Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 cast©Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection
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Kara Hedash
Published 22 minutes ago
Kara Hedash is the Senior Editor for Screen Rant's TV team, specializing in feature coverage for streaming releases and cable programming. Aside from overseeing a passionate team of editors and writers, Kara has years of experience in news coverage, exclusives, fan conventions, interviews, and media preview events.
Before joining Screen Rant in 2019, Kara was a regular contributor for Movie Pilot, with articles also published on various other entertainment sites, such as Reel Honey, Hidden Remote, Netflix Life, AMC Theatres (via AMC Scene), and more.
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Will Eleven get another chance at defeating Vecna? Is Max going to wake up? Can Will ever find peace in his life? These were just some of my biggest questions going into Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1. Seeing as it has been over three years since Stranger Things season 4's ending, my list of lingering questions has become overwhelmingly long. But I guess good things do come to those who wait, because Volume 1's four episodes quickly answer some of my most burning questions.
Set a year and a half after the events of season 4, Stranger Things season 5 finds Hawkins under military control following the "earthquake" that tore apart the town, which was actually caused by Vecna. The villain hasn't been seen since he was thrown from a window with a shotgun blast, but that hasn't stopped the group from staying ready for Vecna's next move. While Hopper and Joyce are helping Eleven train, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Robin coordinate ways to locate Vecna. Max is still present, but she remains in a coma, serving as a reminder about how high the stakes are.
While it's exciting to return to the world of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers make several risky story decisions in the first four episodes of season 5 that will have serious consequences; it may even change the perception surrounding the entire series. The response to those twists will most likely cause a wide range of reactions, but it's the repercussions of an ongoing character problem that hinders the story. With only four episodes left, with three releasing on Christmas, and the series finale set to debut on New Year's Eve, time is running out to get back to the basics that made us fall in love with the Hawkins crew in 2016.
The Duffer Brothers' Final Season Hits The Ground Running
After three long years, the worst thing the Duffer Brothers could have done was delay the inevitable with a slow-burn start to season 5. Thankfully, that's not the case with Volume 1. The characters are just as antsy as viewers will be going into the final season, with hopes that a satisfying conclusion is around the corner. Not only have our Hawkins heroes been preparing for another go at Vecna, but they've spent the time since Stranger Things season 4 searching for him to carry out their own attack.
With no time wasted, Stranger Things season 5 gets off to a strong start. Life has not been kind to the main characters, but the core group has remained a strong unit in adapting to the hellscape that Hawkins has transformed into. Much has changed since the "earthquake," resulting in extra challenges in avoiding the military as if the group has found themselves in a Red Dawn-esque scenario. But that just forces them to get more creative in their own covert missions.
Heading into the fifth and final season, the age of the cast will remain a talking point. Admittedly, the maturity surrounding the younger characters gives the story an advantage. Eleven, for example, carries a new sense of confidence, where she's more forthright but also inquisitive. Mike also has a heartfelt big brother moment with Holly, who becomes a vital figure in Volume 1's most emotional sequence of events.
Volume 1 Runs Into A Familiar Stranger Things Problem
Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
As we've seen since season 1, nothing ever goes quite as planned when dealing with the Upside Down or the monsters from within the dark realm. When the Vecna plan starts to go awry in Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1, the show silos off the characters, creating smaller groups. While these situations have created some of the show's best team-ups—Dustin and Steve, Joyce and Hopper, Nancy and Jonathan—it has also had a history of creating pitfalls surrounding the story.
...the scope of Stranger Things has become so big, with its added world-building and lore, that these split narratives make the show feel too convoluted.
Considering the size of Stranger Things season 5's cast, we are quickly reminded why the Duffer Brothers' Netflix series is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, following these characters for nearly a decade has created undeniable attachment. Of course, we're invested in some figures more than others, but when there's such a vast list of core players, the story suffers. This has been an increasingly growing problem for Stranger Things, most notably in season 4, when the characters were split between Indiana, California, and Russia.
Season 5 sticks with Hawkins as the central location. However, the characters are forced to split up into smaller groups for much of Volume 1's episodes. While this might not be a problem on a smaller scale, the scope of Stranger Things has become so big, with its added world-building and lore, that these split narratives make the show feel too convoluted.
Even with long episode runtimes, an enticing moment might not be revisited for another half hour or later as the story flips from group to group. Aside from the challenge of giving every remaining Stranger Things character ample screen time, season 5 is tasked with tying up loose ends, so this will get more difficult with only a handful of episodes left.
Volume 1 Takes Big Swings That Will Divide Stranger Things' Audience
Will looking scared as Vecna puts his hand to his face in Stranger Things season 5
If I had to use one word to describe Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1, it would be ambitious. As convoluted the story becomes with all the different moving parts in Hawkins, the Upside Down, and Vecna's confusing mindscape, the first four episodes of Stranger Things season 5 take several big swings with characters that risk adding a sense of divisiveness heading into the show's final chapters.
That's not to say Stranger Things' final season is full of misfires; in fact, there are some standout scenes in the first four episodes. Granted, the wait time between seasons means that some twists don't have the same emotional impact as they would have if the show didn't require almost a decade to tell a story across four years. The time span of the love triangle between Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve might make sense in reality, but do we still need this subplot nine years later?
...the first four episodes of Stranger Things season 5 take several big swings with characters that risk adding a sense of divisiveness heading into the show's final chapters.
Romantic relationships aside, there are some massive reveals that will have viewers talking, if not complaining, based on past criticisms surrounding the series. Every aspect of the show has been excessively theorized. If you're clued into that side of the fandom, there's almost nothing that hasn't been speculated on. In some ways, a few of Stranger Things season 5's twists will feel somewhat predictable.
That said, I commend the Duffer Brothers for taking risks instead of playing it safe as Stranger Things nears the end. You can call the series many things, but I would never consider it boring in any sense. While some of the decisions and storytelling methods might be divisive, there's still time for Stranger Things to stick the landing.
Volume 1 of Stranger Things season 5 is now available on Netflix. Volume 2 is set to release on December 25, with the series finale coming to Netflix on December 31.
6/10
Stranger Things - Season 5
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-14 Mystery Action & Adventure Drama Horror Science Fiction Release Date November 26, 2025 Network Netflix Series Stranger Things Episodes 8 Genres Mystery, Action & Adventure, Drama, Horror, Science Fiction Expand Collapse-
Stranger Things
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