HOLLYWOOD—”Stranger Things” might be one of the best series to date to premiere on Netflix. I recall watching the first season years ago, on New Year’s Eve during a binge where I watched every episode without missing a beat. What made it so great? It was pure nostalgia. I was born in the 80s and to witness a horror/sci-fi series set during that time frame with tons of iconic characters and mystery? Sign me up immediately. After the first season, I immediately binged the second season that was solid, but not as great as season one.
I will admit seasons 3 and 4 were not the series best in my opinion, and I struggled to get thru them. However, that was at a time, when the country was slightly dealing with a pandemic and coming out of a pandemic. With all that said, we have the fifth and final season upon us and it is a thrill-a-minute. The characters are a lot more mature, older and bigger than I recall seeing them when i first watched the series. “Stranger Things” waiting nearly 3 plus years before dropping its fifth and final season has its pros and cons.
As a viewer, you have to go back and play catch up on previous seasons to remember all the chaos that has unfolded. However, once you jump into season five it delivers on every single episode. I cannot recall a TV series of late, where the final season was gearing up to be epic. That last series that delivered on this scale was “Breaking Bad” and mind you many have yet to watch the series finale of “Stranger Things,” which let me say its bonkers, and has you hooked for the entire 2 hours.
However, these first seven episodes have been incredible to watch. Everyone thinks all is calm in Hawkins, but little do they know evil is about to return with a vengeance in a way that rocks our core characters. For starters, it feels like Dustin is on the outs with his pals Will, Mike and Lucas. Will and Joyce are still staying with the Wheeler family, where the house is a bit overcrowded. Eleven is still training and doing her best to outmaneuver the military that is desperate to get their hands on her, with Hopper making it a mission to protect her at all costs.
When Vecna returns and kidnaps Mike’s sister Holly, it changes everything. Vecna is using the children in Hawkins to amplify his power to merge the Upside Down with Hawkins. I won’t spoil what the Upside Down is because I thought it was more complicated then what it would be. Its not, the writers do an exceptional job explaining things and you don’t have to be a sci-fi junkie to understand it all. There are some episodes that will have you screaming at your computer screen, cellphone, TV or tablet as you watch the season.
There are some big surprises that are going to stun you and a few plot twists that I did not see coming, notably involving Will who becomes a major catalyst for the mayhem that unfolds with Vecna aka Henry. For as serious as “Stranger Things” appears at times, it delivers with humor that manages to lighten the mood at just the right time. This literally may go down as one of the best sci-fi series of all time.
It may have taken some time to get here, but you will be satisfied with the outcome. All 2 hours of the epic series finale in its glory that will leave you in tears. I won’t spoil it because this is a season you have to just invest the time in, and you will not be disappointed with “Stranger Things.” It just sucks there is not another season coming after the finale that blew me away.
