We’ve Binge-Watched Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1! You Won’t Believe What Happens!

Warning, spoilers ahead! This article reveals key plot points of Stranger Things 5, Volume 1. If you haven’t seen it yet and don’t want to know the details, stop reading now.

Let’s be honest: when we found out that Season 5 of Stranger Things was being released three and a half years after Season 4, we had our doubts. The cast has aged. Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard and their co-stars are now in their twenties.

How can we still believe in these kids on their BMX bikes saving the world with their walkie-talkies and Dungeons & Dragons figurines? Well, the Duffer brothers have found a way. And it works brilliantly. Here’s what we think of Season 5… so far!

Hawkins has never been so dark

Volume 1, consisting of four episodes totaling 4 hours and 31 minutes, plunges us back into a Hawkins under military quarantine. The town has been cut off from the rest of the world since the rifts to the Upside Down opened at the end of Season 4.

Gone are the worried parents, overwhelmed teachers, or daily life in a small Indiana town: here, only the essentials remain. The group of friends, the ominous secret lab guarded by soldiers, and Vecna… somewhere. This narrative simplification, far from impoverishing the series, focuses it on what has always been its strength: the unbreakable friendship of a group of kids faced with horror from another dimension.

The four episodes flow like acts in an epic movie. The first, “The Incursion” (1h08), sets the stage: Eleven is on the run, hunted by the formidable Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton, imperial), while the rest of the gang concocts a crazy plan to infiltrate the Upside Down.

The second, “The Disappearance of Holly Wheeler” (54 min, with an exceptional opening scene), introduces a new threat: Vecna now targets Mike and Nancy’s little sister, Holly (adorable Nell Fisher), in the form of a particularly creepy imaginary friend.

Episode 4: A peak of action and emotion

But it’s Episode 4, “Sorcery” (1h23) – though we prefer the original title, “Sorcerer” (wizard or magician), which is much more accurate – that really blows us away. Eighty-one minutes of pure spectacle where grenades, flamethrowers, and machine guns explode in all directions in an epic battle involving the Demogorgons, the army, and the young heroes of Hawkins.

The budget – estimated between 50 and 60 million dollars per episode – is visible on screen. The Duffer brothers’ ambition is evident in every shot: to deliver a true blockbuster, grand popcorn spectacle designed to dazzle you. (And never mind if some special effects are a bit rough on the eyes.)

We’re particularly struck by the two final twists that will have you glued to your couch. If the rest of the season maintains this level of intensity, we’re looking at a conclusion that won’t be listed among the most disappointing in the history of series.

Characters finally unleashed

Beyond the pyrotechnic spectacle, Season 5 also succeeds where we least expected it: emotion. Will (Noah Schnapp), who has long been relegated to the background since his kidnapping in Episode 1 of Season 1, finally becomes a central character. The Duffer brothers revisit this pivotal moment and transform the traumatized young man into the cornerstone of the story. His narrative arc, subtly exploring his homosexuality and search for identity, offers some of the most touching moments in Volume 1.

Nancy (Natalia Dyer), on the other hand, asserts herself as a determined investigative journalist. She increasingly emerges as a badass heroine in the vein of Sarah Connor or Ellen Ripley. We loved her reaction when a somewhat chauvinistic doctor pats her on the shoulder and calls her “darling”. We can sense she’s about to unleash a liberating rage. And we’re all for it.

The Dustin-Steve duo, however, oscillates between banter and old couple squabbles. But maybe this is the price of emancipation for Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), who is in mourning and emotionally battered since Eddie’s death.

As for Robin (Maya Hawke, radiant), she delivers a motivating speech to Will, albeit one worthy of a self-help book for dummies, but no less moving for it. And it summarizes the DNA of the series: “Know yourself. You’re stronger than you think.” It can’t get any more cliché, but it’s so spot-on…

Some repetitions, but who cares

Sure, some elements become repetitive. Will’s neck tingling when Vecna approaches, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” playing again (even Kate Bush must be tired), and a quest that closely mirrors that of Season 4. Sometimes, as we navigate between the real world and the Upside Down, it slightly blurs our bearings. But these are minor details in the grand scheme of things.

Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile), who came out of retirement to direct Episode 3, described his contribution as “the most classically Stranger Things episode”. And he’s right: Season 5 reconnects with the essence of the series while allowing it to mature. The Duffer brothers have understood that to craft a successful ending, you have to return to the beginning. And they do it with flair.

We’ll meet again on December 26 for Volume 2 (episodes 5-7) and on January 1 for the grand finale. If the first four episodes set the tone, Stranger Things might well deliver one of the most successful conclusions in series history. We won’t lie to you: we can’t wait.