Stranger Things five, volume one review: The final series is 'thrilling' so far

The Netflix sci-fi is back after a three-year wait, with its young stars now in their 20s – and the first four episodes of this final season suggest an "all-time ending" is in store.

It's almost hard to believe that a decade ago, the concept of the Upside Down didn't exist. Such was the storytelling skill of the Duffer brothers in conceiving Stranger Things, that from the very first series in 2016, the fantasy world they created, and its lore, felt fully realised. 

Warning: This article contains mild spoilers for episodes one to four of the new series 

And while the show was heavily indebted to films like The Goonies and ET, very quickly Stranger Things proved it was worth far more than the sum of its parts. The 80s-set sci-fi following a group of young friends, protecting each other from the dark forces that have sprung from a portal inadvertently ripped open by a sinister human testing lab, is now one of Netflix’s most-watched series of all time.

It has also led to a whole franchise of spin-offs and tie-ins, including a prequel theatre show (Stranger Things: The First Shadow) and an upcoming animated series (Stranger Things: Tales from '85), plus board games, comics and clothing lines. On top of that, it has made superstars of its young actors, including Millie Bobby Brown – who plays Eleven, the girl with supernatural powers, held captive in the cruel living science experiment – Sadie Sink, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Noah Schnapp.

But back in 2022, it was announced that this fifth season would also be its last. Despite it being a globally successful juggernaut, it's a fitting time to wrap up the series, not least for the reason that the original "kid" leads are now mostly in their early 20s. Perhaps because of this, the final season, set in 1987, sees the kingpin ghoul, known as Vecna, Henry Creel or One (played mostly under gruesome prosthetics by Jamie Campbell Bower) targeting a new generation of children, presumably to tug on viewers' heartstrings a little further.

There's one child in particular, Holly (Nell Fisher), that Vecna takes a shine to in his newest form, who appears as an imaginary friend, and stalks people's minds. Holly is the younger sister to Mike Wheeler (Wolfhard) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer). They and their peers' mission in the opening four episodes of this series, released today is, as Mike puts it, to make "goddamn sure that wrinkled, noseless, rotting" mega-villain is "dead and gone and never coming back”.

New challenges

It's easier said than done, as the odds are stacked against them more than ever. There's a new human adversary in the shape of the ruthless Doctor Kay – played by Terminator star Linda Hamilton – who is a military scientist hunting down Eleven (Brown). Eleven and Hopper (David Harbour) are on the run as fugitives, but the rest of the lead group of characters are now mostly reunited; they develop ever more madcap ideas using radio tracking devices to take down Vecna, whose hive mind and demogorgons keep spilling out into Hawkins. All of this is taking place while the town is under quarantine and military rule, following the Upside Down hellpit beneath it breaking open fully in the previous series.

Netflix

The stakes are high, the violence is once again gory – the tone has shifted far away from the relative, Stand By Me-like gentleness of early series – and as pointed out several times by the characters, humanity itself rests on the gang defeating the demon inside the Upside Down. 

The spectre of this being the end of an era also hangs heavily over proceedings, and this first volume of episodes begins to solve mysteries that have plagued viewers since the very beginning. Fans will be pleased to see the Duffers linking back to scenes from the first series, and answering crucial questions – namely, who first kidnapped Will, and for what reason, and how they may have underestimated him.

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However, the beating heart of Stranger Things has always been the bond between the friends, as they realise that they are stronger together, no matter what the world (or underworlds) throws at them. Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Matarazzo) continue their endearingly jokey double act as literally all hell breaks loose around them – with Matarazzo proving in particular how he has really matured into his role. Meanwhile Robin (a confident Maya Hawke) offers some heartfelt words of encouragement to one character in a pivotal and emotional moment which boil down to: know yourself; you're stronger than you think. This realisation, and harnessing the power of friendship, it's hinted, could be what finally takes down the dark forces once and for all.

Some of the show's elements have become repetitive – such as Will's prickly skin when Vecna and his gruesome foot soldiers are near; and surely even Kate Bush is exhausted by Running Up That Hill by now – and, arguably, this series' quest is almost the same as in season four. The creators also want to show that the gap between the real world and the Upside Down is blurring, but at times it can be confusing keeping up with who's up, or down, or in which tunnel, as the two worlds seem to morph into each other.

However, this is poking small holes in a giant televisual beast. No Stranger Things fan is going away disappointed from these episodes, which leave anticipation for the rest of the season at fever pitch.

The bombastic episode four is Stranger Things at its best; 81, presumably very expensively produced, minutes culminating in an epic battle between the demons, the military and the people of Hawkins. Grenades, gunfire and flame throwers abound, before two explosive twists in the final minutes. It's thrilling; and if it's a precursor to how the Duffer Brothers plan to wrap up the show – with three more episodes on Christmas Day, and a standalone finale on New Year's Eve – then viewers are in for an all-time great TV ending.

★★★★☆ 

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