Stranger Things 5 begins with a frantic race to the finish line | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessCreatorsMobilePolicySecurityTransportationReviewsExpandLaptopsPhonesHeadphonesTabletsSmart HomeSmartwatchesSpeakersDronesScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthEntertainmentExpandGamesTV ShowsMoviesAudioAIVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee All ShoppingCarsExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersOther TransportationFeaturesVideosExpandYouTubeTikTokInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersExpandThe Verge DailyInstallerVerge DealsNotepadOptimizerRegulatorThe StepbackArchivesStoreSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Stranger Things 5 begins with a frantic race to the finish lineComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...EntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentStreamingCloseStreamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All StreamingNetflixCloseNetflixPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NetflixStranger Things 5 begins with a frantic race to the finish lineThe first chunk of the show’s fifth and final season moves a little too fast for its own good.by Charles Pulliam-MooreCloseCharles Pulliam-MooreFilm & TV ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Charles Pulliam-MooreNov 27, 2025, 1:00 AM UTCLinkShare Image: NetflixEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentStreamingCloseStreamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All StreamingNetflixCloseNetflixPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NetflixStranger Things 5 begins with a frantic race to the finish lineThe first chunk of the show’s fifth and final season moves a little too fast for its own good.by Charles Pulliam-MooreCloseCharles Pulliam-MooreFilm & TV ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Charles Pulliam-MooreNov 27, 2025, 1:00 AM UTCLinkShareCharles Pulliam-MooreCloseCharles Pulliam-MoorePosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Charles Pulliam-Moore is a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.It has been a decade since the Stranger Things phenomenon began, and the Duffer brothers had had ample time to craft a strong finish to their breakout hit series. But the beginning of the show’s fifth and final season feels like a frantic race to the end.While Stranger Things wasn’t Netflix’s first breakout hit, it catapulted the streamer to a new level of pop cultural prominence by telling a wildly captivating story that got everyone talking. Modern day nostalgia for the ‘80s never really went away, but Stranger Things kicked off a new wave of shows and movies that made it feel like other studios were doing everything in their power to re-create the Duffer Brothers’ success. Stranger Things was a momentous phenomenon that didn’t show many signs of losing steam over the course of its first few seasons.By season 4, though, the show’s new episodes were releasing at a much slower rate thanks to production delays caused by the covid-19 pandemic. While the larger Stranger Things franchise was growing with a stage show and plans for an animated spinoff, after the 2023 writers strike led to even more delays, it felt like Netflix might have a tough time getting everyone excited to go back to Hawkins for the core series’ final season.In the first four episodes of Stranger Things 5, you can feel the Duffer Brothers trying to address past production issues that were beyond their control while also exploring narrative ideas they had mapped out long before the series began airing. Though this season picks right back up where the last left off, it’s peppered with details that emphasize how much time has passed in the real world since we last saw these characters.The younger cast looks and feels much older in ways that can’t exactly be attributed to sudden growth spurts. And characters have a tendency to speak to each other in quippy bits of exposition as if they know that people who need their memories jogged are watching. Those elements of Stranger Things 5 call for a suspension of disbelief that feels reasonable given all the external factors that kept this season from debuting more quickly.Though a lot has changed about Hawkins in the months since it was almost entirely torn apart by the Upside Down, most people are still able to go about their everyday lives. Everyone remembers how earth-shaking interdimensional energy cracked the streets wide open. But they try not to think about what went down now that the damage has been mostly covered with massive sheets of metal.Aside from the compulsory medical checkups and a military-enforced quarantine that keeps civilians from leaving town, things feel relatively normal to people unfamiliar with Vecna.(Jamie Campbell Bower) and his many Demogorgons. But for Eleven / Jane (Millie Bobby Brown), Hopper (David Harbour), and the rest of their crew, the unnatural calm is a sign of how much more dangerous things are about to become.In order to remind you how this winding story began and to emphasize what kinds of monsters Stranger Things‘ heroes are up against, the new season spends much more time with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). Will insists on playing a larger role in the teens’ plans to take their fight to Vecna in the present, but the show also jumps back to the past to explore what happened to the boy when he was first dragged into the Upside Down in season one. As disturbing (in a good way) and impressive as many of this season’s otherworldly set pieces and VFX are, the Will-focused flashbacks featuring a new child actor superimposed with Schnapp’s de-aged face undercut some of the show’s fantasy. Similar to the show’s previous experiments in de-aging its quickly growing stars, the effect doesn’t quite work on a visual level. But it does give you a sense that the Duffers really want this season to feel like it’s bringing certain characters’ stories full circle.You can feel that same desire at work as the show cuts to missing child posters of a younger Eleven before revealing that she has actually been hiding out in the woods with Hopper and training to use her powers in combat. Hop — originally introduced as a drunken mess in season 1 — knows that his adoptive daughter isn’t a little girl anymore. He and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) both understand that Eleven might be their only hope of defeating Vecna for good, but it’s hard for them to accept her willingness to risk her life.