Perspective
Spoilers ahead
The infamous town of Hawkins, Indiana, lit up television screens last week as the hit Netflix series “Stranger Things” returned with the first volume of its final season. With four episodes released so far, viewers’ excitement for the long-awaited return caused Netflix to temporarily experience an outage during the season’s debut. But did the high anticipation live up to what the episodes delivered?
Originally premiering in 2016, it has taken creators Matt and Ross Duffer a little over nine years to bring “Stranger Things” to an end. Filled with ‘80s nostalgia, emotional storytelling and sci-fi plotlines, the series remains one of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time.
The first episode, “The Crawl,” takes us right into 1987 Hawkins, about a year and a half after the events of season four’s conclusion. The characters we know and love return, united in their goal to find and kill the series’ main villain, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). A lot has happened in Hawkins since last season’s finale, and while the episode gives a lot of information on what has been going on, it’s the weakest episode of the four. The mission gone wrong plot line serves its purpose as an introduction but ultimately doesn’t offer anything unique.
Episode two is where things start to get interesting. Titled “The Vanishing of…,” it plunges viewers back into the show’s horrors.
In search of Mike’s (Finn Wolfhard) younger sister Holly (Nell Fisher), a demogorgon rips through her ceiling from the Upside Down. Holly eventually escapes and runs to her mom, Karen (Cara Buono), who after a couple glasses of wine, is getting ready to take a bath. The scene of Karen holding Holly under water in the bathtub while ABBA’s “Fernando” plays in the background amplifies the sheer panic and fear of the situation and instantly locks your attention in for what follows.
Natalia Dyer’s performance as Nancy also shines in this episode. While washing blood from her hands in the hospital, her facial expressions, paired with the cinematography and added sound effects, convey a sense of raw emotion. Similarly, Fisher and Buono’s powerful performances showcased some of this season’s most memorable moments. While some performances in the earlier episodes felt uneven, these scenes stand out.
Episode two also introduces a new duo, Robin (Maya Hawke) and Will (Noah Schnapp). As Will explores his connection with Vecna, his growing friendship with Robin is refreshing, and it is meaningful to see Will finally have someone to talk to about his sexuality.
Things escalate further in episode three, “The Turnbow Trap.” The episode provides insight on Vecna’s focus on children such as Holly and his newest victim Derek Turnbow (Jake Connelly). As a new character, “Delightful Derek” easily becomes a favorite and hilariously so. The iconic Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson) also makes her appearance in this episode, and the dinner scene with her at the Turnbow’s adds a touch of chaotic fun to the story.
The action sequences between Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Hopper (David Harbour) in the Upside Down and the group fighting a Demogorgon at the Turnbow house are enjoyable. The episode’s ending reveal involving Max (Sadie Sink) is surprising and leads directly into the last episode of volume one, “Sorcerer.”
This fourth episode is the most climatic and cinematic of the season so far. Without spoilers, the action, narrative developments and final cliffhanger finally creates the sense that the show is building towards its endgame.
Overall, the beginning of “Stranger Things” Season Five is solid. It does the job as a starting point and its cliffhanger ending heightens anticipation for Volume Two and the finale. Though it has a slow start, the Duffer brothers get their rhythm back by the ending of episode four. Volume Two, consisting of episodes five through seven, is set to release on Dec. 25, and the finale, episode eight, is scheduled to release on Dec. 31.
