With the second release looming later this month, I feel it has been long enough to review the first four episode of the long-awaited Season 5 of Stranger Things. This is your only warning; this article will go into detail of extreme spoilers of the first four episodes!
Immediately off the bat, I personally felt relationships between characters had been lost. Understandably, Dustin is in a justified period of mourning after the events of season four, but what’s not justified to me is the downfall of his friendships. Back in season four, we saw Max experiencing the same level of bereavement shown from Dustin, and this provided heart-felt bonding moments between her character and the others. Where was this treatment for poor Dustin? Instead, his wholesome friendship with Steve has been replaced with bickering and lecturing as Steve returns to his disappointing season one, Nancy-sick persona, sacrificing that beloved friendship. Meanwhile Mike, Lucas and Will instead of remaining supportive, are forever reprimanding Dustin for his, granted reckless, feud with the Hawkins players. If you ask me, half the reason what made the show so entertaining was the humour between these characters, so I feel it’s a major loss for this season.
Despite the lack of love between those characters, a new friendship has pleasantly surprised me. It seems Robin has finally given Will the freedom to escape his fragile, lost boy arc Joyce has lovingly kept him trapped in for the last four seasons, by encouraging him to embrace all parts of himself, including that related to Vecna. In a very Harry Potter-esque plotline, Will was able to access his inner connection to Vecna and channel his powers, in what felt like a powerful and meaningful manifestation of Will accepting his queerness. After seasons of heavily implied speculation, mocking and hushed tones regarding Will’s sexuality, dating all the way back to episode one, it only made sense that Robin would adopt him as her own and guide him through the unavoidable, tough path to acceptance all queer characters ultimately face.
Suspension is definitely rising, and not just for Will. Years of questions as to whether we will ever see El’s ‘sister’, Kali, again were answered as she was dramatically revealed to be captured in the upside down, with yet another heart-dropping false sacrifice from Hopper. Personally, this will-he, won’t-he attitude towards Hopper’s fate is starting to feel a bit too much like the boy who cried wolf; if Hopper really does die I can’t promise to be surprised. Though claimed predictable by some, I felt Kali’s reveal was a needed addition to the plotline to really round up and resolve the past eight years of questions by fans and bring justice to a plotline that had previously felt rushed and somewhat messy. The re-introduction of her character could potentially build to some intense fight sequences between El and Kali vs Vecna, as previously mentioned by the Duffer Brothers, this season is expected to be action packed, so it’ll be interesting to see how the introduction of Kali to Vecna will play out.
Overall, my favourite episode of the four remains the last one, if not just for the goose-bump inducing entrance scene from Vecna. As a Star Wars fan, it felt very reminiscent of the ever iconic ‘Darth Vader’s hallway entrance’ shown in the last half an hour or so of Rogue One. To me, Vecna’s appearance and Will’s powers felt a perfect way to build for the next three episodes without relying on the overused, agonising cliff-hanger technique that has always left me more frustrated than anything. Although, I’m sceptical I will feel the same for the ending of the next three, with the presumed intense action that is set to take place.
The next three episodes are releasing on Boxing Day (26th of December) for the UK, with the final episode releasing on New Years Day, January 1st, 2026.