Nov 27, 2025
3 min read
Netflix's sci-fi hit returns after a three-year wait, its youngest stars appearing now in their 20s, and the first four episodes of the final season hint that the "best finale ever" is in store.
Stranger Things Five, Volume One review: Series finale so far 'thrilling'
The Netflix Sci-Fi is back after a three-year wait, with young stars now in their 20s—and the first four episodes of this final season show that "the end of time" is in store.
It's almost hard to believe that 10 years ago the idea of the head of deep space didn't exist.This was the skill of the Duffita brothers, who from the strangers of the courtrooms, from the first impressions in 2016, the imaginary world they created, and its seat, felt truly fulfilled.
WARNING: This article contains minor spoilers for episodes one through four of the new series
And while the show was heavily indebted to the likes of The Goonies and ET, Stranger Things quickly proved that it was worth much more than the sum of its parts.The 1980s sci-fi series, following a group of young friends who protect each other from dark forces that protect a portal inadvertently opened by a human experimentation lab, is now one of Netflix's most-watched series of all time.
It has also spawned numerous spinoffs and tie-ins, including a prequel theatrical show (Stranger Things: The First Shadow) and an upcoming animated series (Stranger Things: Tales from '85), as well as board games, comics and clothing lines.In addition, it has turned its young actors into superstars, including Millie Bobby Brown - who plays Eleven, the girl with supernatural powers, held captive in the harsh living science experiment - Sadie Sink, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Noah Schnapp.
However, in 2022, it was announced that this fifth season would be the last.Despite its massive worldwide success, the time is right to end the series, especially considering that the original "child" leads are now mostly in their early 20s.Perhaps that's why the final season, set in 1987, will see the Kingpin Ghoul known as Vecna, Henry Creel, or One (played primarily in hideous prosthetics by Jamie Campbell Bower) introduce a new generation of children.Targeting seems to make it more appealing to viewers.
In particular, there's a child named Holly (Nell Fisher), who shines in Vecna's latest incarnation, appearing as an imaginary friend and remaining in people's hearts.Holly is the younger sister of Mike Wheeler (Wolfhard) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer).Their job in the first four episodes of the series, released today, is to keep the arch-villain, who is, as Mike puts it, "wrinkled, noseless and rotting" from "dead and gone, never to come back."
That's easier said than done, because the odds are higher than ever.Uses a radio tracking device to bring down Vecna, whose Bot Mind and Demogorgon are still rampaging through Hawkins.All of this happens while the city is under a warrant and military rule, an upward downward spiral into a hellish pit below, following the break in the previous series entirely.
The stakes are high, the violence is once again terrifying - the tone has moved far from the relative gentleness of Stand 'Stand By Me - and as pointed out many times through the characters, humanity itself depends on the gang defeating the demon within the subversion.
Such costumes end at a very heavy time, and the number of episodes of the first episodes begins to reveal the secrets that have troubled viewers from the very beginning.Fans will be interested to see what was connected from the first series and answer the important questions that the first, how to catch him.
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However, the beating heart of Stranger Things has always been the bond between friends as they realize that together they are stronger, no matter what the world (or the dead) throws at them.Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Matarazzo) continue to joke quietly while all hell literally breaks loose around them - and Matarazzo in particular proves how much he has truly matured in his role.Meanwhile, Robin (a confident Maya Hawke) offers some heartfelt words of encouragement to the character during an important and emotional moment that boils down to: know yourself;you are stronger than you think.Realizing this and harnessing the power of friendship, he hinted, could be what finally destroys the dark forces once and for all.
Certain elements of the show are recurring – like Will's prickly skin when the Eternal and his fearsome walkers are around;And of course even Kate Bush is now done with Running Up That Hill — and the show's quest is pretty much the same as it was in season four.The creators also want to show that the gap between the real world and the "Upside Down" is getting blurred, but sometimes it's confusing to keep up.Who is above, or below, or in which tunnel, the two worlds seem to merge.
But it pokes small holes in a big beast of television.No Stranger Things fan will walk away disappointed with these episodes, which keep you looking forward to the rest of the season.
The story of the four explosions is the best;81, made a little and a few minutes, which takes place in an epic battle between demons, soldiers and the people of Hawkins.Bombs, guns and fire are increasing before the final explosion.It's fun;
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