November has finally arrived! And while it is the month of Thanksgiving, there’s something even more exciting to celebrate–something fans have been waiting three long years for. That’s right: after so much anticipation, “Stranger Things” is finally returning with its fifth and final season! Since it has been nearly nine years since the show first aired, a quick recap might save you from spending weeks rewatching every single episode before diving back into the gruesome Upside Down.
In season 1, Will Byers disappears after playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends. His friends, in pursuit of finding him, encounter a young girl with telekinetic powers named Eleven, who helps them with the search. In the meantime, Will’s mother (Joyce) and the Police Chief Jim Hopper investigate the supernatural occurrences that happened in the Hawkins National Laboratory.
They ultimately uncovered a conspiracy that would lead to the monster’s escape. Eventually, the groups end up defeating the Demogorgon and closing the gate to the Upside Down; however, Will is still haunted by visions, and since Eleven is technically an orphan, Jim Hopper takes her in.
In season 2, we get introduced to a new character named Max, who is characterized as the rebel type. Lucas seems infatuated with her; however, Mike is untrusting of her because he misses Eleven. Meanwhile, Will Byers becomes a spy for the Mind Flayer, which is expanding its influence in the Upside Down. When the leading group tries to help him themselves, but that doesn’t work, they enlist the help of other kids with powers, like Eleven. Eventually, they close the portal to the Upside Down, leading into season 3.
Now, the Russian Military gets involved by building a machine under the Starcourt Mall to reopen the Upside Down. The Mind Flayer uses Max’s older stepbrother, Billy, to develop its new body. The leading group will team up and stop the Mind Flayer and the Russians in the mall. Season 3 ends with the sacrifice of Billy as well as Will, Jonathan, Joyce, and Eleven moving states to California, and the “death” of Jim Hopper.
In season 4, a new, powerful, and smarter monster named Vecna emerges from the Upside Down and targets Hawkins citizens by preying on their trauma. The leading group joins the Hellfire Club (Dungeons and Dragons club), which is led by Eddie Munson; however, he quickly gets convicted of murder because he witnessed the death of a classmate.
Meanwhile, Joyce and Murray unite to find Jim Hopper, who was being held in a Russian prison. He escaped, leading to their reunion. Meanwhile, Eleven has lost her powers after defeating the Mind Flayer, so she embarks on an endeavor filled with obstacles, one notable one being a return to her roots. In the end, Max falls into a coma by surviving Vecna’s attack, Eddie Munson sacrifices himself, and the others kill Vecna. However, at the end, Will is seen touching the back of his neck, signaling that the fight isn’t over.
Season 5 has been highly speculative, especially with the new trailer that dropped just a couple of days ago. One popular theory that senior Hasti Khodabandehlou (12) thinks is that “Will is going to be possessed by Vecna. That was made pretty clear in the trailer, and either he or El is going to die because they both have some type of connection to the Upside Down.”
Another popular theory that Layla Radmard (12) speculates is about “Ms. Kelly, the counselor that Max goes to in season 4. Obviously, she used to show how all the people who were victims of Vecna had mental health issues, but I think her having a necklace with a clock on it was weird. It felt way too specific for that to have been a random piece of jewelry, especially since clocks are a very Vecna thing. I don’t know if she’s a recurring character, but that would definitely be suspicious.”
What is your favorite theory? And what do you think will happen at the end of season 5? Will it be a happy ending, or will Vecna destroy everything?
