The iconic Netflix original show “Stranger Things” has finally entered its fifth and final season. As we say farewell to our beloved childhood show, we come back for one last adventure into the Upside down.
The first four episodes of season five were released on Nov. 26. The once baby-faced kids have returned once again, this time taller and older, to defeat Vecna and rise to victory.
Season five begins with “The Crawl”, which takes place in the small town of Hawkins during quarantine, heavily guarded by a military force. With the help of Chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour), Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Murry Bauman (Brett Gelman), the children plan to infiltrate the Upside down via the underground tunnels.
The fight for Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Deyer), continues as Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) and Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) are put in charge of tracking Hopper’s signal while he enters the Upside Down.
The season starts off with Jonothan and Nancy together, but fans can’t help but notice the shared glances between her and Steve. This magnifies the tension between Steve and Jonothan but although it continues to build, the boys eventually learn to put their differences aside for the time being, knowing that Nancy, her mother Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) and her sister, Holly Wheeler’s safety is on the line, as Holly went missing after she and her mother encountered a demogorgon in their own home.
Steve and Jonothan’s shared fondness for Nancy is something that has been a recurring theme throughout the show, shaping their characters and their relationship. This story line seems to be heavily amplified in season five, revisiting the classic love triangle.
Stranger Things season five is nothing without the complex father-daughter dynamic between Hopper and Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown). For Eleven, growing up under the control of Dr. Brener (Matthew Modine) created a warped understanding of what a proper father figure was. She had never experienced having a family and a “real” dad, making her bond with Hopper even stronger.
We see a scene between Hopper and Joyce where Joyce tells him he may be being too hard on her, but Hopper explains that he simply wants to keep her safe and contain her powers, as he knows that they will eventually need them. We see Eleven’s journey with Hopper come full circle in the Upside Down when he reiterates to her how proud he is and how much he loves her.
Speaking of full circle, we knew that Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) would have a defining moment in season five. The writers brought us back to the place where it all started, the place where Will was originally taken. This helps bring the plot slowly to a close by implying a story of personal growth. We have witnessed Will go from a timid and shy boy to someone who is willing to go to great lengths to protect his friends.
In the fourth episode, we see Will harness power we have never before seen. He has previously said that he felt as if he was a part of Vecna and could somehow see through his eyes, but now he was able to take control and stop the Demogorgens before they killed Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McGloughclan) and Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard). This final scene of the fourth episode foreshadows what’s to come.
The season also expands on Will’s sexuality. After four seasons of subtle hits and internal conflict, the show broadens Will’s understanding of something that he has suppressed for so long. However, he continues to struggle to understand his feelings for Mike. This is where we see Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) take an interest in Will and help him grasp who he is. She expressed her own experiences with who she was, and her struggle to understand herself. She implies that Mike is Will’s “Vickey,” the girl that Robin had fallen in love with in the beginning of high school, but who didn’t feel the same way. It is beautiful and heartwarming to finally see a friendship flourish between Robin and Will, who understand each other in ways that many others cannot.
While many plotlines conclude, Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink’s) storyline is far from over. Season four ended with Max at Hawkins Memorial Hospital. She has suffered a multitude of injuries and is in a coma. In season five, we see Lucas at her bedside holding her hand and playing Kate Bush on the radio, as he hopes it will serve as an escape for her to come back to him. We later see her trapped with Holly in Vecna’s mindscape, where they begin concocting a plan to escape. As an audience member, it is exciting to see that her story has not quite come to an end.
It is bittersweet seeing this show finally come to a close. We have laughed with them, cried with them, waited with them, and we will continue to grow with them. Each and every one of the actors are extraordinarily talented. They gave up their childhood for this show and to make ours. The bond the cast has with one another is absolutely undeniable, and it showed all throughout this remarkable show.
