fanbase. Many viewers who enjoyed the episode are frustrated that its public score does not match its quality. Comments on social media and forums highlight a divide between those protesting a storyline and those evaluating the episode as a whole.
Some fans defending the episode argue that Will’s storyline is a crucial part of his character arc. They point out that Vecna, the show’s villain, preys on people’s secrets and trauma. Will confronting his feelings and sharing them with his friends removes Vecna’s power over him, which is a key plot point.
Other fans critical of the bombing note that the show has featured other LGBTQ+ relationships, like the one between Robin and Vicky, without similar backlash. This has led to discussions about whether the reaction is specifically about the nature of Will’s unrequited feelings.
A comment on a popular Facebook post about the ratings read:
“You know I just rewatched this and I don’t think it should be so underrated. You can’t judge something until the whole story has unfolded. It’s a pivotal part in a collection.”
Meanwhile, comments supporting the low scores often fixate on the timing of Will’s conversation, arguing it felt misplaced during a high-stakes mission to save the world.
IMDb’s Response and Rating System Safeguards
IMDb has acknowledged the reported issue of review bombing for this episode. In a response on their community forum, an IMDb representative stated:
“Please rest assured that our voting system has several safeguards in place and that this type of behavior is periodically detected and automatically defeated.”
The platform uses a weighted average rating system designed to help keep scores reliable. This system is intended to detect and mitigate irregular voting patterns, such as sudden surges of votes from new accounts or coordinated campaigns. However, users have expressed concern that the safeguards do not appear to be working quickly or effectively in this instance, as the score has continued to drop.
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