10 Issues We Preferred About ‘Stranger Issues’ Season 5 Vol. 1, and 4 Issues We Did not

The wait is lastly over, and Stranger Things is again on our screens this vacation weekend.

The epic final season of the Duffer Brothers’ smash supernatural retro collection rips open the Upside All the way down to see how the risk arrived in Hawkins. Between Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) taking extra children and the federal government in search of out Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Stranger Issues‘ gang of heroes should collect the troops and be prepared for something.

Nancy (Natalia Dyer) leads the cost alongside Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) in planning to kill Vecna—whereas additionally skirting authorities surveillance to seek out out what the army is doing within the Upside Down because the floor ripped open of their city.

Eleven hones her powers for a ultimate showdown in opposition to Vecna, who’s recruiting Hawkins youth whereas disguised as Henry and calling himself Mr. Whatsit; his targets embody Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher). With each Vecna and the federal government inflicting chaos, Steve (Joe Keery), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Robin (Maya Hawke), and Erica (Priah Ferguson) all step as much as be Hawkins’ saviors.

However it’s Will (Noah Schnapp) and Max (Sadie Sink), whose connections to the Upside Down might turn out to be useful to again up Eleven, that basically have us so hyped for the remainder of the season.

Listed here are the issues we preferred about season 5, quantity one—and a number of the issues we didn’t like as a lot.

Preferred: Will’s connection to the hive

Will getting the “goosies” is how he faucets into the hive thoughts, and that makes him this season’s secret weapon. His skill to entry the shared consciousness that powers Vecna lastly turns out to be useful, giving Hawkins’ heroes a person on the within who can spot incoming threats.

Preferred: The radio station

Robin works as Hawkins’ radio DJ and is the voice of the station she, Steve, and Nancy run. It’s a technique to ship covert messages to their staff, together with Murray (Brett Gelman) and Hopper, concerning the authorities’s strikes—for those who take note of her yapping in between the selection music performed. Beloved the Diana Ross “Upside Down” needle drop. The house base change is welcome and provides a brand new layer of nostalgia for the times earlier than music streaming and the heyday of radio personalities.

Plus, it feels very Star Wars to jack into the radio indicators to trace the dangerous guys and determine the way to smuggle weapons and items out and in of Hawkins. Steve offers us Han Solo vibes to the max when he drives the cell station, intercepting radio indicators of the Upside Down whereas Hopper is in there doing extra spy enterprise. Dustin, as his co-pilot and tech genius, wins our hearts.

Didn’t like: Jonathan’s obsession with Steve

Ever since his return from California, Jonathan has been specializing in Steve being higher than him to a bizarre diploma. Their competitors for Nancy’s consideration is tiring, and even Steve is sick of it. He rightfully calls out Jonathan for focusing extra on him than Nancy as a result of he simply sucks as a boyfriend. Steve has demonstrated he has been within the trenches with the youngsters defending them and has matured since his highschool jerk days. It’s emotional progress Jonathan lacks and received’t be fastened by proposing to Nancy, which gave us the ick once we noticed the ring Murray smuggled for him. I dread the second he’ll pop the query.

Didn’t Like: Not sufficient Henry Creel origin clarification

Followers fortunate sufficient to attend the Stranger Issues: The First Shadow play (or, barring an precise theater go to, who scoured TikTok for recaps of it) will likely be extra within the find out about Henry Creel’s previous than of us who simply watch the collection. We get a bit glimpse of his youthful years within the present, however not sufficient to essentially perceive what his going to highschool with Joyce, Hopper, Bob Newby, and a random Harrington means. Within the play, as he’s studying about his powers with Brenner, he’s combating the thoughts flayer’s management with the assistance of Patty Newby, Bob’s sister.

Preferred: Vecna as Mr. Whatsit

Within the superior Frank Darabont-directed third episode, we see Henry return to an idyllic model of his dwelling, frozen in time throughout the interval he was final there. His new plan is so creepy as a result of whereas he’s truly Freddy Krueger-like and stalks children, he’s luring them as a pleasant man in his Henry type who desires to save lots of them from the monsters. It’s so eerie, and the Americana model of his mansion’s wonderland, the place he acts like Mister Rogers round Holly Wheeler and others, is chillingly good.

