Strangers Things 5 Volume 1 TV Review: The first part of the final season is as epic as ever
Plot: A year and a half after the events of the fourth season, in the fall of 1987, the group seeks to find and kill Vecna after the Rifts opened in Hawkins. The mission becomes complicated when the military arrives in Hawkins and begins hunting Eleven. As the anniversary of Will Byers’ disappearance approaches, the group must fight one last time against a deadly threat.
Review: Stranger Things fans have been desperately awaiting the final season of the series that started nearly a decade ago. As the young cast has grown older and ventured into other projects, the last chapter in the Netflix series has been a long time coming. Divided into three parts released during this holiday season, the first four episodes set up a massive blockbuster finale for the show that has been a blend of Steven Spielberg’s Amblin-style with the otherworldly horror and suspense of Stephen King. The build-up of four seasons and almost ten years of anticipation, Stranger Things 5 faces the difficult challenge of living up to impossible expectations while also delivering a satisfying conclusion to maintain the status the series has garnered as one of the most influential television shows of all time. While it is too soon to tell if Stranger Things 5 sticks the landing, Volume 1 does a great job of setting the table for the showdown between the residents of Hawkins, Indiana, and Vecna.
In the final moments of season four, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the residents of Hawkins, Indiana, watched as the ground split and The Upside Down began to spill into the world. It was a shocking shift from the divide between the two worlds over the first four seasons, promising a change in power as the show drew to a close. If you are wondering how everyone is going about their lives with a giant crack in the middle of their town, the season begins with a quick explanation of how the military addressed the Rift, which drives their presence in the small Midwest town. Those same soldiers, led by Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan (Sherman Augustus) and Dr Kay (Linda Hamilton), are not only in Hawkins to find a way to prevent further incursions, but they also want Eleven. As she and Hopper (David Harbour) evade capture, the rest of the gang continues with their usual activities, trying to find a way to stop Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) themselves. While Robin (Maya Hawke) and Steve (Joe Keery) utilise the local radio station, WSQK, to help their friends, others attempt to do so in their own way. Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) still sits vigil over comatose Max (Sadie Sink) while Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) still wants to avenge the late Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn).
The first volume of Stranger Things 5 moves quickly and does not play it safe. While the episodes begin with almost the entire ensemble together for the first time in a long time, the familiar divide-and-conquer approach to splitting characters into side quests and subplots occurs relatively quickly. Many of the same plot devices are back, including the rivalry between Steve and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Nancy (Natalia Dyer) taking charge, and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Will (Noah Schnapp) trying to mediate in the middle. The season sees the return of Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman), Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson), and Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono), as well as the introduction of new characters, including Derek Turnbow (Jake Connelly), and expanded roles for Mike’s younger sister, Holly (Nell Fisher). The life-or-death struggle to oppose Vecna means that no character is safe this season, and every episode keeps the tension running high with potential deaths coming from all directions. This does not diminish the characters’ exploration of romance, of course, nor does it stop the story from providing us with long-overdue explanations about Vecna and his control over the Upside Down.
Stranger Things 5 is full of callbacks to moments from the previous seasons, including connections to subplots that have been left unaddressed for quite some time. I saw some of the reveals coming early, but that does not detract from how well laid out they are in the narrative of the season. I am glad to see Noah Schnapp get a good amount of focus, as Will has often felt relegated to the sidelines since the first season, but he is as intrinsic to what happens in Stranger Things 5 as Eleven is. Millie Bobby Brown has become the most famous member of the young cast, but she seems to be a bit stuck in superhero mode in this first section of the season. David Harbour, the second most recognisable cast member, also appears to be in a somewhat backseat role in the early going. Still, much of this is due to the challenge of concluding a series like Stranger Things while giving the ensemble its due. Even with the new additions, everyone gets a fair amount of space to begin wrapping their characters, while some, like Winona Ryder and Sadie Sink, may have a little less to do. I fully expect that those who did not get spotlights in these first episodes will get their due in the final four.
Three of the first four episodes were directed by The Duffer Brothers, with legendary filmmaker Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) helming the third entry. Matt and Ross Duffer wrote the first two episodes, with Caitlin Schneiderhan and Paul Dichter scripting the third and fourth. The Duffers embrace their inner Russos with the scale and special effects this season. Stranger Things has never been shy about using CGI and stunt work, but there is a shift from a few set pieces per season to action dominating these first episodes. The final trailer for Volume 1 is primarily based on the fourth episode, which is packed with big-screen-caliber action. What is not shown is the Duffers’ trademark blend of nostalgia and pop culture references, which this season includes connections to the classic novel A Wrinkle in Time. The Kate Bush song “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” makes a return, as do the fashion changes and fads associated with the 1987 setting. The production values are as good as ever, despite the increased use of computer effects. Vecna still looks incredibly tangible, but the demogorgons have lost some of their realism.
Stranger Things 5 is the most ambitious and epic start to a season for the series to date. My review for the first season of Stranger Things was the very first posted online anywhere, and my appreciation for the Duffers’ mix of nostalgia, homage to the works of Stephen King and Steven Spielberg, and energetic return to the type of all-ages storytelling that has fallen by the wayside in recent years is still on full display in Volume 1. I am looking forward to seeing how the second volume and feature-length series finale will close out the story started back in 2016, but these four chapters bring a satisfying mix of laughs, scares, and intensity that gives me hope that the story will go out with a bang. Delivering on a scale that is on par with some summer blockbusters, Stranger Things 5 is a Thanksgiving treat that fans will be thrilled to consume over the long holiday weekend.
Stranger Things 5 Volume 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Volume 2 premieres on December 25, and the series finale premieres on December 31.
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