‘Stranger Things 5 – Volume 1’ TV Review: I Said Upside Down You’re Turning Me [A]

It’s hard to believe it was almost 10 years ago that we first saw Will Byers kidnapped from a lonely road in Hawkins, Indiana and taken to a terrifying place called the Upside Down in Netflix’s Emmy-winning series, Stranger Things. That first season, released in 2016 and set in the fall of 1983, turned a group of unknown child actors into megastars overnight and became a cultural phenomenon. Now, after many setbacks, delays, and a very complex post-production process, the fifth and final season is here to help us get through the holiday season.

It is now November 1987, some 18 months since the Rifts split Hawkins in two, sending tons of unidentified debris into the air, giving the military the excuse it needs to endlessly quarantine the residents and gain unfettered access to explore the Upside Down. Having essentially lost the battle against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) at the end of season 4, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and crew work nonstop to figure out where their villain went and what he plans to do next.

The opening scenes of season 5 quickly bring us up to date on what everyone has been doing in the intervening months. The Byers family, now homeless after returning from California, are encamped with the Wheelers and things are feeling a little cramped. “How much longer?” complains Ted Wheeler (Joe Chrest) to his wife, Karen (Carla Buono). “What do you want me to do, Ted? Kick ‘em to the street?” she responds with a shrug. “Is that an option?” he asks as she retreats to the kitchen.

Ever the dungeon master, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) has been drawing up the maps and devising plans. Will (Noah Schnapp) is still having visions and is starting to piece together what they might mean. Joyce (Winona Ryder) is as protective as ever, refusing to let Will near anything dangerous. Meanwhile, Eleven is training for crawls to help search for Vecna, though Hopper (David Harbour) is also too protective of her. Across town, Robin (Maya Hawke) and Steve (Joe Keery) produce a pirate radio show, spinning tunes in between updates about the latest military activities. Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) has been distancing himself from the gang, picking fights with the school bullies, and clearly mourning Eddie (Joseph Quinn). Steve and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) are still fighting over Nancy (Natalia Dyer). “What is it about your presence that brings out their inner Neanderthal?” muses Robin as they watch the boys race up a radio tower. And Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) keeps vigil beside comatose Max’s (Sadie Sink) hospital bed.

These early check-ins and catching up scenes feel like a welcome back to a well-known place that has changed since we last visited. Some things are familiar, others almost unnervingly different. It’s Hawkins, and it isn’t. Our characters, having survived four years of terrifying ordeals and loss, are the same and not. Season 5 makes it clear how much they have been through and the ways they have grown because of it.

The fifth season continues to build on the suspense and horror that has always been a hallmark of the series. Vecna’s absence early on only builds the anticipation of what he could be up to, while the current and most pressing threat is the military, led by newcomer Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton), the scientist who has replaced Dr. Brenner. Though these episodes were written and filmed long ago, there is something prescient and timely about watching a parade of tanks and Army vehicles take over an American town, everyday citizens locked behind chain link and electronic surveillance. These images are as disturbing as any vision Vecna could impose.

The cast is as good as they have always been, though with two surprising standouts. Gaten Matarazzo, who has always been reliable for comic relief, brings a new level of depth and heart to Dustin. Through Matarazzo’s performance, we can see how Dustin has not been taken seriously, and has often felt taken for granted. Seeing him now, reckless, picking fights, snapping at his friends and making regular visits to Eddie’s grave, we understand that Dustin is a kid who feels deeply, is thoughtful, and is in a lot of pain.

The other standout is Nell Fisher, who joins the cast as now-nine-year-old Holly Wheeler, little sister to Mike and Nancy. The littlest Wheeler, a typical youngest kid raised in the 1980s by inattentive parents, is lonely and isolated and finds comfort in a new friend. Though it would be wrong to say any more about Holly as a character, Nell Fisher is a great addition, seemingly unaffected by the pressure of joining such a sprawling collection of stars.

In addition to reliably good performances, Stranger Things 5 is crafted with as much care as the series ever has been. The series has always been a treasure trove of 1980s nostalgia and the final season uses production design, VFX, and costume design to homage everything from Aliens and The Goonies to A Nightmare on Elm Street. One particular sequence, a brilliantly staged nod to Poltergeist, recreates the funhouse horror of the suburban ghost story in a way that feels exciting and inventive instead of schlocky or ripped off.

Stranger Things 5 continues to be the smart, entertaining, nostalgia-fueled show it has always been. Now, as the series hurtles toward its conclusion, it has not lost any of the momentum that made it a hit when it started a decade ago. Though only three episodes have been made available to critics so far, there is little doubt the Duffer Brothers will deliver a perfect ending.

Grade: A

The first three episodes of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things are now currently streaming with the following three on Christmas Day with the series finale on New Year’s Eve.