“Stranger Things” enters the first half of its final season with a sense of closure in the air.
The show that launched in 2016 as a nostalgic sci-fi throwback now carries the weight of nine years of storytelling. Season 5, Part 1 reflects that history. Fans had to wait over three years for the season and the Duffer brothers delivered, exceeding expectations with much more thrill than previous seasons.
Hawkins doesn’t look like the town we remember. After the chaos that ended Season 4, the town now poses as a military zone. The bright, ‘80s streets are now empty, the portals have not healed and Vecna’s presence is obvious from the opening scenes.
The gates that were open all over town are now covered with miles of metal sheets they like to call the giant “band-aid”. I expected creatures to infiltrate Hawkins right away with everyone fighting for their lives, but that didn’t happen, so it seems like we skipped a beat between seasons.
NPR critic Eric Deggans described the portal as something that “throbs like an outtake from an Alien movie,” and the show leans into that tone from the opening sequence.
The new season opens with a flashback reframing earlier events. The Duffer brothers hinted years ago that the endgame would “come full circle”, with the first five minutes into the season revealing what happened to Will in the Upside Down.
Storylines from past seasons return in subtle ways. The show has always threaded nostalgia through its narrative, but this time the callbacks serve a deeper purpose. They remind viewers what these characters have survived, and what they still fear they cannot outrun.
Will Byers becomes one of the emotional anchors and a centerpiece of the season. His connection to the Upside Down resurfaces with more intensity.
By Episode 4, that connection turns into actual power. Will uses psychic powers in a decisive moment to save his friends from the Demogorgons, hinting he now carries an ability similar to Eleven’s. It feels good to know that Eleven will have more support against Vecna in Volume 2.
Noah Schnapp, in the role of Will Byers, plays those moments well while trying to revitalize the lore behind his mysterious connection with the Upside Down from previous seasons.
Eleven spends the early part of the season in hiding. She trains and isolates herself because she knows her next confrontation with Vecna will ultimately decide the fate of Hawkins.
Eleven’s power has always been central to the show, yet her fear and uncertainty this season feel more visible. It creates a stronger emotional foundation for the final confrontation that is yet to come.
Holly Wheeler’s expanded role is one of the season’s most deliberate choices. By pulling her out of the background, Season 5 widens its emotional scope and shows how deeply Hawkins’ history has shaped even the youngest kids growing up in its shadow.
One of the most unsettling storylines involves young Holly, whose imaginary friend “Mr. Whatsit” turns out not to be imaginary at all. Mr Whatsit turns out to be Vecna in disguise, brainwashing kids into thinking he’s going to save them from the monsters that lurk in Hawkins.
The darker twist this season comes when Vecna finally lays out his plans to Will. He wants to take children because they’re the easiest to break, reshape and turn into weapons — versions of Will and Eleven he can control. It really blows me away to see Vecna’s sheer force and power this season compared to Season 4, he seems invincible.
Once the group realizes what’s coming, they attempt to stop the Demogorgons from snatching any more kids in Hawkins.
With the intensity of this final season and the closure of Stranger Things as we know it, it has drawn out a lot of emotion from the cast.
David Harbour said the cast broke down crying during the table read for the Stranger Things series finale, calling it the best episode the show has ever made. Noah Schnapp even mentioned that “there’s not going to be a single dry eye”, when talking about the season finale.
The emotions revolve around the fact that the actors had grown up on the series over the past decade.
Volume 1 delivers some of the show’s most ambitious moments yet. Episode 4’s military showdown turns into a frantic, single-take escape that feels closer to “Children of Men” than classic “Stranger Things”. It’s easily the season’s biggest set piece so far, with Vecna and the Demogorgons wiping out Hawkins forces and closing in on the remaining children.
Each season has steadily grown darker, shifting from the simple mystery surrounding Hawkins to the brutal, graphic violence we now see with Vecna. The rise in intensity plays a key role in forcing the characters to understand the consequences of fooling around and recognize what loss feels like.
Stranger Things has always been a story about a group of kids confronting something much larger than themselves. Season 5, Part 1 emphasizes that spirit.
Part 1 pulled viewers in because it finally gives more depth to characters like Will, long framed as the series’ victim, and Holly, a background presence in the Wheeler family. The season also makes it obvious that major deaths are coming due to the high intensity of the season. Potentially losing Steve or Dustin would hit hard given how much their chemistry shaped seasons two through four.
If Volume Two follows through, it could land with the kind of resonating impact we’ve all been hoping for.
