Stranger Things Season 5 Review (Vol. 1): The First of the Three Steps Towards the Finale!

After years of waiting, postponements, and exponential cast growth on and off screen, Stranger Things Season 5 landed on Netflix. Today, November 27, 2025, Netflix released the first four episodes of season five, Volume 1, ushering in the last race of Hawkins’ heroes to an ending that promises to end a cycle that began in 2016 with a bang. Volume 2 (consisting of episodes 5, 6, and 7) will arrive on December 26th at 2:00, while New Year’s Eve will be the time for the grand finale, in a global event that will mark the definitive end of the series. The cast returns to full strength: from Millie Bobby Brown to Finn Wolfhard, from Sadie Sink to Noah Schnapp, up to David Harbour, Winona Ryder, and Maya Hawke. The tone is darker, the stakes higher, but nostalgia remains the Duffer brothers’ main compass. Perhaps it was from the Game of Thrones finale that there was no sense in the air of the tremendous fear of spoilers that accompanied the wait and then the exit of the first part of Stranger Things Season 5.

Many, to be safe, have even avoided articles and videos containing fan hypotheses and theories about the conclusion of the saga in the years ‘80 by the Duffer brothers. However, they were keen to point out that almost everything that circulates online is quite far, usually due to an excess of thought (“overthinking,” said the Duffers), from what actually happens in this last season, which, even if we are only half done, is already quite shocking. So, out of respect for the general public, but also because we have formally promised Netflix not to reveal numerous details, we assure you that what you are reading is a totally spoiler-free review of Stranger Things Season 5, but with some useful information for those who want to see it without having to stop repeatedly for Google searches and rewatch particular episodes. If, however, you don’t remember exactly how last season ended, you will find here the summary of the ending of Stranger Things Season 4.

Stranger Things Season 5 Review (Vol. 1): The Story Plot

The fifth season starts exactly from where we stopped: Hawkins is a wounded city, in the official version, hit by a devastating earthquake, but in reality, deeply torn by the fractures opened by Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). The season opens in autumn of 1987, eighteen months after the events of the fourth season, when the villain had almost completed the passage of the Upside Down into the real world. The town is now under military quarantine, the Byers are temporarily living at the Wheelers’, Max (Sadie Sink) is still in a coma, and the group – Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Robin (Maya Hawke), Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) – behind the appearance of a “normal” life, is organized and alert, always ready to take action. Meanwhile, the Upside Down is more present than ever in the narrative: Hopper (David Harbour) conducts regular patrols within a dark dimension that has never been so vast, tangible and oppressive, while Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), forced into yet another clandestinity to escape the military who want to capture her, undergoes very hard daily training, determined to settle accounts with Vecna once and for all.

But despite all these changes, it remains a (comforting) feeling of déjà-vu: the characters are divided into teams, communicate via radio using “resistance” tones and encrypted codes, and move between tunnels and hiding places, obviously always to the rhythm of the inevitable sounds of the ‘80s. We had therefore broken up in a different way than in the other seasons: without reunions, school dances and/or defeats, however temporary and seasoned with painful farewells, of human and monstrous enemies, but with a Hawkins shattered by the opening of the Upside Down portals (officially by a very powerful earthquake) to be the setting for the reunion of all our heroes, apart from poor Max (Sadie Sink), in a coma and with broken bones after Henry/Vecna/Uno-One (Jamie Campbell Bower) had effectively killed her, even though she had then been resurrected, as far as possible, by 11 (Eleven or Eleven whatever you prefer, in short Millie Bobby Brown).

Season 5 is set from November 3, 1987, about a year and a half after that reunion, three days after the fourth anniversary of Will Byers’ kidnapping (even though the 12-year-old children of the first season are now sixty centimeters taller adults: do you imagine the frustration of parents buying them clothes that become tight within a month?). And also at this beginning of the season, which has known begins with a brief flashback to the first meeting in ’83 between Will (with the character of Noah Schnapp reinterpreted by Luke Kokotek) and Vecna, in which the latter says he is eager to do “great things” with poor little Byers, there is not even a hint of the lightheartedness of the Star Court days, or the record at Mad Max video games, but not even when 11 pretended to Mike (Finn Wolfhard) that he was okay in California, let alone at the time when the height of the thrill was a game of Dungeons and Dragons in the Wheelers’ attic. Our friends are all already always in battle gear, between training, reconnaissance, tunnels, and war supplies, between one lesson and another.

