Stranger Things Season 5

 

Few shows have reached the zeitgeisty level that Stranger Things did in its heyday. Ten years ago the Christmas lights/alphabet combo was everywhere and Eggo's were surging in popularity. A few years after that and Kate Bush's 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill” was suddenly charting again, much to the surprise of Bush herself. Sure, hype for the series has ebbed and flowed over the years-- it’s kind of inevitable when you spread five seasons across ten years—but overall the Duffer Brothers' throwback horror series has become iconic. But all good things must end, and season 5 resolves everything satisfactorily, if not perfectly.  

Stranger Things has always had to juggle a lot of characters, and nowhere is this balancing act more apparent and strained as it is in the final season. Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) are the biggest casualties of writer neglect this time around, but Mike at least gets a lot of focus in the second half of the very last episode while Jonathan’s only interesting scene involves a relationship that I haven’t cared about for a good long while. Everyone else has a nice moment or two that serve to remind viewers of why they love these characters even when things get crazy, although once again the most engaging relationship is the one between Dustin and Steve (Gaten Matarazzo and Joe Keery), although the maturing romance between Max and Lucas (Sadie Sink and Caleb McLaughlin) is definitely a contender, though Will (Noah Schnapp) has the most interesting journey overall.  

With all these well-developed characters, the Duffer Brothers really lucked out when it came to casting the inaugural season. Who would have guessed that these kids would grow up to be acting powerhouses that could handle the challenging material written for them a decade later? This eye for talent has clearly not faded, if the performance of newcomer Nell Fisher as Holly (a background character up until now) is anything to go by, not to mention the absolutely chilling work by Jamie Campbell Bower (who was also in the last season) as one of the big bads.  

Despite the strong performances and writing, Stranger Things season 5 isn’t quite as good as its previous seasons because somewhere along the line it lost the spooky small-town charm that made the series so memorable in the first place. This evolution into a more action-oriented “let’s team up and save the world” kind of a plot might have been inevitable as characters become more competent and more aware of what’s going on, and naturally the battle with the denizens of the Upside-Down had to come to an explosive head eventually. But often I wished that the show would dial it down a bit, particularly in the ludicrous final battle that feels more like a superhero movie than anything else. And speaking of the final battle, what a disappointment the main bad guy turned out to be after years and years of build up. Not only is it laughably easy to defeat, but if you want the full backstory of Vecna and the Mind Flayer you have to apparently see Stranger Things: The First Shadow... a play on Broadway.  

And while we’re talking about finales, there is no doubt that season 5 plays it super safe as if the Duffers are trying to upset the fewest people possible rather than writing something truly inspired. As Max says, “Comfort and happiness? Can you be more trite?”  However, happily-ever-afters and/or noble sacrifices are always appreciated. 

As big and unwieldy as this show has become it is frankly a miracle that the Duffer Brothers and everyone involved were able to land the plane as successfully as they did. Not everyone will be happy with how things turn out... how could that possibly happen when people are so attached to this show and its characters? All I can say is that for me it was a good end to a great journey.  

Stranger Things season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.