Stranger Things Season 5, the final season of the Netflix series, is set in Hawkins, Ind., as the Upside Down begins spreading into the real world after the events of Season 4.
The first four episodes have been released. Three more episodes will be released on Christmas Day, and the finale will be released on New Year’s Eve.
These first four episodes are an exciting addition to the story and provide a great start to the fifth season. A key character returns in episode four, and a young kid is introduced and eventually starts to help the teens who are fighting the Upside Down.
Vecna is alive and becomes the main threat. Eleven is training to fight Vecna, with Hopper sneaking into the Upside Down on “crawls” to search for Vecna.
Holly Wheeler is kidnapped by a Demogorgon during an attack on the Wheeler house, leaving some characters in critical condition. Holly is taken to a mental version of the Creel House inside the Upside Down, created by Mr. Whats-it. One of the main characters is also trapped but finds Holly, explains the situation, and they plan an escape.
Eleven and Hopper infiltrate a secret military base in the Upside Down to find Vecna. They expect to find him, but discover a different key character held captive instead, in a room with a constant sound that affects Eleven’s powers.
Will Byers takes on a bigger role this season, reconnecting to the hive mind and accessing a connection to the Upside Down. He also discovers a new way to help the group to fight Vecna.
The new kid, Derek Turnbow, is originally part of Vecna’s plan of kidnapping 12 children, but he is kidnapped by Joyce after Erica knocks out his family to protect him. The military rounds up several children in Hawkins who are considered “at risk” or connected to Vecna, taking them to a secret facility.
Some of the plot twists so far have been predictable, unlike in the first few seasons. And some of the dialogue has been odd.
But this new season’s plots have mostly been entertaining and intriguing, with a lot of very good moments. This first batch of episodes ends with many cliffhangers, making for lots of anticipation leading up to the next release on Christmas Day.
