Stranger Things 5: The last adventure begins

Following its humble beginnings in 2016, Stranger Things has emerged as one of the most popular television programmes of the 20^th century. Despite varying tones and often criticised lengths between seasons, its popularity has endured and now, with the release of its fifth and final season, appears to be at an all-time high. However, do these first four episodes live up to Stranger Things’s renowned past and ensure its legacy?

Following the semi-destruction of Hawkins by series antagonist Vecna at the end of season four, season five begins – as delivered in a rather heavy-handed sequence of exposition – with Eleven and her friends in pursuit of Vecna across the Upside Down, while Hawkins itself has been placed into military quarantine. Despite the myriad characters vying for space on its poster, Stranger Things 5 immediately presents itself as a more streamlined product when compared to its frankly overstuffed predecessor; the action is now contained – as in season one – to Hawkins itself, while ancillary characters have been shed in order to focus upon those who originated the programme. The darker tone of season four is also tempered somewhat here; there’s a breeziness to the characters’ interactions that is welcome, even if perhaps not befitting the nigh apocalyptic scenario that ended the previous season.

But what does this mean for the episodes themselves? While I would preface that the Duffer Brothers have certainly opted for a more leisurely pace for this season, one does feel somewhat shortchanged by the season’s opening episode; its impact upon the season as a whole is ultimately minimal and continues to highlight the Duffer Brothers’ bizarre affiliation with colossal yet unnecessary runtimes for their episodes. That being said, there is a stronger sense of balance to their writing this season; while groups of characters were handled rather unevenly in season four, here, perhaps due to the slimmed cast, each group of characters is given ample and equal screen time through which each separate subplot can develop.

The third episode sees some of the finest action that the programme has to offer

However, there is a feeling of familiarity to the storylines this season; whether this is an attempt to bring the programme full circle or senseless repetition, I couldn’t say for certain. There is also a slight sense of weariness at hearing Will announce that he’s experiencing yet more visions of the Upside Down or Hopper grieving for his long-dead daughter. However, when the pace begins to build in this season, it doesn’t let up. While this season’s runtimes are still by no means perfect – the final episode of this volume still verges on 90 minutes – there is a much greater sense of flow between episodes, not least because the action has, so far, been condensed into the space of less than two days. Indeed, the third and fourth episodes are by far the strongest offerings of this first volume; the third sees some of the finest action that the programme has to offer, while the fourth is a sensitive and much-needed exploration of Will’s character (with much of my praise, while bearing in mind spoilers, being directed towards its showstopper of an ending).

However, this is not to say that this first volume is perfect. Perhaps my critical faculties have merely – and hopefully – improved since the release of season one in 2016, but the Duffer Brothers’ dialogue does feel noticeably weaker in this season, whether it be down to mischaracterisation or simply illogicality. Similarly, the programme has never looked flatter; the imaginative, immersive lighting of particularly the first seasons is supplanted here by a visual dullness, with various scenes simply refusing to establish an effective mood. This lack of atmosphere compounds a more narrative problem, being that of the normalisation of the Upside Down and its supernatural inhabitants. In the opening season of the programme, the Upside Down produced genuine emotion by virtue of being rarely visited; now, its Demogorgons are virtually an established part of the normal world and have lost their initial spark. Similarly, the Upside Down is now traversed with relative ambivalence by the show’s characters. What was once genuinely frightening now feels, surely a flaw for a programme with this title, rather ordinary.

Being able to immerse myself in this world for one last adventure was an unquestionable treat

Finally, with just four episodes of Stranger Things now to go, what could be to come next? The Duffer Brothers have issued some rather disappointing comments concerning the fates of the show’s characters yet, personally, I continue to hope that we might see some major characters killed off in this final season. Despite my affections for the characters we’ve grown to love over the last nine years, it is the final season, and it couldn’t hurt, therefore, to exemplify the threat that Vecna poses.

In conclusion, this first volume of Stranger Things 5 is much as I expected; with just four episodes to work with here, the Duffer Brothers have effectively established the season to come with two particularly strong episodes to round off the volume that reshape my expectations for how the programme may come to a close. Despite the flaws I identified, the fact that this season has been so long coming renders said flaws somewhat obsolete; being able to immerse myself in this world for one last adventure was an unquestionable treat in itself. Therefore, regardless of what the next four episodes bring, we seem to be building to quite a climax, one that will – hopefully – do due diligence to this beloved programme.

Stranger Things is available to watch now on Netflix.