TV Review - Netflix's Stranger Things 5, Vol. 1

One last adventure.

Stranger Things is a 2016-2025 television series created by Matt and Ross Duffer, produced by 21 Laps Entertainment and Monkey Massacre Productions, and distributed by Netflix. The fifth and final season stars Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp.

"At long last, we can begin." - Vecna

Plot

A year and a half after Vecna tore through downtown Hawkins, the military has taken over. While they proceed on a manhunt for Eleven, the party gathers together to find and kill Vecna and end this nightmare once and for all.

There will be spoilers ahead. I'm not going into deep detail, but if you haven't seen the episodes, I recommend you do not read.

The Sweet

We are so back, baby.

The first half of Stranger Things 5 was released this past Wednesday, and, although I did a review of each individual episode, I wanted to sum up my thoughts in a whole review. If you want to read more specifics, check out my episode reviews, because this will be very general.

Right off the bat, the thing I loved about season five was finally having all of the characters together in Hawkins. We haven't had this since season one. Season two split up all of the main characters and had Eleven on her own journey the whole time. Season three had the characters even more split up. And, of course, season four had the characters split across three different states and two different continents. So it feels like a breath of fresh air to have all of the characters stuck in the hellhole that Hawkins has become.

Because of this, we get plenty of awesome new dynamics. The best of the bunch is, by far, Will Byers and Robin Buckley. The Duffers smartly paired up the two gay characters in the show, and it allows both of them to really thrive. Robin, who is leading a successful, albeit secret, love life with Vickie is discovered by a closeted Will. This, however, allows them to actually connect, and Robin can sense that Will might be gay also. She then encourages him to accept himself and his identity, leading to the enormous, incredible ending of Sorcerer (which we will get to). Beyond that, Robin's chatty awkwardness actually meshes very well with Will's quiet, more reserved personality. They bounce off each other really well, but not in the way you'd expect. A lot of that is due to the great performances of Noah Schnapp and Maya Hawke. Schnapp is able to do a lot subtly with Will, while Hawke is able to do a lot loudly with Robin. It's a really fun dynamic that has honestly been one of my favorite aspects of the season.

I also love that this season blends the insanely huge production value of season four with the personal emotions of season one. The Duffers have said that season five is a combination of those two seasons specifically, and you feel that in the way this production is put on. It has the epic scope and size of season four, but on a much more personal level, which feels akin to season one. It is blending the best of Stranger Things, and I love that.

I also genuinely do not think there is a bad plot line thus far in the season. Every season of Stranger Things, maybe with the exception of season one, has a few weaker storylines. Whether it's the Kali subplot in season two, the Russia stuff in season three, or the California crew in season four, each season has a weakest link. Season five does not. All of the plot lines feel interesting and integral to the overall narrative. When it cuts away from one plot line to another, there's a jolt of excitement every single time.

Likewise, the season really puts the pedal to the metal immediately. Most of the seasons take a second to get going: season five is full throttle right off the bat. You get to the end of episode one / beginning of episode two, and there is a full-on inciting incident with huge implications. We are thrust into the action immediately, and I absolutely love it.

Speaking of action, this season has, by far, the best action sequences we have ever seen in this show. The reported budget of the season was $40 million per episode, and that money seems to have been well spent, because these action sequences feel cinematic. Every single episode has some crazy exciting set piece. Episode one has the titular crawl. Episode two's cold open is an incredibly tense thrill ride. Episode three's titular Turnbow trap is one of the most fun sequences of the season. And episode four, Sorcerer, gives us this massive battle between the Demogorgons and the military that culminates in an epic Vecna return and a jaw-dropping plot twist that will make you want to leap off your couch and cheer. I am a student at University of Michigan, so I unfortunately went to the Michigan-OSU game today, and Will revealing his powers was the most I've felt like cheering this entire weekend. That is a huge compliment to Stranger Things and a huge knock on Sherrone Moore.

And yet, in the biggest and boldest season yet, Stranger Things never loses sight of what made it special in the first place. These characters are so relatable and real, despite all of the fantastical things occurring around them. Will's struggle with his identity feels so relevant and powerful in today's day and age. Dustin's anger and pain in Eddie being hated manifests in this rebellious, sadder version of the character that is a natural progression of that arc. Joyce and Hopper's juxtaposed overprotectiveness of their respective children is so naturally human. The Duffers just know how to tap into that soft, touching side of the human experience in the midst of all of this insanity. That's what Steven Spielberg and Stephen King are best at, and Stranger Things is a mix of both of them.

I am also very intrigued as to what the final reveals of this show are going to be. We know they are coming. There are so many questions, but it feels like they are all going to tie together. Somehow, the truth about the Upside Down and the reasoning behind Vecna kidnapping all of these kids will come out, and I cannot wait. They are doing a great job of getting you invested in this mystery and letting you ride out this wave of theorizing before finally giving us answers at the end of December.

So, yeah. So far, Stranger Things 5 is off to about as good of a start as I could've hoped. It's got everything I wanted: an epic scale, huge stakes that feel both cataclysmic and personal, emotional moments, incredible action, and series-long payoffs that are bound to make you want to cheer in your living room.

The Sour

I don't have much here, guys. There's a few things I could point out, but honestly, nothing really detracts from any of these episodes. They are all great. They all feel like they are trending towards a slam-bang finale. So any minor negatives I have are really just nitpicks.

The one thing that does worry me slightly (although not really) is the final lore reveals. I don't want this show getting bogged down by some epic mythology and have that be the focus instead of wrapping up these characters. The reason everyone loves this show is because of it's characters, so as much as I care about learning more about the Upside Down and Vecna's true plan, I want them to focus first on giving these characters a satisfying ending.

I also do wish Vecna was in a bit more of this first batch of episodes. He does show up in his normal form as well as in his Henry Creel / Mr. Whatsit form, but he's really not in that much of it. He's much more of a looming presence, and I wish we got more direct screen time with him. I want him to threaten our protagonists, which he does at the end of Sorcerer, but then just dips back out to the Upside Down. I love that the party is being proactive in hunting down Vecna, but I want to see that retaliated by Vecna also being proactive and trying to take down the party. I expect to see him more in volume two, though, so this really isn't that big of a deal.

Final Thoughts and Score

I pretty much got exactly what I wanted from Stranger Things 5. It's exciting, heartfelt, and delivers some iconic moments for the show. I cannot wait a month for the final half of this season. It's going to be excruciating.

I am, of course, going Sweet here. Age range is 14+.

SWEET N' SOUR SCALE

Sweet (Great) Savory (Good) Sour (Bad) Moldy (Terrible)

"Stranger Things 5"

Fun Factor: 10/10

Acting: 9/10

Story: 9.5/10

Characters: 10/10

Quality: 9.5/10

Created by Matt and Ross Duffer

Rated TV-MA for strong bloody violence, frightening themes and images, language, thematic elements

Premiered on November 26, 2025

Episode runtime: 60 minutes

Millie Bobby Brown as Jane Hopper / Eleven

Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler

Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair

Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson

Noah Schnapp as Will Byers

Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler

Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers

Joe Keery as Steve Harrington

Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley

Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers

David Harbour as Jim Hopper

Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel / Vecna

Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler

Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow

Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair

Randy Havens as Scott Clarke

Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman

Sherman Augustus as Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan

Alex Breaux as Lt. Akers

Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield

Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay

Linnea Berthelsen as Kali Prasad / Eight Amybeth McNulty as Vickie Dunne

Clayton Royal Johnson as Andy