“Stranger Things” is one of the most popular shows produced by Netflix in recent years. The first four episodes of season five came out at Thanksgiving, and have not disappointed.
Spoilers ahead!
A major change in the dynamic of the town of Hawkins is that it has gone from a rural backwater to the center of national attention.
The characters contend with a military determined to catch the superpowered Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, whilst trying to avoid the ever-present patrols and circling helicopters. The military has new gadgets and a border fence to effectively cut the town’s remaining residents off from the outside world.
The main characters have become more resourceful than ever. In the second season, Chief Hopper’s (David Harbour) cabin is the one secret place involved, whereas in season five, the main characters have commandeered the tunnel network under Hawkins. A nice continuation from previous seasons is the greater interactions between characters of different ages, as Hopper leads the group in meetings that all the characters have to attend. In the first episode of the season, ‘Crawls’ are recon missions in which Hopper infiltrates the military post into the Upside Down, with the past number of missions hitting 37.
The cast is doing a good job. One (played by Jamie Campbell Bower) alternates between Henry and Vecna in such a way that it is hard to remember there is one actor for both personas in the same series, which is an accomplishment few actors have managed to do.
As for the main party, there is the same quality of acting, which is made somewhat easier now that El is able to have full conversations. Even so, she uses the term ‘mouth breather,’ a term as amusing as in the first season and a hidden callback for fans.
A few characters got a major boost in this season, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) plays a role beyond being a metal detector for the Upside Down.
Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) changes in the opposite direction, as he has an argument with Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) for the first time in two seasons and generally sulks when dealing with the other members of the former Hellfire Club. His comparative absence adds to the remaining cast since whilst the loss of his mentor Eddie Munson was painful, Dustin is still the sole science expert in the party, which stresses out the characters who have to use his technology.
Speaking of Steve, it appears that with Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) back in Hawkins the first season’s love triangle has reemerged with Nancy Wheeler (played by Natalia Dyer) stuck in the middle. Steve will have to start to remember competing with other characters his age as opposed to Russian security guards, like he did in season three. An assortment of other characters return, yet there is one who stands out.
That notable emerging character is Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher). Holly is Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Nancy’s younger sister. It was an unconventional choice to bring in someone who had no major role in the story to provide an outsider perspective on Vecna’s plan.
There are some questions that the writers inevitably confronted during the production process. They darkened the mood of Hawkins, from a bastion of humanity amidst the crumbling ground to a place where searchlights cannot extend beyond the barriers. None of the first four episodes involved leaving Hawkins, and the presence of the Byers in the town gives a feeling of being surrounded. Unlike in seasons three and four, the plot centers on the above ground Hawkins and the Upside Down instead of Kamchatka.