Preferred: Nancy going ’80s heroine

Nancy changing into the de facto chief is giving Sarah Connor vibes—in a season the place Linda Hamilton exhibits as much as boot. Vecna taking Holly after attacking the Wheeler mother and father actually modifications her and makes her extra all for destroying Vecna than boys (thank god). She’s the brains behind the operation, guiding each participant on the desk to make use of their expertise to defeat Vecna. Beneath her management, they determine that Vecna is concentrating on children and hatch a plan to guard them.

Didn’t Like: Not sufficient Dr. Kay

Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay is such an iconic alternative, and her introduction was one we had been anticipating as quickly as we discovered about her casting. Season 5 is juggling loads of characters, so possibly it’s to be anticipated that we haven’t gotten a lot Kay to date. However realizing that she’s principally the brand new Brenner-esque massive dangerous within the lab working for the federal government offers us the heebie jeebies. We wish to know extra about why she desires Eleven and whether or not or not she actually intends to discover a technique to management Vecna.

Preferred: Robin and Will’s connection

Will coming into his personal with Robin’s assistance is such a candy subplot. Will and Robin acknowledge each other in methods the others can’t, and it rings so true. Robin being a mentor to Will to assist him embrace who he’s, melding together with his acceptance of his connection to the Upside Down, actually builds to one of the best payoff in quantity one.

Preferred: Eleven coaching to kill Vecna

Eleven’s coaching montage was sick, and seeing her actually lean into her powers lastly within the Upside Down was so cool. She’s grown up, and Hopper did good together with his ward in serving to her be empowered by these she loves. Whether or not or not she’s the one to deal the ultimate blow (we presume) to Vecna, we will’t wait to see it.

Preferred: All of the friendships

Steve and Dustin nonetheless have our complete hearts; this present higher not contact one hair or curl on their heads. (We all know it should.) And that’s what’s so nice concerning the present: each friendship dynamic, not simply theirs, and even the brand new ones like Will and Robin, actually really feel relatable and that rather more essential after they’re at risk. Plus, all the brand new children, together with Holly, get nice moments to shine of their kidnapping plot, which feels very Amblin-meets-Wes Craven-by-way-of-Goonies. So many humorous moments throughout the breakneck motion!

Preferred: Max lives (kind of)!

Max is alive, in a approach; she’s dwelling in Henry’s head and might see his reminiscences in addition to his plans. Seeing Sadie Sink’s return as a hero within the “dreamworld” realm of the Upside Down is freaking epic as she guides Holly away from Henry’s deceptions. She’s additionally a approach in to hunt out Vecna’s weaknesses and has survived lengthy sufficient to outsmart him in his personal thoughts by hiding in a cave.

Didn’t Like: The mysterious cave

Okay, so I discovered the introduction of the cave annoying as a result of I do know it’s the place Henry first encountered the entity that powers the Upside Down, which is defined within the Stranger Issues play. I do know it’s nonetheless simply quantity one, however doling out incremental info doesn’t assist viewers actually perceive why this setting issues and why Vecna will get tremendous terrified of the cave.

Preferred: Eleven’s sister Eight returns

Eight is again! Seems she’s who Kay has been utilizing to hunt out Vecna within the Upside Down base, very similar to how Brenner was attempting to make use of Eleven to do the identical in earlier seasons. Seeing her return is thrilling and at last connects her lacking thread to the motion. It offers Eleven her sister again, which we love.

Preferred: Will getting powers

Will and Vecna meet face-to-face in the course of the motion, the place the Demogorgons are snatching children left and proper. It’s terrifying and pulled off in a approach the place you suppose Hawkins’ heroes are taking one other L, particularly when Vecna says he picked Will as a result of he was weak, identical to the others he must take again with him. And simply as you suppose the Demogorgons are about to kill Mike, Joyce, Lucas, and Robin—Will faucets into the hive to take management of the Demogorgons, then destroys them with newfound psychic powers in the identical approach Vecna killed Chrissy. He efficiently turns the tables on Vecna, and it’s such an ideal payoff to see him reclaim his company in opposition to his kidnapper.

Extra Stranger Issues season 5 episodes arrive December 25, with the grand finale dropping December 31 on Netflix.

Need extra io9 information? Try when to count on the newest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every thing you should find out about the way forward for Doctor Who.