Introduction

When Stranger Things season 1 released in 2016, I knew it would be something special, and as evident from how popular the series has become, I wasn’t wrong. For almost a decade, Stranger Things has continuously delivered one solid season after another, and yet all great things must come to a conclusion. Welcome to the final season of Stranger Things!

Similar to Attack on Titan, Stranger Things season 5 is being delivered in multiple “volumes” on Netflix, with the first being volume 1 and only four episodes. The entire cast has returned for an epic finale, but will Stranger Things roll a D20 for a perfect final season, or is this where the party finally succumbs to the poison of a long-running series? We find out in our review of Stranger Things season 5 volume 1!

Story

Let’s recap the last several seasons of Stranger Things for those who may have forgotten what’s happening in Hawkins, Indiana. Stranger Things follows several friends—Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Lucas Sinclair, and Dustin Henderson—who as kids discover their seemingly boring town of Hawkins is filled with government conspiracies and experiments. This leads them to finding one such experiment in the form of Eleven, a young girl with psychic powers. Time passes, numerous battles are fought, and our party of friends grows to include others like Steve Harrington, Nancy, Jim Hopper, and many more. Season 5 initially jumps backwards to a time long since passed.

Our fifth season takes place literally around the first season when Will is trapped inside the Upside Down, a darker version of Hawkins trapped in time and filled with numerous monsters. Despite his efforts to hide and hope for rescue from his mother (Joyce) and his friends, he is captured by the recurring enemy the Demogorgon and brought to the series’ main antagonist Vecna—or Henry—who like Eleven was an experiment. Vecna forces Will to devour an egg-like entity. We are then returned to the current battle now taking place in 1987.

Vecna’s attack on Hawkins has caused the town to become quarantined and placed under military control. Despite being monitored closely, the party has stayed active trying to locate Vecna and find a means to end the fight. However, lingering issues make the team exhausted—such as Max still being in a coma, Will’s strange connection to Vecna, and a realization that the kids of Hawkins might be the next target. I won’t go further into the specific events of the four episodes in volume 1, but I can still highlight what I loved about this entry and where it struggles.

What volume 1 does extremely well is it doesn’t waste any time throwing viewers back into the fray. A small recap shows the end battle of season 4 and where the cast ended up, but that’s it. Yeah, it may have been nearly 10 years since the first season aired, but Stranger Things doesn’t need a gigantic recap—fans likely restarted the show or researched enough to remember what’s going on. Volume 1 also gives several side characters a chance to shine, like Erica and even Karen Wheeler. The main team is still the primary focus—especially Will, who has the biggest moments of season 5—but side characters genuinely add to the experience. The volume starts slow to ease us back into their lives, but by episode four, things get intense in a very satisfying way.

Where volume 1 falls short is in its predictability. Almost every “surprise” the Duffer Brothers attempt feels easy to foresee. I knew what would happen to Max, I had a feeling why Will’s early struggle was important, and even how Vecna reappears didn’t shock me. One discovery made by Hopper and Eleven is decent, but even that feels more like tying up loose ends than a genuine twist.

Personally, I wasn’t in love with the first volume of season 5 of Stranger Things, but I still enjoyed it. It was great seeing how the party has grown—even if they look way too old for their roles, making some “teen” scenes a bit comical. Volume 2 releases later this month on Christmas, and I’ll be more critical of that entry if the story doesn’t pick up. For now, volume 1 did what it needed to—even if imperfect.

Acting and Cast

One thing that has always been consistent in Stranger Things is the acting. Even as children, Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), and Noah Schnapp (Will) were central to the show’s success. Adding Winona Ryder (Joyce), David Harbour (Hopper), Joe Keery (Steve), and Natalia Dyer (Nancy) strengthens the cast further. There are so many talented actors here—Charlie Heaton (Jonathan) and Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna/Henry) included—that I could list names endlessly.

No character in Stranger Things is badly portrayed, and that’s especially true in volume 1. The only awkward element is how forced it can feel seeing the cast play characters significantly younger than their real ages. Seeing Mike and Lucas biking to battle or Erica attending junior high with classmates who look far too old is immersion-breaking. Still, their performances remain stellar overall.

And hey—Linda Hamilton (Terminator) joins the cast this season, and as a fan of hers, I was thrilled to see her given another standout role!

Cinematography and Direction

The Duffer Brothers—Matt and Ross—have always seemed confident in their direction for Stranger Things. Drawing influence from Dungeons & Dragons and other nerd culture franchises only enriches the series. Where they earn extra credit is how they maintained focus despite scheduling conflicts and an aging cast.

Volume 1 does have a few hiccups—some early CGI is noticeably weaker, and a few set pieces, like Max’s hideout, feel odd. However, the fourth episode contains some of the most visually impressive scenes of the series. That does make some earlier sequences feel inconsistent, but overall the cinematography remains strong. Yes, Lucas’ wig and some hairstyles/outfits are bizarre, but fans will likely overlook these small distractions.

Conclusion

In my opinion, I don’t believe I was ever going to say volume 1 of season 5 of Stranger Things is perfect. Similar to many fans, we all had high expectations, and I doubt they could ever be fully met. That’s understandable, though, given that Stranger Things has released infrequently over the last decade and faced numerous delays due to COVID-19. I give the Duffer Brothers a lot of credit for doing such an admirable job keeping the show alive despite these setbacks.

Season 5 volume 1 has problems, but it sets the stage for what could make or break the next volume. Join us here at SunsetNerdVerse later this month for our review of the next chapter in Stranger Things season 5!

—Aaron