“Stranger Things” is a Netflix original series by the Duffer Brothers. The first season came out July 15, 2016. Warning there are spoilers in this article.
The series began with a small group of middle schoolers: Dustin, Lucas, Mike and Will. One night, they all hang out and, on their ways home, Will goes missing. No one knows where he is, so they all try to find him; instead, they find someone else: Eleven, a girl who has super natural powers. Then they find Will’s “body” in a lake. It wasn’t actually him, though, it was a stuffed dummy. Eleven then helps them find Will, who was in the Upside Down the whole time. The Upside Down is basically an alternate universe with monsters. The small town of Hawkins, Ind. is a little town with strange things happening. Viewers fell in love with a friend group that discovers their little town is more than that.
Volume One of the fifth and final season was recently released, consisting of the first four episodes: “The Crawl,” “The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler,” “The Turnbow Trap” and “Sorcerer.” The second volume will include the next three episodes: “Shock Jock,” “Escape From Camazotz” and “The Bridge,” which came out Dec. 25. Then on Dec. 31, the season finale, “The Rightside Up,” was released. Limited screenings of the final episode were in more than 350 theaters around the United States and Canada from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1, to enhance the viewers’ experience. I am going to be giving my opinion on Volume One of this season, so there are spoilers.
“The Crawl” wasted no time, and I really like that it makes it easier not to get distracted, starting with a flashback to 1983, with a younger Will Byers being stalked by a Demogorgon in the Upside Down. The Demogorgon is a monster in the Upside Down. Everything moves fast, so viewers don’t get bored. There is an urgency in everything they do. My favorite thing about this episode was Jonathan and Steve’s rivalry, Steve is Nancys ex boyfriend and Jonathan is her current boyfriend so they are always trying to one up each other for Nancy’s attention. This episode rekindled what makes this show so great.
“The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler” is almost like deja vu because in the first season there is an episode called “The Vanishing of Will Byers” where Will gets taken into the Upside Down like Holly does in this episode. Holly is seen talking to Mr. Whatsit a lot which viewers think would be a new character, but he’s not–Mr. Whatsit is a nickname for a character viewers all know. Some characters get hurt and end up in the hospital, so it affects all of the characters. There is a focus on Dustin and the changes in his character, and I don’t like that because it’s not a good change; it’s a bad change. Eddie Munson’s death really affected him because they were really close, and they were in a Dungeon and Dragons club together called Hell Fire. Will and Mike were in it too, but they didn’t connect with Eddie as much as Dustin did, so he’s still grieving Eddie’s death.
“The Turnbow Trap:” In this episode the whole squad are looking for Holly. It is so interesting and shocking, this episode is very eerie. Hopper was already in the Upside Down, and Eleven just got to the upside down. Hopper was upset with Eleven for going there because the government is searching for her. They think she’s behind this all, and no one knows the truth, except their friend group, but she is really the one saving everyone. Holly is with Mr. Whatsit in the upside down and he is now trying to take Holly’s bully, Derek, to the upside down, too. Mr. Whatsit acts very nice to the kids. He is putting on a fake persona to try to “brainwash” them. For example, he got Holly her favorite song: “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany. The only rule he has is: don’t go in the woods, but Holly didn’t listen, and she went anyway. She finds Max there, who has been in a coma in the real world, but in the upside down she is still alive. She just needs to find a way out and she will get out of the coma.
“Sorcerer:” This is an insane episode. It is so jam packed with so many things happening, and there is a crazy plot twist at the end of this episode that no one would ever expect. Will and Robin have a really good talk this episode, and I think it made their relationship really strong, and made Will even stronger. This episode is really chaotic and it is really on the edge of your seat; there are a lot of really close moments of death. This is the best episode of the whole series; it’s insane and unexpected. Even a character we haven’t seen since season two is seen in this episode.
Overall, the newest season of Stranger Things brings back everything fans love about the series while raising the stakes higher than ever. Each episode in Volume One delivers its own mix of nostalgia, suspense, emotion and shocking twists, reminding viewers why this show became such a phenomenon in the first place. The characters continue to grow, their relationships deepen and the Upside Down becomes more dangerous than ever. The excitement surrounding this season proves just how powerful the world of Hawkins remains.