Meanwhile the Byers are staying with the Wheelers, Robin (Maya Hawke) and Steve (Joe Keery) are the voices of a radio station, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) always goes to the hospital to visit Max who isn’t coming out of a coma, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) is still mourning Eddie’s death (and us with him), Hopper (David Harbour) as usual hides 11 from bad guys (e at least on the screen everything is fine between them) along with Joyce (Winona Ryder)… and all of Hawkins is in a tight quarantine militarily controlled by Lt. Col. Sullivan’s operatives, whom he has anyway, his superiors to report to. And you could already understand almost all of this from the trailer, which we report in depth in the review. In this less than pleasant context, and this too can be understood from various trailers and preview images, there is a new generation of kids who will have an important role in Stranger Things Season 5: and we are not referring so much to Erica Sinclair, on whom we have all been relying for a while now, as to Holly Wheeler and some of her friends: without anticipating anything, let’s just underline a certainly not random joke uttered by Cara Bono’s Karen Wheeler to Joe Chrest’s Ted Wheeler: “I bet you don’t even know how old your little daughter is”.

In fact, in this last season Holly is decidedly older, not only because the new actress Nell Fisher is a few months older than the twins Tinsley and Anniston Price who played her in previous seasons, but because, in theory, Holly should be 7 or 8 years old at most, if you consider the age of the character in season one (the Stranger Things fan wikis they attribute holly has a date of birth between November 1979 and March 1980): instead, not only the actress, but also the character himself and his peers seem appreciably older. After all, even Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), and Steve’s ages have been subjected to some recon between one season and another, how much was used at a time? The chessboard of the final clash between Good and Evil is therefore full of pitfalls for our heroes, who, as usual, will have to face their enemies on two battlefields, in two dimensions whose boundaries are now frighteningly blurred. All that remains is to hope that the union of the group will provide the necessary strength to prevail.

Stranger Things Season 5 (Vol. 1) Review and Analysis

In this fifth season, the Upside Down stops being just a shadow in the background and becomes the true stage of the story. It is an immense living place that almost seems to breathe: an expanse of darkness that expands as if it wanted to swallow everything. Its rules escape logic, time seems to warp, and every corner reveals a threat that doesn’t need to show itself to be tangible. As Hawkins tries to resist, the Upside Down advances as a constant and inescapable presence, insinuating itself into the lives of the protagonists and making every choice more urgent. It is no longer just horror theatre, but a parallel world that demands space, that imposes its will, and that accompanies the characters towards a final confrontation from which no one will be able to escape. Where Volume 1 really convinces is in the management of its emotional side. The character who earns the most compared to the past is undoubtedly Will Byers: after having been the symbol of trauma for years, here he finally becomes a character fully at the center of the story.

His identity, his relationship with the Upside Down, and his feelings find a clearer and more honest space. The bond with Robin is also very successful: it is not built on big speeches, but on small exchanges that give meaning to the path of both. Lucas’ pain in the face of Max’s condition, Dustin’s unresolved mourning for Eddie, and Nancy’s determination to try to pick up the pieces and try to give order to the chaos also remain strong. It is these emotional threads, inserted between a trap, an escape into the Upside Down, and an improvised plan, that remind us why Stranger Things is not just a catalog of quotes from the ’80s. The theme of time is impossible to ignore. Between the first season and this Volume 1, it wasn’t just four years in fiction, but almost ten in reality. The actors today are in their twenties, and, in many cases, you can see it clearly. However, the series consciously chooses not to transform the characters too much: they remain tied to their usual dynamics, as if it did not damage the image that the public has built of them.

This creates a curious effect: the maturity of the actors and the relative “youth” of the characters coexist in a somewhat artificial balance, but not entirely out of tune. Instead of doing a season all about becoming adults, the Duffers prefer to tell one last great heroic act, as if the kids had frozen any questions about the future to face the last battle. Volume 1 is clearly intended as the first act of the grand finale, and does its job well on this front. It reenacts all the main characters, introduces the new pawns (human or otherwise), raises the bar of danger, and at the same time returns to many elements that defined the series: the codes, the radios, the bikes, the group that divides and finds itself, and the adults who always arrive one step later. Nostalgia is there, and not only for the ’80s, but also for the previous seasons of the series itself. At times, you get the feeling that Stranger Things is quoting Stranger Things, but in the ending, it is almost inevitable. The important thing is that despite some repetition and some simplifications, volume 1 holds up, entertains, excites when needed, and sincerely leaves the desire to see how all this will be concluded. If the rest of the season is up to par, an 8 out of 10 is a more than deserved rating for this first block of episodes: not perfect, but solid, spectacular, and still capable of making us fond of its characters, even now that they have grown up with us.

