It has been a long, long wait, but Stranger Things season 5 has finally come out, well, just volume one. In volume one, there was a lot of action fighting with soldiers and demogorgons, along with some insane plot twists at the end of episodes. In this article, I will be giving my review on the new season, the things I liked and disliked about Volume 1, and maybe what’s to come in the next volumes. And before I dive in, this is an obvious spoiler warning!
First, I will go over the things that I liked in Volume 1, and there were many.
- Will and Robin Duo
This was the duo in the Stranger Things show that we didn’t know we needed. We realize that their personalities are very similar. Will and Robin are both considered different from a lot of people in Hawkings, and they share similar insecurities. Robin and Will have some deep, intimate conversations with each other, as Robin explains what has been holding her back from the person she truly is. She gives advice to Will constantly throughout Volume 1. They are a great duo, and I hope to see more of them the rest of the season.
- El and Hopper Duo
Another great pairing by the Duffer Brothers in this volume was El and Hopper fighting in the Upside Down. El never had a true father, and Hopper got cut short of his father duties with Sarah, so it’s great to see them become true father and daughter over the seasons. Any time Hopper and El team up, good things always happen. I hope they stay together and continue their journey in the upside-down together.
- Mr. Whatsit, Vecna’s Mind
I thought this was very creative of the Duffer brothers. Having Vecna playing as his younger self to fulfill his plan with the children is really cool. The plot twist at the end of episode two, when we found out Henry was Mr.Whatsit, was awesome. I like the whole new world of memories that Holly and Max are in. It’s a new, cool dynamic that we have not seen before. I am very interested to see where this plot goes, with Holly and Max trying to “escape camazotz” and understanding why Vecna is afraid of the caves, and more about his backstory.
- The Rise of Will Byers
Will was basically cut off the plot in the last two seasons, with facing little screen time and not being in the big picture of things, as he once was in the early seasons. Well, boy, did he make a comeback in Volume 1. The Duffers have aced the plot with Will so far this season. I love that he is finally not suffering, and he is able to stand up for himself. Him being a part of Vecna and tapping into his powers was awesome. In my opinion, it was one of the best moments in the series so far. I can’t wait to see what happens with Will and his powers the rest of the way. I do have a feeling his powers may be used in the wrong way later…
What I disliked
- Plot Armor:
I feel like this is an ongoing trend with the Duffer Brothers, and it’s starting to piss off many Stranger Things fans, myself included. It feels like they keep trying to avoid killing off the main characters. For example, when the wheelers’ parents get attacked by the demogorgens, how do they BOTH manage to survive the attack? I thought it was stupid and unrealistic. I like the idea of killing off one of the main characters, as I feel like it will raise the stakes. If no main characters die throughout the whole show, were the stakes ever that high to begin with? I’m not saying I want a “Red Wedding” by any means, but it would be nice if they kill off at least one of the main characters going forward.
- End of Season 4, beginning of Season 5?
If you remember, at the end of season 4, we were left with a cliffhanger. The sky was falling in Hawkings, with the 4 gates opening, bringing the upside down into the real world. The town looked in ruins, with houses, shops and most of the town being destroyed. Then we cut to season 5, and there is little to no word of this. They mention that they just put a bandage over the parts where the gates opened. We go on about the season like nothing really happened. It feels like they just skipped over it, acting like there is all peace in Hawking now. It felt like Vecna’s plan didn’t work, when in reality it did. I was frustrated; they could’ve spent more time on that storyline, as that was the entire storyline last season.
Overall rating: 9.0
It was a great start to the new season overall, but it’s not a 10 because of the reasons above. But I am very excited for Volume 2 as I hope others are.
