It’s weird to think people can now be nostalgic for a show so steeped in nostalgia. There are viewers in their teens and twenties who’ve grown up with Eleven and the rest of the kids, now young adults, since Stranger Things’ 2016 debut, watching alongside viewers who actually came of age in the show’s 1980s setting. Now, after another movie-sequel’s worth of years, Stranger Things 5 is here to put the capstone on what may be Netflix’s signature show. The question is, after so many disappointing long-form TV finales, can this one provide a satisfying climax? After the first four episodes dropped on Thanksgiving, signs are pointing to yes.
Following the devastation of Hawkins and the opening of giant portals to the otherworldly Upside Down at the end of Stranger Things 4, the small Indiana town is under military control while the townspeople who remain try their best to live normal lives — save for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the gang. The young psychic powerhouse is busy training for combat and hiding from soldiers while the rest of her friends help former-sheriff Hopper (David Harbour) as he goes on long “crawls” into the Upside Down to locate series nemesis Henry Creel, a.k.a. Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), to finish him off. And it’s not long before monsters from the alternate dimension are invading our reality.
The show, normally known for its slow builds, all but hits the ground running with Eleven’s training and a Demogorgon attack before Episode 1 is over. The first four entries feel like one sprint toward the series’ climax, with the usual smaller, intimate moments overshadowed by set pieces. Not that there aren’t any quiet scenes of character growth. One of the show’s strengths is finding interesting pairings of its expansive cast, and this time we get Will (Noah Schanpp) and Robin (Maya Hawke). The bonding between in-the-closet Will and all-but-out Robin reveals intimate development and helps Will, who often gets sidetracked as the show’s Upside-Downness detector, get to shine. Meanwhile, other fan-favorite pairings like Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Steve (Joe Keery) have what feels like forced-conflict wrenches thrown into their gears. But it’s a good sign that the show is making use of all of the tools in its kit and, hopefully, that while everyone may not live happily ever after, they’ll at least live up to their promise. Because with the end nearing, there’s no guarantee everybody will make it out alive, with characters like Max (Sadie Sink) still in a coma and another long-term character abducted by a Demogorgon. It’s that sense of danger that helps keep the show from feeling like it’s playing it too safe.
Another thing the race-to-the-finish vibe does is make each episode feel less standalone and more like the beginning and end of another action scene. This changes the tone from Season 4’s small-scale horror focus to an up-the-ante Aliens-style entry, the presence of military red shirts and multiple monsters fitting the transition. Fans who’ve had enough emotion may be fine with that, but others who want what’s made the show great, its character growth and interactions, may be disappointed. Again, 5 tries to make the most of this new energy, mostly to successful results.
The presence of guest director Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist) in Episode 3’s “The Turnbow Trap,” proves him more capable at directing tense action than the Duffer Brothers themselves, who together put out another long-take scene of characters lost in the middle of a battle that doesn’t quite match the intensity that a similar scene in Season 4 did. However, that doesn’t take away from their directing leading to a tense finale at the end of the last episode. And the show’s energy persisting despite long run times, with a promised 2-and-a-half-hour finale, says a lot about how well it’s crafted. For some viewers, though, those runtimes may affect binge-ability.
If that sounds like a lot to say about just half a season of a show, it’s because there’s a lot of show here and a lot to like. Though it can feel overstuffed at times, Stranger Things 5 seems to be heading toward a worthy finale for a show that means a lot to several generations of people. If nothing else, it’s worth watching just to experience that.
Stranger Things 5
Starring Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard. Created and run by the Duffer Brothers. Streaming on Netflix. Rated TV-14.
