“Stranger Things” made its long-awaited return with the release of its fifth and final season in December. It had been a decade since the series’ first debuted, transforming from an overnight hit into a cult classic amongst viewers nationwide. With the show’s final appearance, many fans geared up to see one of the worlds’ most beloved oddball groups go on their last adventure before their story ends. From fighting off Demogorgons and exploring the upside down, all while dealing with the symptoms of growing pains, the Hawkins crew embark on their final quest to wage war against Vecna and end the Mind Flayer’s power.
In the season’s very first episode, it is evidently noticeable that the crew has gotten older, transforming from the nerdy kids they once were into aspiring adults ready to take on the world. Throughout this transformation, we get reintroduced to Holly Wheeler, Mike and Nancy’s little sister, who at the beginning of the series was just a toddler but despite her scattered appearances across the franchise, she assumes major importance by becoming Vecna’s newest victim.
As for Hawkins, life in the secluded town has never been normal, especially since the military became permanent residents of the town occupying every square inch. Under heavy militant observation, the crew trades their bikes in for a tricked out high-tech van, establishing incognito missions through the night to gain more intel. At the wheel sits Steve Harrington, the designated driver of the group who shares a strained dynamic with Dustin as he mourns Eddie and finds himself looped in a love triangle with Nancy and Jonathan. Speaking of love, Robin and Will embrace new aspects of their love lives while simultaneously forming an inherent connection due to both of them being queer. Despite Nancy’s confusing love life, she and Mike are anchored by their roles as concerned siblings, desperate to rescue Holly from the clutches of Henry Creel. This mission transforms the Wheeler duo into a formidable front, bridging the gap between their once-distant childhoods.
Despite solid storylines and a soundtrack that reflects the era of the series, the show faced noticeable inconsistencies and changes that many fans caught from their home screens, leaving many conflicted. Although the bond between the characters remains central, they as individuals became “watered down” from Robin’s beloved sarcasm and “cool girl” attitude shifting into a nervous, quirky klutz, to the noticeably stiff acting of Eleven and Will as they struggle to inhabit characters they’ve outgrown.
On top of the character choices, the narrative decisions remained questionable with Rahul Menon from ScriptMag stating: “The writing this season often feels messy and over explained, Characters repeatedly spell out emotions that the audience already understands… The antagonists feel less calculating and less dangerous than before [and we are] told about military control, shortages, and disruption, but rarely shown them in a way that alters daily life”. On top of that, the final battle feels anticlimactic after seeing how easily they defeated the Mind Flayer and Vecna despite their previous reputations of being formidable villains, building up fear and power that many fans could feel through the screen.
In spite of the final battle’s let downs, the show ended beautifully displaying the crew finally graduating after a tumultuous childhood. Dustin embraces his remembrance of Eddie/Hellfire club, Nancy pursues her passion in journalism, Jonathan and Will head to college, Robin reprises her role as Hawkins #1 radio host, Lucas and Max remain a reconnecting couple, Hopper and Joy get married and lastly Steve becomes a baseball coach, reliving his former high school glory. All the characters seem to end happily except for Mike who scores his dream job but mourns the death of Eleven despite his intuition of her survival and banishment into solitude. The show ends when the game of Dungeons and Dragons receives new participants with Holly, Derek and the next generation of Hawkins “lost kids,” who take their seats around the same basement table where it all began.