Reassuring once again those who fear ruinous revelations around every corner, there are several things to say about this first volume of Stranger Things Season 5. The first is that in these four episodes the direction is signed alternately by the Duffers and Frank Darabont, known for having written and directed masterpieces such as The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, based on novels by Stephen King, but previously also a screenwriter of horror films, such as the cult ‘80s The Blob (not the historic Rai 3 broadcast, the film that also inspired Enrico Ghezzi and Marco Giusti), honored several times throughout the series. By the way, quotes from historical films and TV series are, as usual, abundant, including shots, jokes, and, of course, songs. But even then, we don’t anticipate anything. Just as we don’t want to say anything precise, but if you know Madeleine L’Engle’s most famous book (or the films based on it), you could have an advantage; otherwise, the reference to Camazotz in the (already official) title of one of the next episodes: if you are curious, you can find information here.

But apart from the literary, cinematographic and even age issues we mentioned, the most important thing to say about Stranger Things Season 5 is that these first 4 episodes are already more than enough to fuel expectations and expectations, reactions and emotions, and in short all the ninety load (like fear) that this great series has carried with it for almost ten years, on a route where you begin to see the finish line. There is no more time to play and joke, to make out and go to the cinema: the kids have grown up, they have grown big and fat, and they are no longer afraid of bullies because they are now used to facing infinitely worse enemies. Smiles, relaxation, and personal matters are like flashes that illuminate Hawkins’ sky for brief moments: for the rest, disillusionment, determination, stubbornness, and contempt for danger immediately prevail. In short, the final battle is just beginning, but the adrenaline is already running high, and we can’t wait for the rest to arrive.

Season 5 opens by resuming the threads of the speech, giving space for all characters to allow us to refocus on the state of the situation: quarantine, isolation, but with the group at the center of everything. Each with their own time to build the foundation on which to rest the next story: the Rockin’ Robin radio of Maya Hawke in pulling the strings of all this, but everyone is filmed and skillfully placed on the board of the final game by the Duffer brothers, with exemplary and balanced writing which allows each cast member to participate in this final event, without exclusions and without leaving anyone behind. Even those who are no longer here, but who have left their mark, like Joseph Quinn’s Eddie, whose shadow still hovers in Hawkins’, also enhancing one new entry, exceptional like Linda Hamilton, which takes up and amplifies what was done from the beginning, from a casting perspective by casting a star from the 80s and 90s like Winona Ryder. Above all, this is why the first step of this journey works, because on the one hand, it prepares and introduces, but immediately gets to the heart of the discussion.

The meaning, evident and shareable, is to build volume 1 that is designed to anticipate and open up to the next and the ending, but also capable of proposing something that has its own autonomous and complete life, which leads to wanting more for the satisfaction felt and not because it is thin and partial. With all the pieces in their place, the Duffers don’t even make mistakes in the moves they make, which translate into a perfect balance between personal dynamics between the characters, which for a series now in its fifth season are fundamental for the viewer, lightness on the one hand and drama on the other, a lot of intensity and just as much emotion. And also epic, which doesn’t hurt at this point in the story! We won’t tell you anything in concrete terms, because it wouldn’t be correct or sensible, but we can talk to you about a path that convinced us and which obviously will need to be confirmed in view of the effectiveness of the ending after having also watched the last episodes.

If all the ingredients are in place when it comes to writing, too the direction follows and completes with elegance and power: the Duffer brothers, who direct three out of four of the episodes of volume 1, confirm that they master the subject Stranger Things and they also indulge in a couple of sequences with great visual impact, including a sequence shot that immerses the viewer in the action and represents an important added value on the front of the visual construction of the Netflix series. In short, the first one is good in view of this triptych of appointments with the ending of a symbolic show of the streaming era, leaving us hopeful of a conclusion that is worthy of what has been built so far. Deserves it Stranger Things, Netflix deserves it as a platform, we deserve it because those guys and their bizarre friend Eleven have loved them since the first roll of the die. And who now has all it takes to land the final critical hit.

Stranger Things Season 5 Review (Vol. 1): The Last Words

The fifth season of Stranger Things starts again with a new awareness: telling the story of the end without betraying what made the series iconic. The pace is more tense, the Upside Down is a constant presence, and the stakes weigh on every scene. The characters, although grown up, maintain that fragility that has always made them credible, and the group moves like a perfectly oiled cog. The episodes of Volume 1 build a solid bridge towards the ending, alternating emotion, tension, and a few flashes of lightness. It is a convincing return that prepares for an epilogue which, if it maintains this intensity, could close the series in the right way. The first of the three steps towards the finale, Stranger Things has arrived and left us satisfied with how it resumes the threads of pending discussions and relaunches them in view of the final journey. Each of the protagonists has their own space, each has their own role in this definitive game, and the Duffers manage both writing and directing with balance and effectiveness. If this is the premise, Stranger Things could have the ending we all deserve.

Cast: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Dacre Montgomery, Sean Astin, Paul Reiser, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Jamie Campbell Bower, Eduardo Franco, Joseph Quinn, Linda Hamilton

Director: The Duffer Brothers

Streaming Platform: Netflix

Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4.5/5 (four and a half stars)