After many years of anticipation, Hawkins is back and darker than ever. The newest season of Netflix’s Stranger Things is finally here and drops into three separate parts, volumes, the first released on November 26th, the second on Christmas Day, and the final episode will premiere on New Year’s Eve.
Fans have been sent spiraling, making all kinds of theories and voicing their opinions in this wave of supernatural chaos. The previous season left us with a major cliffhanger, showing us Hawkins at its lowest point and littered with smoke and ash. Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown) prepares for the biggest foe she’s ever had to face with her family by her side.
What makes this first volume of season five different and the best of all is how it rewards fans by making their theories come true. For years, fans and viewers alike have pieced together clues about the origins of the Upside Down, the fate of their favorite characters, and the true scope of Vecna’s power.
Fans of the show have long predicted that the Upside Down wasn’t just a random alternate dimension but a place that was frozen in time that was shaped by someone’s view or memory of Hawkins. Volume 1 of Stranger Things season five leans into the idea, revealing the layers of the intentional design of the Upside Down.
Students at HHS have watched Stranger Things and formed some of their own personal opinions about it. Brooke Harris (12) shares a few thoughts. “When I saw the first episode, I genuinely felt sorrow and cried.” So far the season has been so good, but season 3 was such a happy season before all of this sorrow, it was like peak 80’s.”
Students like Brooke love the aesthetics and nostalgia the show provides, which is one of the many reasons the show is so popular and loved by everyone. There’s this appeal of comfort people find in the individual, unique characters, and it’s such a beautiful thing.
Season five has brought in new fans due to the massive anticipation social media has expressed, and others began to tune in to see what all the hype was about Donubari Delolo (12) shares what the show was like for her and how the experience has been for her so far “When the kids were talking about the plan to track Vecna in the Upside Down was cool, it’s fun seeing people that are like our age doing stuff like that I guess, like you’re finally know what you’re doing. I think this season is gonna be so tragic, I feel like they’re gonna kill off so many characters.”
The show’s emotional depth hits hard for the audience because we aren’t just reacting to the supernatural elements of the show; they’re having actual battles with monsters and their identities. You can see these arcs specifically in characters in Eleven and Will Byers (played by Noah Schnapp), whose journeys are finally given the time the fans have been waiting for. This season does not hide from vulnerability; it allows the audience to connect and resonate with characters and hold the show in their hearts forever. The show represents friendships and unbreakable bonds that not even monsters can come between.
Our favorite characters play major roles in the newest season, and Abrianna Crowley (12) discusses her favorite characters and why they are her favorites. “Just one character? Honestly, I’m really liking Erica and Derrick, they’re both funny characters and bring some light-hearted energy to the sad and weird things they face, like every day.”
Season Five reveals how the show is at its peak, not only narratively but visually. The pacing is great, and the horror elements are top-tier. The episodes move with a sense of urgency, almost while still telling a great and long story in doing so.
