Stranger Things 5’s most-criticized element really couldn’t have been avoided. Netflix subscribers raced to their devices this week to see the beginning of the final season for the Hawkins ensemble. The first episode in that salvo, “Chapter One: The Crawl,” had the wild task of bringing fans up to speed since Stranger Things 4 released all the way back in 2022. It’s a different world for these kids, now young adults really, and the audience has felt that time pass by in the years between seasons.
It seems like Matt and Ross Duffer knew that they would have to do a little bit of recap for the audience as they got ready to watch the final season. In particular, “Chapter One: The Crawl,” but really the entire first section of Stranger Things 5, is devoted to setting up the playfield for a final confrontation with the murderous Vecna. After all, fans only have 4 more episodes before this chapter of the franchise waves goodbye.
But, on social media and in other corners, people are lamenting the amount of time taken to catch the audience up on what happened in Stranger Things 4. It’s an understandable gripe, but one that couldn’t possibly be avoided. In the era of streaming, three years between seasons can sometimes happen. Each one of these young actors has used Stranger Things as a launchpad for their career after the fact.
So, it was always gonna take a minute to get all of those big names back under one roof for the final showdown with the big bad. Honestly, Stranger Things 5 does a pretty good job of catching everybody up while still maintaining the sense of nostalgia that drew folks into this franchise in the first place. You’re just gonna have to get through parts of “Chapter One” to get there.
Stranger Things 5 spends a lot of the first volume playing catch-up
“Chapter One: The Crawl” opens by looking to the past. Vecna hunts Will Byers in The Upside Down in a tense moment. (That’s something all the way back in Season 1!) Audiences mainline a lot of backstory from Stranger Things 4. The military is basically occupying Hawkins. The kids are processing it their own ways. Lucas is still guarding Max in his spare time, Mike and some of the others are trying to form a plan to kill Vecna for good.
Dustin can’t let go of Eddie Munson’s death, and the adults are basically a part of the operation now. All of this is helpfully established by Robin, Steve, Jonathan, and Nancy’s new job at the radio station in Hawkins. It’s a fun conceit, but one that comes up in every review of the first four episodes of Stranger Things 5. But, it’s been a ghastly long time since we’ve seen this adventuring party.
Stranger Things 5 moves toward the end
If they hadn’t chosen to go this route, the effects would have rippled throughout the show. Audiences are more keen than ever to just tap out of a show if they feel lost. God forbid there are too many barriers to entry. Most of the streaming brethren that premiered alongside Stranger Things many moons ago have already said their goodbyes. But here the Duffer Brothers and these actors stand, ready for one last throwdown in The Upside Down.
Pleasing existing fans while welcoming anyone new into the fold is a delicate dance. 1 that the film makers here definitely kept in mind when crafting this final season. Viewers who have been with this lovable cast of characters since the beginning might not like that. Even seasoned Stranger Things fans benefit from having the stakes set up in the first couple of hours of this final season.
(Photo Credit: Netflix)
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