The holiday season brings a lot of things. Breaks from school, good food, bonding, presents, and this year it brings Stranger Things season 5. Stranger Things has always been a big show, first airing in 2016 and continuing over the years for four seasons. The show has terrifying monsters, a complex plot, and emotionally deep characters. My friend always mentions that she loves the show due to its uniqueness, there really isn’t another one like it. The long awaited finale is finally coming out, Part I was released November 26th, and like everyone else I binged it and there’s a lot to get into. SPOILERS AHEAD!!
To be fully transparent, I haven’t always been a Stranger Things fan. I recently got into the show this summer. My friend wanted to rewatch the show to refresh before the fifth season dropped, and I was curious because there was a lot of hype surrounding the show. I have to say, we were troopers and finished all four seasons before going to college. I instantly fell in love with the show due to the characters. The CGI was of course amazing, but it’s refreshing to see a show where every single character is complex and doesn’t fall flat after two seasons. The concept of the show also ties together so many worlds and generations, and it’s a refreshing change from other things that I at least usually watch.
Okay, onto Season 5. I’m not going to talk about the first two episodes too much, because I thought they were just okay. I feel like at this point being the finale, there isn’t as much opportunity for early exposition. In all of the previous seasons, the characters and the audience were still unraveling the major characters and reasons for the Upside Down and events that take place. Small things were usually revealed in the first couple episodes, just exposition to set up the season and establish a start to a new problem. The problem with that technique is that for this season the characters already know everything. They know that Vecna is their main enemy, and that he is trying to recreate the world. The season is introducing a new angle with Holly (Mike’s sister), and the other kids, but it’s just not fully the same vibe. I’m not saying that the first two episodes were bad, I just think that compared to other seasons they weren’t the best (as a side note go Karen Wheeler she’s an icon).
Moving on to the later episodes, Episode 3 was good in that we started to see some action. The characters were coordinating the “Turnbow Trap” and it was good to see the dynamics return. I’m not loving the tension between Dustin and Steve, but hopefully that will be resolved quickly. Anyways, it was great to see Erica again and just get to see the planning and the execution. This episode along with Episode 4 was when I feel like we really got to see how much all of the characters have grown. Speaking of growth, we need to talk about Episode 4 and Will.
Episode 4 was one of my favorite episodes of the series. Like everyone else, I really want to focus on Will’s moment at the end. It was a really big scene with Demigorgons, fire, the military, Vecna, and powers. You can tell that a lot of effort was put in, and it really worked out. Once again, I want to put the focus on the characters and their growth. Eleven is finally taking charge and fighting with Hopper instead of being protected and doing it out of defense. Mike and Lucas are protecting the kids from the monsters, embracing the role of the people they wished they had when they were experiencing the trouble. Max is pushing forward and facing her fear instead of staying stagnant, and Joyce is letting Will come into his own. Robin embraced herself, Nancy and Jonathan took initiative (that hasn’t changed super drastically from earlier seasons, but from Season 1 they’ve come a long way). Finally, Will has embraced himself wholly.
I feel like in Season 1 Will was taken, and then in the seasons following it everyone else likes to pretend it didn’t happen and he’s a normal kid. They were doing it for his benefit, but time and time again situations prove that he was forever changed by that experience. He experienced a supernatural trauma that never left. This poor kid has to deal with a new horror every season alone. Everyone in the group can see the Demigorgons, they know that things are wrong with the Upside Down, but no one is tormented in their mind like Will is. He struggles to fit in, pushing aside that part of himself and relying on others to desperately cling on to some sense of normalcy. It makes sense, no one can blame him for it, but it’s only when he accepts himself wholly that he can take control. He’s always felt like things are out of his hands, whether he is being affected by Vecna or held back by Joyce he is never the one making decisions regarding his actions. Once he decides to embrace the fact that he is different, he has trauma, and he will always carry a part of the Upside Down with him, he can actually exert power over the Demigorgons and protect the people he loves. I’m excited to see how his character develops further, and if we get a scene even half as cool as that one I’ll be happy.
Unfortunately, we would be here forever if I talked about everything I wanted to in this article. I would love to offer predictions, break down Dustin and Eddie, the Will and Mike relationship (wink) and more. Stranger Things is truly such a complex show, and it makes sense why so many people love it. I can’t wait for parts II and III, and I’m looking forward to watching all of the edits that come out of it.