THE STORY – In 1980s Indiana, a group of young friends witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits. As they search for answers, the children unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries.
THE CAST – Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Linda Hamilton, Priah Ferguson & Jamie Campbell Bower
THE TEAM – The Duffer Brothers (Showrunners/Writer/Director)
While watching the latest batch of season five episodes of Netflix’s biggest show, “Stranger Things,” including the series’s penultimate chapter, one question dominates the experience. It is not about the true origins of the Upside Down, which are now finally answered. Nor is it concern over which fan-favorite character might meet their maker. Instead, the lingering question is, “What the hell happened to this show?” Everything about the final season of “Stranger Things” feels like a shell of what once made the series great, and with these latest episodes, it becomes increasingly clear that the wheels are spinning as the show limps toward the finish line.
The Duffer Brothers pick up immediately after Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) taps into Vecna’s powers to save his friends and family. This revelation, which concluded the first part of the season, serves as a significant turning point for the character and a step toward defeating Vecna once and for all. Elsewhere, the ensemble remains split apart in familiar “Stranger Things” fashion. Max, played by Sadie Sink, and Holly, played by Nell Fisher, are still attempting to escape the mental prison where Vecna, or Mr. Whatsit, has trapped his newly tapped vessels in the form of Hawkins’ children. Hopper, played by David Harbour, and El, played by Millie Bobby Brown, are trying to flee alongside Kali, who was freed from military experimentation. Meanwhile, Dustin, Steve, Jonathan, and Nancy search Hawkins Lab for clues to Holly’s whereabouts. It is standard “Stranger Things” storytelling, but the repetition has never felt more glaring.
Characters repeatedly experience sudden Eureka moments, leading to long exposition-heavy scenes designed to push the plot forward. These moments also function as blunt reminders of ongoing developments, particularly as the show’s mythology grows increasingly convoluted and inflated. While this narrative approach is nothing new for the series, it now feels exhausting, constantly holding the audience’s hand. The season’s writing reflects a noticeable decline in the Duffer Brothers’ creative sharpness. Making Holly the central figure sidelines long-established characters. Mike Wheeler’s role in the group feels negligible, while Joyce Byers, once the emotional foundation of the series, is reduced mainly to comforting Will during bouts of self-doubt. These issues point to a broader problem: the show’s expanding roster has become unwieldy and unfocused.
At this stage, the series suffers from a complete lack of stakes, as no character appears to be in genuine danger. Season five is riddled with fakeouts reminiscent of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” where dramatic tension is set up only to be undone moments later. A notable example occurs in the sixth episode, “Escape From Camazotz,” when Nancy and Jonathan seemingly face death in a room filled with Upside Down goop. The situation forces them to confront unresolved tension in their relationship that has lingered for more than a season. The sequence is well directed, and Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer deliver some of the strongest performances of the season. Predictably, they survive, though they emerge emotionally in different places. Gaten Matarazzo also stands out asDustin’ss arc reaches a genuinely moving conclusion, with Joe Keery once again demonstrating why their pairing remains one of the series’ strongest elements.
Even with these isolated moments of emotional payoff, the episodes largely feel like narrative stalling. Characters reunite, performers with diminishing effectiveness are given pivotal monologues, and Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” is replayed across multiple episodes to the point of exhaustion. The visual presentation offers little relief, as the glossy Netflix aesthetic replaces theshow’ss earlier-season texture, leaving the Tim Ives era of cinematography sorely missed. Despite its massive budget and continued expansion of the mythology introduced in its debut season, “Stranger Things” has drifted further away from what once made it distinctive. With only one episode remaining, it remains to be seen how the residents of Hawkins will escape yet another existential threat. Whether the solution involves time travel or something equally absurd, very little at this point would come as a surprise.
THE GOOD – Still contains some great dramatic moments mainly anchored by the performances from Joe Keery, Gaten Matarazzo, Natalia Dyer, and Charlie Heaton.
THE BAD – It’s grating how the repetitive nature of the series isn’t challenged by The Duffer Brothers who have only worsened their storytelling both narratively and visually as this disappointing season draws closer to its conclusion.
THE EMMY PROSPECTS – None
THE FINAL SCORE – 4/10
