Stranger Things: Season 5 (2025) - TV Review

Stranger Things: Season 5 - The Epic Conclusion

Rating - 8/10

“I told you, to eat your damn pie.”

(SPOILER WARNING!)

    Another year has come and gone, and so does another season of the hit show Stranger Things. Aside from the inevitable spinoffs we'll likely have to endure, this serves as the final season of the main show that many of us have come to know and love. While not perfect and not without flaws, it serves as a strong and emotional finale with loads of action and heart. From the iconic new characters, to the returning ones that stole us years ago, the Duffer Brothers continue to juggle an insane cast size to give everyone time to develop. Although it is crowded, everyone gets good ending for the most part. 

    Vecna has returned to Hawkins and is taking children to serve as vessels for his master plan to bring his dimension to the main world. The season starts off with all of our main characters united after a brief time jump where we se that the military has taken over the town after the supernatural earthquake of season 4. The party has been secretly investigating the Upside Down to search for Vecna and kill him once and for all. But when one of these crawls goes wrong, Hopper is trapped and a Demogorgon is set loose on the Wheeler's to kidnap Mike and Nancy's little sister Holly. With more Demogorgons on the way and more kids in danger of the same fate as Holly, the gang splits up to begin the search for Holly, track the Demogorgon, and find Vecna.

    The military doesn't make it easy, and Linda Hamilton's Dr. Kay is searching for Eleven for her powers. We find out that she is looking to restart Dr. Brenner's program, and it is putting many in great danger in the process, including Eleven's unofficial sister Kali. Back in Hawkins, the gang formulates a plan to round up the rest of the kids, including new fan-favorite Derek (Jake Connelly) who steals the show and has probably the fastest character development ever in a show. When the plan goes wrong and the military catches them, they are all ambushed by an army of Demogorgons followed by Vecna. With the party about to die, the grand reveal of Will using powers to stop the attack saves the day in shocking fashion. 

    With a new advantage on their side, the party regroups to find the others stuck in the Upside Down. El and Hopper learn about Dr. Kay's plans from Kali, who attempts to convince them thats both herself and Eleven need to end themselves so that the program can never be recreated again. Nancy and Jonathan argue over their relationship and how they have been growing apart in a sad but real break. Steve and Dustin fight over Dustin's lack of responsibility and obsession with Eddie, when it's revealed that Dustin can't live through Steve dying too. Max helps guide Holly in a trance-like state to escape Vecna's grasp, while Lucas and Robin protect her in the real world. The main drive of Volume 2 is Will trying to understand his connection to Vecna and the Upside Down. Will grapples with Vecna believing him to be weak, with that weakness being his greatest fear of others not accepting his sexuality. He rises above that and comes out to his friends and family so that Vecna cannot use this fear against him.

    In the final episode/movie, we see the gang make a mad-dash into the Upside Down with the legendary Murray leading the charge through the gate, and Eleven and Kali searching Vecna's mind with Max. Holly leads the kids to the cave that Henry is too afraid to enter, as we discover his fear of seeing his past. The moment he kills a scientist carrying an mysterious object that upon touching, gives Henry powers from the Mind Flayer. The Mind Flayer instructs Henry to fin him, leading to it's eventual connection to the real world. Fighting through this fear, Henry chases the kids until their eventual escape. Meanwhile, Kali is killed by the military, and encourages Eleven to fight on. She eventually reunites with the rest of the party as Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Joyce, Steve, Jonathan, Nancy, and Robin make their way to the Abyss to find Venca's castle. Upon the reveal of The Mind Flayer being in control and Vecna becoming one with it, the castle comes to life as a massive spider-formed kaiju that the Mind Flayer fights as. In true DnD battle fashion, the party splits up to attack it from all angles while Eleven and Will battle Venca on the inside. 

    Vecna is finally killed, and the children are saved. The party escapes the Upside Down, only be be once again stopped by the military. Eleven knowing that the hunt for her will never end, stays behind in the Upside as it explodes from the inside, taking her life. 18 months later, everyone has an ending with the party graduating, the older kids moving on with their careers, and Joyce and Hopper getting engaged. In one final DnD campaign lead by Mike, he tells the story of a powerful mage (Eleven), and how she escaped death and lives in secret. He and the party tear up while choosing to believe this ending, as Holly and her friends come through the basement to begin their campaign. 

    While not quite as strong as the 1st or 4th season in my opinion, Season 5 serves it's purpose and stands as an emotional and fun finale. Character arcs are wrapped up, with most earning their happy ending with Stevie Nicks in the background. Steve steps into his dad role of Physical Education Teacher, Nacny, Jonathan, and Robin all move on in their careers, and Joyce and Jim have a well-earned engagement. It's great to see Lucas and Max together, and Dustin being his chaotic self. It reaches out to the nerds and make people them them (and me) feel welcome. Will is accepted by his friends and family. Despite the rage-baiting review bombing across the internet by "professional youtubers" and AI bots, Will's coming out scene is powerful and needed for his character. A bit long and crowded, but important to the story and his character, and not just a random trait to check a box with Netflix. 

    The acting all around is excellent, with Jake Connelly stealing us with his humor, Maya Hawke's frantic energy, and Joe Keery's endless charm. The real star is Jamie Campbell Bower's performance as Henry/Venca/One/Mr. Whatsit (that's too many names). Especially in the final episode, he delivers a very strong, horrifying, and emotional performance that deserves a lot of recognition. The effects and action are solid, and as always, the music choices are spot on. The plot does feel convoluted at times, and of course plot armor is always on high. There are still some plot holes and missing details throughout that needed to be answered this season, but overall not enough to exceed other sci-fi franchises. The Mind Flayer monster at the does feel rushed, and we are left to wonder if it was it, or Vecna behind everything. Eleven's sacrifice does seem a little out of place and unnecessary, but is still weaved into an emotional ending and a bittersweet one for Mike. 

    Eleven's ending is very sad as we see her suspected death as a survivor of kidnapping, abuse and violence. It's rough and even triggering to see someone go through all of that believing that their death is the only way out. Yet Mike shows us how he believes Eleven survived with her and Kali's powers cloaking her to escape, and now lives a new life elsewhere in the world near the three waterfalls they talked about. A happy ending for both of them, but possibly a fantasy. The ending is not for everyone as we may never truly know Eleven's fate, but it is powerful and memorable in that sense. We are given an ending for her character similar to Tony Soprano, or Spike from Cowboy Bebop. It makes the audience think, and leads to discussions and theories (hopefully without hate and fighting). But the unknown does not take away that it does have an ending for everyone else, and gives us something satisfying. 

    There are many fans calling this ending perfect, and haters who decided it would be bad long before the final episode, saying it's as bad as Season Eight of Game of Thrones. I chose to do the right thing and watch it for myself, enjoy it for what it is, and form my own opinions. If we listen to others and follow the crowds of the internet, we are no better than the hive mind of the show itself. If there is one thing we can take away, it's that we all have our won place and story to be told. Even if we are outcasts, we can be ourselves. So form your own opinions, watch the show for yourself, and be yourself. The the Duffer Bros. and actors, involved, thank you for a decade long journey you have taken us on with this iconic show. For better or worse, it's one of this generation's defining shows. How do you feel about it?