Stranger Things is returning for its final season. And before the first drop of episodes, it is important to remember some facts about seasons 1-4. It has been a while, after all.
Season 1
The first season of Stranger Things was important because it introduced the kids of Hawkins, Indiana to the Upside Down. Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) was taken into the Upside Down on his way home from Mike Wheeler’s (Finn Wolfhard) house and the rest was Christmas lights in Joyce’s (Winona Ryder) living room history.
But what is important to remember is that Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) was connected to it and the establishment of Papa’s (Matthew Modine) connection to the super powered children in his care as well as the being that would become known as Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). In season 1, we focused a lot of our energy on the friendship dynamics, finding Will, and trying to understand what the Upside Down is.
Season 2
Season 2 of Stranger Things forced us to learn a lot more about what Hawkins lab was doing, what actually happened to Will in the Upside Down, and more about Eleven’s past. Some important moments to note: The Mind Flayer doesn’t like the heat, he likes it cold. Will can feel when the Upside Down is open and near, Eleven has a whole bunch of super powered siblings, and Bob (Sean Astin) was the best.
This was also a season where Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) had a lot more back and forth that would paint their relationship moving forward as well as the introduction of Max (Sadie Sink) and Billy (Dacre Montgomery). But important moments in this season led to season 3 and barely played a part in season 4 so just remember the above mentioned moments. And Bob. Never forget Bob.
Season 3
Season 3 of Stranger Things is, still, my favorite. And yes, most of it is because of Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and his Hawaiian shirt. But that’s neither here nor there. But remember the shirt. I don’t know, they could bring it back! What is important to remember about this season is the Russian stuff. It took over a big part of season 4 of the show but I don’t necessarily think the Russian involvement in Hawkins is over and done with. Not with them fascinated by demogorgons.
Other important things to note: Eleven can lose her power, Lucas’ sister Erica (Priah Ferguson) is pretty amazing, and Eleven and Max are best friends. The Hopper stuff was resolved in season 4 and Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo) showed up to make Dustin sing The Neverending Story theme song and that could be of use but for the most part, the “important” stuff from season 3 was kind of answered and sorted out already. Minus Russia. Oh and never forget the introduction of Steve Harrington’s (Joe Keery) best friend and former coworker, Robin (Maya Hawke).
Season 4
Now, season 4 of Stranger Things set up a lot for the grand finale. Most of the team was separated from each other. Mike, Will, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Eleven, and their new friend Argyle (Eduardo Franco) were all in Los Angeles and trying to help Hawkins. Max was under Vecna’s spell and Steve, Lucas, Dustin, Robin, and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) were all trying to keep Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) from getting killed. Erica was also around.
But the team was separated and we had to learn the hard way that the kids from Hawkins all have to fight this evil together. Vecna used your own memories and past to haunt you, taking your soul to regain his power. And we all learned that Vecna was actually Henry Creel, a young boy who killed his family and then put he blame onto this father, Victor (Robert Englund).
What’s important to remember is the following: Max is in a coma and cannot see or move, Eleven and Hopper were reunited after Joyce and Murray (Brett Gelman) helped free him, and everyone has returned to Hawkins just in time for the Upside Down to take over. We don’t know if Eleven actually ended Vecna and everyone has to embark on a journey to figure out how to save Hawkins (and the world) from what lies in the the Upside Down.
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Stranger Things season 5 returns to Netflix on November 26.
(featured image: Netflix)
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