(L to R) Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson. Image: NetflixStranger Things has always had a massive cast of lead characters and done a (mostly) solid job of weaving together their plotlines in ways that felt organic. But because this season is so focused on giving everyone one last hurrah, the show quickly starts to feel a little too busy for its own good.The season bounces between Hopper family drama, school troubles for the Hellfire Club’s other remaining members (Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Priah Ferguson) and a fraught love triangle between some of the older teens. Beats like the growing friendship between Will and Robin (Maya Hawke) have to move relatively fast because the show only has so much time. And things get even more hectic as Stranger Things 5 gives new prominence to Mike’s younger sister Holly (Nell Fisher) and her foulmouthed classmate Derek (Jake Connelly).While Stranger Things 5 tries to flesh out some of its players further, it often feels like the show is coasting on the assumption that you still know and love these characters enough that simply seeing their plots wrapped up is enough to make for a satisfying story. After all this time spent in the pipeline, though, what Stranger Things needs to really stick the landing is a final chapter that works as its own compelling narrative. The show might be able to pull that off in its final four episodes if it can slow down and really lean into the kind of emotional drama that made Stranger Things such a knockout in its earlier seasons. But with this season already halfway over, Stranger Things 5 is going to have its work cut out for it.Stranger Things 5 also stars Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Brett Gelman, Cara Buono, Amybeth McNulty, and Linda Hamilton. The first four episodes are now streaming, the next three debut on December 25th, and the finale premieres on December 31st.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Charles Pulliam-MooreCloseCharles Pulliam-MooreFilm & TV ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Charles Pulliam-MooreEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentNetflixCloseNetflixPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NetflixStreamingCloseStreamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All StreamingTV Show ReviewsCloseTV Show ReviewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TV Show ReviewsTV ShowsCloseTV ShowsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TV ShowsMore in: The end of Stranger Things: all the news from the Netflix show’s fifth and final seasonStranger Things is ending, and so is Netflix’s reliance on tentpole showsCharles Pulliam-MooreNov 25The Stranger Things series finale is coming to theatersEmma RothOct 23Stranger Things 5’s first trailer promises an epic showdownAndrew WebsterJul 16Most PopularMost PopularWyze’s new security camera watches your yard from inside your homeLarge language mistakeI’m officially done with YouTube KidsYou can play classic Nintendo games on these custom SNES-inspired Nike sneakersCampbell’s fired the VP recorded saying its meat ‘came from a 3D printer’The Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adMore in EntertainmentThe end of Stranger Things: all the news from the Netflix show’s fifth and final seasonWarner Music Group partners with Suno to offer AI likenesses of its artistsThese are my favorite Switch 2 accessoriesArturia’s AstroLab 37 crams 44 synths into a tiny keyboardApple TV is over half off for six months during Black Friday8Verge ScoreI’ve tested the latest Switch 2 controllers, and this one is the bestThe end of Stranger Things: all the news from the Netflix show’s fifth and final seasonAndrew Webster9 minutes agoWarner Music Group partners with Suno to offer AI likenesses of its artistsEmma RothNov 25These are my favorite Switch 2 accessoriesCameron FaulknerNov 25Arturia’s AstroLab 37 crams 44 synths into a tiny keyboardTerrence O'BrienNov 25Apple TV is over half off for six months during Black FridayCameron FaulknerNov 25I’ve tested the latest Switch 2 controllers, and this one is the bestCameron FaulknerNov 25Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adTop StoriesNov 26First there was nothing, then there was Hoto and FanttikNov 26You’re buying a Frame TV? 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The Duffer brothers’ final foray into the world of *Stranger Things* has arrived, and initial impressions suggest a familiar, albeit somewhat frantic, approach to concluding this beloved series. Charles Pulliam-Moore’s analysis, as presented in “Stranger Things 5 begins with a frantic race to the finish line,” highlights a key concern: the season feels rushed, a consequence of production delays stretching back to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent writer’s strikes. The narrative attempts to address the significant passage of time, evidenced by the noticeably aged appearances of the younger cast members and their tendency to engage in exposition-heavy dialogue, but this feels somewhat forced and undermines the show’s previously carefully constructed world-building.

Pulliam-Moore emphasizes that the season is burdened by a desire to wrap up the numerous storylines and characters—including the revival of Will Byers’ role and the introduction of Holly—in a satisfying manner, leading to a sense of narrative busyness. He notes the show’s struggle to balance the core plot involving Vecna with smaller, character-driven plots, and the attempts to deliver a complete audience experience by resolving the plot thread started in season one, when Will Byers was first dragged into the Upside Down. The de-aged effects used on Noah Schnapp attempting to recapture the appearance of his younger self in flashbacks, while an intriguing technical achievement, fall short of truly convincing, further illustrating the pressures of a timeline so compressed.

The reviewer further observes that the characters, particularly Eleven, Hopper, and Joyce, are presented with a disconcerting calm, seemingly oblivious to the escalating danger posed by Vecna’s imminent return. This state of perceived tranquility feels almost manufactured, intended to heighten the narrative tension. The added prominence given to new characters like Holly and Derek, adding to the show’s ensemble cast, introduces a level of convolution, demanding that the audience quickly absorb a multitude of interwoven narratives. Ultimately, Pulliam-Moore concludes that *Stranger Things* fifth season requires a significant effort on the part of the viewer to accept the circumstances and maintain engagement, questioning whether the show could deliver on its promise of a fitting and impactful finale given the inherent pressures and constraints placed upon its production. The season’s conclusion, according to Pulliam-Moore, will ultimately depend on the show’s ability to slow down, focus on emotional resonance, and truly lean into the core themes that have defined the series’ success.