All 4 Episodes of Stranger Things 5 Vol. 1, Ranked

Can you see them, William?

Stranger Things 5 released its first volume this past week (as everyone and their mother knows), so I am continuing my extensive coverage. We only got four episodes, which I found to be great, because I want to savor this final season. All four of these episodes were pretty great, with some of them giving us some newly iconic moments. I am so excited for volume two. It's been literally two days since I finished volume one and the wait for volume two has already been painful. Anyways, here's my ranking of the volume one episodes.

4. Chapter Two: The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler

A terrifying cold open leads to an emotional second episode

The mysterious second episode ended up being The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler, which pretty much everyone expected. And the vanishing itself did not disappoint. The Demogorgon's attack on the Wheelers was a thrilling, unnerving sequence that culminated in a great but tragic moment for Karen Wheeler. Once Holly does vanish, things kick into high gear. The stakes, which felt epic immediately, now have a personal side to them. After the cold open, however, it does feel like this episode slows down a bit. I love Will and Robin's pairing and I think the characters get some great moments, but this episode has the least memorable moments throughout. And, although I was excited about it initially, the reveal of Vecna being Mr. Whatsit is a little bit underwhelming. Like, it was the most obvious person for it to be. But it's fine. This is still a great episode.

3. Chapter One: The Crawl

The newly quarantined Hawkins is a fun yet sad place to reintroduce our characters

Is this episode exposition heavy? Sure. Does it feel a little clunky in it's execution? Maybe. Is it a fantastic reintroduction to this broken season five world? Absolutely. Seeing where the whole cast is at at this point in the show feels more emotional than ever, because they all lost. Everyone wants to find Vecna and kill him, so it gives you this feeling of desperation and urgency when they are talking about the crawls and how badly they want to end all of this. Likewise, some of the characters who have been sidelined in previous seasons, like Mike and Will, are put front and center and given some actual likable or important characterization. It also feels refreshing for all of the characters to be in Hawkins and trying to achieve the same goal. There's just so much to love in this first episode. It opened season five in a really powerful and fun way.

2. Chapter Three: The Turnbow Trap

A classic Stranger Things mix of great character moments, stunning action, and fantastic surprises

The Duffers said The Turnbow Trap was the most classic-feeling episode of Stranger Things in volume one, and they could not have been more correct. This episode feels like everything you want in a Stranger Things adventure. It's got incredibly fun character dynamics and moments. We finally get to meet Erica's best friend (now nemesis), Tina who she's talked about a ton before. The episode's third act is a visual feast, with this epic Home Alone-style action sequence where the party tries to pin a tracker on a Demogorgon. The final little reveal of the episode is the return of Max Mayfield, who is one of my personal favorite characters on the show. This episode just encapsulates everything I love about this show. It was so much fun.

1. Chapter Four: Sorcerer

A jaw-dropping mid-season finale with massive payoffs for the whole series

The mid-season finale of Stranger Things 5 did not disappoint. In fact, it was honestly surprising with how insane it was. Before the ending, we get some fantastic, iconic sequences. Eleven and Hopper's little invasion of the lab in the Upside Down is great. It's so much fun to actually see the two of them together, and I cannot wait to see more. Max's story of being stuck in Camazotz is devastating, with Sadie Sink delivering an incredible performance as always. But the thing that makes this episode as amazing as it is is the final action sequence. It is non-stop Demogorgon/military action for, like, twenty minutes...and then it is capped off with Vecna's epic return. He massacres the soldiers before taunting Will and just leaving. The Demogorgons look like they are about to take out Mike, Robin, and Lucas...before Will unveils his powers and twists up the Demogorgons like he's Vecna. What an episode. What a sequence. And what a frickin' ending.