On Wednesday, November 26th of this year, Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 was released. Many fans have been anxiously waiting for the drop of this season ever since Volume 2 of Season 4 came out back on July 1st of 2022. So, as you can imagine, people have been freaking out about the new events that took place in this most recent season.
Stranger Things, is a Netflix series following a party of four young boys including Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), Dustin Henderson (Galen Mazzerato), and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin). After the 1st Season, where the boys befriend a girl with telekinetic abilities named Eleven (Millie Bonnie Bongiovi) and find their once missing friend Will in the “Upside Down”, the show continues with this group of young kids repeatedly saving the world.
In their town of Hawkins, Indiana, these kids keep running into the supernatural at every turn. Time and time again they are the ones who have to rise and up and fight this other world with all they have. This different world, the “Upside Down” that keeps giving them trouble seems to mirror the game that the party of boys love, Dungeons and Dragons. This knowledge is what comes in the boy’s aid when they are faced with monsters.
As the series progresses, more and more of the “Upside Down” comes to attack the once quiet town of Hawkins and more is revealed through the back story of Eleven. We meet new villains, from the mindflayer in Season 2 to Vecna himself in Season 4. Not only do evil powers seem to grow, but so does the group of kids willing to fight. The gang grows as older siblings, such as Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer), and even a younger sister, Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson) join in the fight against evil. Also, the most protective and caring parents, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Jim Hopper (David Harbour), help these kids in whatever way they can as they all protect their beloved home.
Volume 1 of Season 5 is set in early November of 1987, in the sweet little town of Hawkins, Indiana. Now for the start of the final season of Stranger Things, where is everyone?
Well, the Byers family is staying with the Wheelers because last Season they were living in California but decided to move back home. The Wheeler house is crowded with people and chaos. The families somehow seem to be making things work despite the disarray of their lives.
The older part of the group, consisting of Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke), Nancy Wheeler, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and Jonathon Byers have started a radio show, starring Robin as the host. This show is called the WSQK or “The Squack” and they use their radio station as their base for all their missions.
On the other side of town, Eleven is hiding with her adopted father, Hopper, in their cabin in the woods. Training hard, Eleven is constantly wishing she can do more to help out but just like always, Hopper is holding her back out of fear he’ll lose her. Joyce joins Hopper when training Eleven and is a constant support towards her.
Meanwhile, the original party of Lucas, Dustin, Will and Mike are still attending Hawkins High School. These boys have been instructed by Hopper to try and lay low and act normal through it all. This contradicts the common theme this Netflix series has always presented of being your own strange self. Dustin notices this and wishes to rebel against this form of “conformity”, leading to bullying for doing so.
Dustin’s hate for fitting in directly connects back to the prior season where he, Lucas and Mike were involved in the Hellfire club. This was a club where high school boys just played Dungeons and Dragons and revolted against the idea of normalcy. The leader of this was Eddie Munson, a held back senior who was seen as an outcast but was actually kind at heart. This Hellfire club was judged upon and blamed for many events that transpired in Season 4, which advanced the plot to where it lies at the beginning of Season 5.
Watch Volume 1 of Season 5 of Stranger Things to find out what happens and what is revealed so far in the series. Many twists and turns occur, and the volume ends in a heart racing cliff hanger. Many fans, such as myself, are impatiently waiting for the next Volume. So, stay tuned for the next one of these articles once Volume 2 drops on December 25th.
