By Chris Snellgrove | Published
The first part of Stranger Things Season 5 was just released on Netflix, and it seems to be a success. The streaming giant’s servers briefly went down as everyone tried to start binge-watching as soon as episodes ended, and social media is flooded with people talking about Eleven, Vecna, and the rest of their favorite characters.
However, to borrow some of the boys’ beloved clothes Dungeons & Dragons terminology, this season failed to achieve a critical hit. There’s a lot of entertainment in these four episodes, but the show hasn’t lived up to the promises of season 4 and is currently juggling enough plot lines up in the air that many characters are being sidelined.
Take the initiative
Season 5 begins (fair warning, there are some mild spoilers in this review!) with a time jump, where we discover that the entire town of Hawkins is under quarantine by sketchy military officers conducting their own creepy experiments on the Upside Down. Even though the small army of soldiers poses a major obstacle, our heroes are still focused on destroying Vecna, the Big Bad revealed last season. To do this, they wait for opportunities to send Hop into the Upside World to pursue him, but this involves extensive coordination with all of his allies in Hawkins.
There are some really fun surprises in season 5 of Stranger Thingsincluding Terminator 2 stars Linda Hamilton as an amoral scientist who will stop at nothing to recover Eleven and learn the secrets of the Upside Down. Additionally, Nell Fisher (who replaced the Anniston and Tinsley Price twins) made a amazing job (better, frankly, than many of her older castmates) as a young Holly Wheeler, who gets a much meatier role this season. Without spoiling it, a certain mild-mannered character can also level up with real powers, ending the fourth episode with a guaranteed moment that will leave you happy.
Characters unfortunately sidelined
But I was disappointed that not everyone was present in this crowd Stranger Things the casting shines just as much. For example, while Hopper and Eleven get a cool arc (his rigorous training results in a fun and emotionally enjoyable payoff), Dustin and Steve just bicker. The initial bickering starts because Dustin became a grumpy emo kid after the death of school outcast Eddie Munsen, but he never really gets an arc where he grows from that experience. Instead, he simply stops being a fun character, an observation that also applies to Steve, whose new destiny in life is to be everyone’s angry taxi driver.
Joyce receives slightly better treatment, but she feels stagnant, repeating the same overprotective mother behavior she has exhibited since season 1, while spending almost no time with Hopper, thus wasting their romantic reunion from last season. Mike and Lucas mostly follow the adults’ orders as they carry out one crazy plan after another, with Mike occasionally being able to shine as the boys’ nominal leader. The young and hilarious Erica dazzles every time she’s on screen, but like most of the other characters, she’s given far too little to do.
I’m still running up this hill
All of these character arcs that pause leave room for others to impress, including Max becoming a sort of vision guide for Holly as they wander through Vecna’s mental mazes. Robin truly comes to life as “Rockin’ Robin,” who sends coded radio messages coordinating everyone’s missions (adorably called “crawls,” as in “dungeon crawls”) when she’s not giving Will advice on life and love. Speaking of Will, he ultimately has more to do than cry: his psychic connection with Vecna is a two-way street, and he begins to learn new ways to weaponize their mental link in a way that will be sure to pay off in the series finale.
The result is a mixed season premiere that’s more good than bad, and will probably please most. Stranger Things fans who have been watching this story of monsters versus kids on bikes since the beginning. Plus, the “bad” parts of the season premiere might come out: We have four more episodes left (three on Christmas and the series finale on New Year’s Eve), which means we have plenty of time to give these marginalized characters the spotlight. Hopefully, we’ll get something as cool as Season 4’s “Running Up That Hill” moment (a sequence so cool that Season 5 keeps referencing it).
But it’s a bus rather than a hill that actually gives us the more apt metaphor for Stranger ThingsSeason 5: Part of Eleven’s training with Hopper involves using her psychic powers to jump over an old school bus and land safely on the other side.
With these first four episodes, co-showrunners the Duffer Brothers have shown that they still know how to exceed fans’ high expectations to deliver episodes full of both Cronenbergian horror and Spielbergian wonder. However, only the remaining eps can prove whether they (like Eleven herself) manage to stick the landing.
