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The small town of Hawkins, Indiana has been through a lot. In the years since 1983, when a young boy disappeared, its citizens have faced countless supernatural monsters, mad scientists and government officials and after all, they find themselves locked in a military quarantine. After all, this is the world stranger things – a chilling subversion of America’s Reaganite boom years – which returns nine years after it began, For its final season.
And even though the show’s neon title card has the “Stranger Things 5” branding on it, it’s actually a direct continuation of Fourth outing of the showIts final boss villain, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), is still hiding in the ashen underworld beneath the Upside Down, Hawkins, On the surface, the gang is plotting to murder him, Hopper (David Harbour) has built a dojo to give his telekinetic ward Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) the skills she needs to defeat Vecna,
Meanwhile, the remaining group of children and young adults who are tasked with saving the world are embarking on an elaborate mission to reach the Upside Down and finish what they started. “It looks like a pretty regular day in Hawkins,” Rockin’ Robin (Maya Hawk) broadcasts to the townspeople, knowing full well how irregular things usually are. Soon, an intrusion into Vecna’s physical world reveals a new and disturbing plan, in which history will soon repeat itself…
stranger things has been a large part of NetflixIt has been featuring original programming since its debut in 2016. Its patented blend of comic storytelling coupled with complex supernatural thriller was an instant hit and, to its credit, the streaming giant has resisted the temptation to push the show through a multi-season arc. Instead, we arrive at this – the first half of the final group of episodes – with a well-built world, established characters, and a recognizable threat. “We’re not stopping until we’re sure that wrinkled, noseless, rotting bastard is dead and gone,” Mike (Finn Wolfhard) tells his Dungeons & Dragons obsessed crew. And that voice is strong. Even when their friends and family are in mortal peril, the central children show intelligence, treating this existential threat with a strange irreverence that keeps the show from spiraling into its own spiraling wormhole. That familiar tone – fast, upbeat, fun – remains intact throughout these concluding episodes.
So it will all continue to work properly, as it does stranger things’s stunning production design (a demonstration that not every Netflix show needs to look terrible) and its commitment to a fun needle drop by the likes of Diana Ross, The Chordettes, and Tiffany. But this final series also falls victim to what I call Marvelization: a feeling that the drama needs to be set against infinite Battle between humans and supernatural beings. “There’s a fine line between bravery and foolishness,” Hopper warns his adopted daughter.
There is a fine line between tension and strain. Episodes in this first installment range from 57 minutes to 86 minutes (the fourth season finale was an eye-drying 139 minutes), which requires a lot of About Killing the Demogorgon, About Escaping from Vecna’s clutches, About Saving humanity. Delayed gratification is how writers create a compelling narrative, but stranger things Could be done with a little more satisfaction, a little less delay.
And then there’s the problem of the upside down. stranger thingsIts closest aesthetic antecedent is probably Stephen King itA bildungsroman set in another American city beset by underground evils. And, at its beginning, stranger things It made sense that the charm of the story was to watch these kids go on creative adventures and only occasionally dip into pure fantasy. Yet now the show operates heavily in or around the Upside Down and the stakes are never less than significant. it’s like that itIf anything 90 percent of the novel involves Pennywise baring his teeth and chasing children. It lacks the contrast – light and shadow – that really brought out the emotional heart of the show in the first season.
That heart still belongs to the kids — now almost adults — who grew up on the set built by the show’s co-creators, the Duffer Brothers. A slightly odd presence developed on one or two screens but for the most part the initial casting was good. Winona Ryder and David Harbor also give committed, full-force performances – “Sometimes people need someone to believe in them,” Ryder’s Joyce croons with deer-like sincerity, “and then they can do amazing things” – while Joe Keery and Maya Hawke (as Steve and Robin, respectively) steal most of their scenes. It’s a nice combination, and even when the plot starts to drag or become hard to follow, it has enough charisma that it can draw you back into the room like Kate Bush through the cassette player.
We’ll have to wait until the new year to see how stranger things draws conclusions, and whether it can prevent that particular landing. But the Duffer Brothers have created something admirable about the beleaguered town of Hawkins and its down-on-his-luck citizens. The danger now is that the desire to give it a grand farewell will dilute those charming, emotional moments. stranger things Dives deep into one of the great cinematic themes: finding your place in the world as you move out of childhood.
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New customers only. £9.99/month. After the free trial. Plan to automatically renew until canceled.
Advertisement. If you sign up for this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism at The Independent.