The return of Stranger Things 5 wasn’t just a worldwide event: it was a real stress test for Netflix. And, judging by what happened, the platform was not at all ready for the wave of users connected all together, in the middle of the Italian night.
Around 2:00 am, the time the first four episodes became available to us, DownDetector began to experience an anomalous spike in reports. First a few hundred, then thousands, then tens of thousands of users who were unable to access the platform. In short: the new season shook not only the fans, but also the servers.
“Something went wrong”
For many viewers, the long-awaited debut turned into a close encounter of the third kind with the infamous NSEZ-403 error. The screen only displayed a message that was far too polite for the situation:
Something went wrong. Sorry, we’re having trouble with your request.
Translated: We can’t connect your account to Netflix. According to the platform’s technical support, the cause could be a connection problem, or information stored in the browser that needed to be “refreshed”.
Not exactly reassuring advice, given that many users – including Italians – were simply trying to do what they had been waiting for months: click on “Play”. Meanwhile, while DownDetector reported an announced disaster, Netflix’s internal tool continued to claim that there was no interruption going on. As if the “Sottosopra” had also taken over the technical page.
Netflix had increased bandwidth by 30%
Ross Duffer, co-creator of the series, had proudly declared it:
Netflix boosted bandwidth by 30% to avoid a crash on debut.
Paradoxical, if we think that that very night the platform lost pieces everywhere. And it wouldn’t even be the first time: in 2022 Netflix crashed shortly after the release of the final episodes of the fourth season.
This time too, therefore, the wait was too much, curiosity was sky-high and no one wanted to risk spoilers. And here is a virtual crowd that has broken through the digital entrance, leaving many outside the door.
Episode schedule and what to expect from the final season
Once the chaos was overcome, those who managed to connect found the entire historical cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp and all the other faces who, for years, have accompanied us between Hawkins and the Upside Down.
For the Italian public, episodes 5-7 will air on December 25th at 2:00 am, just after midnight in the US, while the series finale will be aired on December 31st at 2:00 am, simultaneously global. In some countries it will also arrive in selected cinemas. For Italy, confirmation is awaited.
An ending that promises emotional shocks and answers left unsolved. As long as Netflix can withstand the brunt this time.
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