More than nine years after the series debut, Stranger Things 5—the supposed final season of the Netflix sensation—has begun with a four-episode blast now available for streaming.
These four episodes essentially count as “Volume 1” of the final season, with more to come later in December. Netflix wants you unabashedly attached to it for at least one solid month.
Season 4 is the series’ best so far, and the jury is still out on Season 5, because, obviously, it’s not complete yet—but the first four episodes are on par with the fourth season’s greatness. It’s more of the same, and that’s a good thing.
As usual, there are a bunch of storylines going at once, with various characters off in their own plotline threads. This means characters like David Harbour (Hopper) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) are off doing their own thing, with most of the cast not sharing the same space.
Things pick up where last season left off. Hawkins, Ind., has been quarantined as the military does experiments and tries to contain the Upside Down. It appeared that Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower)—the main villain of the series, with an appearance akin to the offspring of Groot and Pennywise—may’ve been weakened in 4’s final battle. Unfortunately for Hawkins (and planet Earth), he’s now stronger than ever.
There are obvious parallels to Stephen King’s It, with Vecna kidnapping children under the pseudonym “Mr. Whatsit.” I mean, “It” is right there in the character’s name. Hopper and Eleven wind up running around in the Upside Down for most of the season thus far, while the rest of the cast do a bunch of maneuvering outside of the apocalyptic land.
As more of the characters enter the Upside Down, the show barrels toward one final, inevitable showdown with Vecna. Credit the Duffer Brothers and crew for making the series an adventure that keeps you involved and invested.
One of the few weaknesses of the show is that some of the actors, children when the show started, have not grown up to be great actors. While the first season thrived upon a certain camp factor, folks are taking their Stranger Things more seriously these days, and scenes are calling for more emotional gravitas. Some of the actors aren’t up to the challenge.
But many are, including Joe Keery as Steve, who emerges as one of the show’s more reliable dramatic backbones. The same goes for Maya Hawke as Robin. Finn Wolfhard fades a bit into the background as Mike; he’s always reliable with his quips, but not that vital. Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin gets a little darker, as does the always-dark Noah Schnapp as the constantly tortured Will. Caleb McLaughlin’s Lucas effectively steps up a bit in this season, while Sadie Sink’s Max is mostly absent until the final episode of this volume.
Of course, the mighty Brett Gelman is still around, providing reliably consistent comic relief and snark. And we can all thank Stranger Things for giving Winona Ryder something fun to do.
This show started as more of a tribute to low-budget horror by the likes of John Carpenter and Sam Raimi, and it’s clear that its popularity has resulted in a lot of money getting thrown at it. It’s evolved from a fun, schlocky show into a legit, hefty blockbuster. This season looks fantastic.
That said, it’s good that this show—or at least this story arc—is coming to an end. There’s always that danger of over-milking the sacred cow, and it’s good to see this wrapping up in a solid way. I’m sure there is room for spinoffs and “Stranger Things Universe” future products, but this storyline seems to be headed toward its needed conclusion.
That conclusion will come with an additional three episodes dropping on Christmas Day as “Volume 2,” with the “Grand Finale” coming out on Dec. 31; some lucky folks will be able to see that one in theaters in addition to streaming.
The first four episodes of Stranger Things 5 are now streaming on Netflix.
