Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 is finally here, setting the stage for the final battle to save Hawkins. Returning to Netflix, nearly a decade after the first season, the first four episodes waste no time plunging viewers back into the supernatural mayhem and emotional turmoil of the series that helped shape the modern binge-watching experience. This opening chapter paves the way for the ultimate conclusion set to drop in the coming months, and while not everything pays off, it sets the stage in a striking and sometimes heartbreaking way.
Stranger Things Season 5 hits the ground running, giving a look at Hawkins through Robin, who is now DJing at the local radio station. As the episode shows how the town is slowly repairing the chaos left by last season, we see the military now stationed in the area and how the group of heroes is finding its place in the new reality of their community. Familiar streets are under military control, and the Demogorgon threat has grown, with a gateway to the Upside Down sitting open in the centre of town.
Season 5 moves the story forward without delay, with tension and stakes rising throughout. The group is reunited for the most part in the town after being separated last season, although they are not fully healed from earlier events, and they are pushed into action rather than waiting for another disaster. With slightly longer episodes this time, the Duffer brothers use the extra time to explore what remains of the story and establish the stakes for the final battle, the full details of which the audience still does not know.
Stranger Things Season 5 picks up where Season 4 left off. The military is policing the streets of Hawkins, and the group is working in different ways to strike back at Vecna and end the struggles that have haunted the town for years. Robin, with help from Steve at the radio station, passes coded messages to the rest of the group.
“Stranger Things is ready to step out of the shadows and mark its own direction by offering unique action, strange mind-bending worlds and a closer look at the evil that sits just beneath the surface.”
Lucas, Will, Mike and Dustin are still in high school during the day, which is hard to believe, and going on underground missions at night. Jim Hopper, Joyce and Eleven are training and avoiding the military, Nancy and Jonathan are coordinating efforts behind the scenes, and Murray is working as a smuggler to secure the resources the group needs to keep fighting.
Stranger Things has always carried a small-town horror feel, using nostalgia and familiar references to set the stage for the audience. It is a series that wears its inspirations openly and makes no effort to hide them. With Season 5, that still feels true, although the show now has a clearer vision. Stranger Things is ready to step out of the shadows and mark its own direction by offering unique action, strange mind-bending worlds and a closer look at the evil that sits just beneath the surface. Horror fans will still find plenty of concepts familiar to Stephen King stories and enough 1980s nostalgia to whet their appetite.
There are many characters, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed. This season works to make each of them part of a larger whole, even if the result sometimes feels slightly disjointed, with characters repeatedly reinforcing the stakes and revelations as the story progresses. It does not always work, and the large cast means not everyone receives equal screen time. The Duffer brothers do well with what they have and manage the ensemble relatively effectively. Some characters, such as Max and Erica, have limited screen time in the first four episodes, and others, like Suzie, are not seen or mentioned during the more than four-hour runtime.
Thankfully, although it can feel slightly disjointed at times, this opening half offers a rare urgency in the way the Duffer brothers intensify their approach compared with earlier seasons. The violence, already a hallmark of the series, increases not only in frequency but in weight, with characters facing some of the most challenging consequences seen so far.
We have witnessed death in Hawkins before, but Season 5 takes the time to explore the pain it brings and allows it to land more fully with the characters than in past seasons. Yet, even with these stakes, the emotional focus remains the bonds between characters, and it is clear the creative team is committed to endings that feel authentic for each major figure, whether or not they align with audience expectations.
With the new stakes and challenges in play, the full cast rises to match the heightened tone of the show, delivering some of the most tense and impactful moments the series has brought to the screen. Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven takes on a more active and determined role, confronting military forces and psychic threats with renewed resolve.
David Harbour’s Hopper brings his familiar grit, battered yet undeterred, while the rest of the ensemble, including an embattled Steve and a grieving and regrouping Will, Mike and Joyce, grounds the chaos with performances sharpened by years in these roles. The chemistry, as always, keeps Hawkins’ world moving. There is less time for nostalgia or quiet reflection, but what emerges is a team dynamic shaped under pressure, with every member vital in the fight against Vecna’s growing power.
It is clear that Season 5 is one of the most visually striking seasons of the series to date. The depiction of the Upside Down bleeding into small-town life is more intense and constant, pushing the limits of the show’s effects team. The seams between worlds are literal this time. The season introduces larger effects and more chaotic moments, with moments helping elevate the action to a level the series has not attempted before. I am still on the fence on whether these effects support the overall story the Duffer brothers are trying to tell, but they are impressive at the very least.
The sheer number of demogorgons now loose across Hawkins creates a sense of total siege that earlier seasons only suggested. These visuals, though larger in scope, never weaken the intimate fear or tragedy unfolding on a human scale. Even with the budget on full display, Stranger Things maintains a small-town story feel, with the characters remaining at the centre of the narrative as the world around them begins to bleed and break apart.
The first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 capture both an escalation and a return to familiar ground. The darkness is deeper, the group more tightly bonded by adversity, and each narrative choice appears shaped to honour the story’s arc rather than simply meet fan expectations. There is still a wait to see where everything leads, but the series now feels headed in a clear direction toward its end. We will have to wait and see how it concludes, but at the very least, Season 5 Part 1 is ready to guide viewers into the final showdown.
