The final season rolled out in stages: volume one arrived on Nov. 26, followed by volume two released on Christmas Day. Then, on Dec. 31, the show’s two-hour series finale dropped — even premiered in select theatres — and just like that, the campaign rolled its last encounter.
Season five of Stranger Things takes place a year and a half after season four’s dramatic finale. Hawkins is under lockdown, with our beloved main cast determined to find Vecna/Henry/001 (What are we calling him now?), played by Jamie Campbell Bower. As Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) trains with Hopper (David Harbour) for an inevitable showdown, and Will’s (Noah Schnapp) connection to Vecna intensifies, new details emerge about The Upside Down that change our understanding of the mysterious dimension forever.
This season has received mixed reviews, but regardless, I’d say it was ultimately a success. Right off the bat, my favourite part of this season was finally seeing Will get adequate screen time — a rarity since season two. While Schnapp’s acting this season unfortunately pales in comparison to his performance back then, I loved seeing Will move closer to the forefront of the plot once again instead of his notability being mostly attributed to his unfortunate bowl cut.
Another element that works really well this season is the conflict between Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) as Dustin copes with last season’s tragedy in reckless ways. As someone who once believed Steve should have died in season four, the distressing tension between them convinced me to change my mind. Their friendship needed to be tested and pushed to its limits. After all, how else do connections grow?
While there was a lot I liked about this season, it’s definitely not without its flaws. I think the biggest weaknesses come from one thing: viewers’ expectations — and who can blame us? With season five arriving a whopping three years after season four, plus all the hype from both the cast and creators Matt and Ross Duffer (the Duffer Brothers) during interviews, we’re bound to have some high hopes. I mean, three years to make eight episodes? I don’t know about you, but that seems like more than enough time to make some damn good television.
So why are we giving more screen time to a side character many viewers like myself don’t care about, instead of the core cast we’ve spent years growing attached to? Why are there still inconsistencies between seasons? And why are the Duffer Brothers making careless mistakes — like having a character wear an Under Armour logo in 1987, even though the brand wasn’t founded until 1996? Or mixing up established canon during flashbacks, such as the fact that it was supposed to be pouring rain when Johnathan (Charlie Heaton) and Will built Castle Byers, yet a flashback shows them doing it on a bright sunny day? In another show, I wouldn’t care about these minor errors. However, after waiting this long for a mere eight episodes, my expectations are higher — and I’m simply less forgiving.
The Duffer Brothers’ decision to split the final season into three volumes didn’t help either. If you ask me, season five should have been released all at once. That way, viewers could have appreciated the season as a whole rather than comparing the three volumes — a problem that surfaced after volume two dropped and faced oceans of backlash after volume one’s success. While much of volume two’s criticism can be attributed to overt homophobia, some critiques did have merit — including the most shameless use of plot armour I’ve ever witnessed.
Plot armour aside, season five highlights many of the cast’s insane acting skills, especially Bower, Matarazzo, and Natalia Dyer — who plays the iconic Nancy “Walk ‘em Down” Wheeler. Her badass performance is one of my favourite parts of this series, so I loved seeing her bravery highlighted even more this season.
With all its highs and lows, Stranger Things’ ultimately had a satisfying and truly cinematic series finale. I watched the credits through teary eyes, not just because of the episode’s emotional roller-coaster, but also because the series I’ve stuck with for almost a decade is finished. The time of frozen waffles, 1980’s mall aesthetics, die-hard Eddie (Joseph Quinn) fans, and fearing for Steve’s life — it’s all over. Loved it or hated it, there’s no denying Stranger Things defined an era to remember.
