‘Stranger Things’ returns for its final season, and our misfits are poised for battle

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Seasons change. Kids grow up. Monsters evolve. Beloved TV series end.

After a nearly three-and-a-half-year wait, the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” begins streaming Wednesday. It’s exciting news for fans, but also a little sad to see the show ending. For the past ten years, viewers have followed a group of quirky kids (now teenagers) as they used their intelligence and unique abilities to fight monsters and other dangers in the town of Hawkins, Indiana.

Okay, so the kids – Will, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Eleven – are gearing up for one last showdown with the seriously creepy Vecna. The first half of the final season, with four episodes, is hitting screens now, and the rest – three more episodes – will arrive on Christmas Day. If you’re waiting to see how it all ends, you’ll have to wait until December 31st for the absolute finale. It’s a bit of a staggered release, but trust me, it looks like it’s going to be worth it!

Television

It’s been three years since new episodes of ‘Stranger Things’ were released. Before the final season arrives, here’s a quick recap of everything important you should remember about the show.

I sometimes grumble about how episodes are released around holidays, but it actually gives dedicated fans like me a little extra time to process the ending and say goodbye to the show.

As a lifelong movie and TV fan, it really feels like the finale of “Stranger Things” marks the end of an era. It’s probably the last show that will truly unite a whole generation. I’ve noticed Gen Z, having grown up with YouTube and TikTok, usually prefers quick, bite-sized videos. But “Stranger Things” somehow broke through that. They actually watched entire seasons, even with episodes lasting an hour or more! The creepy world of the Upside Down and those terrifying demogorgons became part of how they talked, just like we used to quote lines or references from our favorite shows back in the day – remember saying “Just MacGyver it!”? It’s a sign of how much that show meant to them.

“Stranger Things” is set in the 1980s, which allowed parents who grew up then to watch it with their children and reminisce about their own childhoods. When the show first came out, my son was twelve years old, and I could confirm that the fashion, and unfortunately the bullying, were just as bad as depicted. Though, unlike one of the characters, we didn’t have superpowers to deal with it! It would have been nice if we did.

Television

The latest season of the popular, often heartwarming, Netflix series does well by honestly portraying the difficulties of being a teenager, especially for those who feel like outsiders.

The vibrant style of the 1980s is still central to the new season of “Stranger Things.” Expect references to iconic songs like Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” and bands like The Fall, plus a fun nod to “Back to the Future” with a mention of a flux capacitor. However, Hawkins isn’t just a fun, retro hangout. The town is now under strict military quarantine, supposedly for everyone’s safety, but really because the government is hiding something. Nothing can enter or leave without the authorities knowing, unless the resourceful Murray (Brett Gelman) manages to sneak it in.

Hopper (David Harbour) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) make their way to the Upside Down. (Netflix)

Max (Sadie Sink) remains comatose as Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) attempts to reach her. (Netflix)

As far as we knew, the villain Vecna – who often changes his appearance – had successfully opened a gateway to the strange and decaying Upside Down, effectively blending it with our world. This caused a lot of destruction, but most people in town simply thought it was a powerful earthquake. They had no idea what was really happening.

The group of friends in Hawkins are determined to stop Vecna. They’ve been secretly investigating, trying to find and defeat him before he destroys their town—and eventually the world. They’re getting help from Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, Robin, Joyce, and Hopper. Meanwhile, Max remains in a coma, trapped inside Vecna’s terrifying mental world, and despite Lucas’s efforts to reach her with Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill,’ she can’t wake up.

After their house was repeatedly attacked by Demodogs and government agents, the Byers family is now living with the Wheelers in their basement. Joyce Byers’ host, Mrs. Wheeler, has been drinking more, and Mr. Wheeler is surprisingly upset – someone is eating his bacon! The Wheelers’ youngest daughter, Holly, is now around the same age the main group of kids were when the show first started in 2016. Meanwhile, Lucas’s sharp-tongued little sister, Erica, is attending middle school science class with Mr. Clarke.

Focusing on the experiences of the younger characters helps smooth over the fact that the original child actors have aged during the show’s run. Millie Bobby Brown, for example, was only 12 when the series began and is now 21. Some critics have pointed out the actors are now too old to convincingly play high school students. However, accepting Finn Wolfhard, who is 22, as a teenager isn’t much of a leap – particularly considering fans have already embraced many fantastical elements like talking Christmas lights, psychic powers, and a secret Soviet lab hidden beneath the mall.

Hollywood Inc.

“Stranger Things” finale will be coming to select theaters on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

Okay, so I’ve seen the first four episodes, but there’s a lot I can’t talk about yet because of spoiler rules! Let me just say, a huge battle is definitely coming. Eleven is seriously powerful now – she’s been training and can basically throw tanks around, jump onto skyscrapers, and even control people’s minds with barely a nosebleed! Dustin’s really changed, too – he’s understandably angry and tough after losing Eddie. It’s still a bit awkward watching Steve and Jonathan both try to impress Nancy, especially since she’s been busy becoming an amazing sharpshooter. Oh, and Hopper has grown a really long beard – it’s a bit of a distraction, honestly. But the biggest surprise? Mrs. Wheeler is a total badass – she takes on enemies with a broken wine bottle! It’s wild.

While the children’s backgrounds haven’t really changed, how they see the world has, leading to surprising shifts in their abilities, strengths, and who they choose to work with.

The final season of the show focuses on the relationships between the characters – their conflicts and friendships. The creators, the Duffer Brothers, balance exciting action sequences with the ongoing stories of the characters fans have grown to care about. Ultimately, it’s these characters and their journeys that have kept viewers engaged, and it seems they’ll remain the heart of the story until the very end.

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2025-11-27 04:32