We’ve been left with two key developments in the wake of Stranger Things’ season five premiere in Los Angeles; the first being the surprise release of episode one’s first five minutes and the second, perhaps more important, being that Barb is making her return.
I repeat: BARB IS MAKING HER RETURN!
In anticipation of the show’s final season, which drops later this month, Netflix unexpectedly blessed us with the opening minutes of episode one, titled “The Crawl”, on Friday.
Forewarning, we’re entering spoiler (and Upside Down) territory, so proceed with caution and one of those hazmat suits Dr. Brenner wears.
The five-minute clip takes us back to the events of season one, when Will Byers (played by Noah Schnapp) disappeared.
We hear him humming “Should I stay or should I go?” (my hot take is that he should probably go?) before he is dragged to Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) lair, which is up there with musical festival toilets in terms of places you do not want to go.
“At long last, we can begin,” Vecna says/hisses/groans. “You and I, we are going to do such beautiful things together.”
The flashback moment is dotted with familiar bits of Stranger Things lore — from Castle Byers to demogorgons — and confirms that Vecna actually interacted with Will well before we even knew he had masterminded all of Hawkins’ demise.
While fan-favourite character Barb — who unceremoniously died in season one — does not appear in the teaser, the actress who plays her, Shannon Purser, did attend the premiere.
Naturally, Purser’s appearance ignited a frenzy on social media as fans anticipated the beloved character’s return, which only intensified when Purser revealed she was not just attending as a formality — she’s actually going to be in the new season.
“All I know is my body shows up,” Purser told Vulture on the red carpet. But for all you eager beavers, that’s about as much as we know about Barb’s return.
“I don’t know anything… I have no idea what the context is. I’ll be just as surprised as you are,” Purser says.
While we won’t know the full scope of Barb’s role in the new season, the mystery around her death certainly spawns a whole heap of possibilities. Is she actually still alive? Is she the key to saving Hawkins? Is she in an on-again, off-again romance with Vecna in the Upside Down?
A lot of questions remain, but hopefully some will be answered when the first three episodes of season five land on Netflix on November 26. An additional batch will arrive on Christmas Day, followed by the finale on New Year’s Eve. Strap in!
Lead images: YouTube
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