As a Stranger Things fan following the show when it first came out, I had high hopes for season 5–and I wasn’t the only one. The hype of season 5 had started right after the season 4 finale which occurred in 2022. The Duffers had 3 years to put all their effort into creating an unforgettable experience for fans, yet the ending was underwhelming to say the least.
Watching Volume One brought the magic of the party being together again in Hawkins just like old times. I had chosen to ignore the pit in my stomach admitting that I hadn’t cared for the Holly Wheeler arc the Duffers introduced. I love Nell Fisher and I wish nothing but the best for her, but because she replaced the original Holly Wheeler actor, and had no real scenes building her arc up from season 4, it had felt as if she was plucked and thrown into season 5 with no real
connection with the characters.
Fans grew up with the same cast for 10 years, it would be hard for fans to create the same personal relationship with Holly who was a small role since season 1. The entire arc of Vecna collecting kids felt out of place because it let go of the high stakes that season 4 had when Max was the one in danger. So what should’ve been done to have that high stakes goosebumps feeling for fans?
Replace Holly Wheeler’s arc with Mike Wheeler.
Or Erica Sinclair. Either of them work with what I’m envisioning. Imagine the MadWheeler combo in Vecna’s mind, both needing to work together in order to survive which creates high stakes for the party, while introducing a new friendship that fans would love to see. Not only that, we would've been able to see more of Mike’s traumatic memories, creating more depth for Mike’s character just as he had in season 1.
It would be the same for Erica as well because after her bigger role in season 4, fans would love to see the realistic trauma she had to face of seeing Max “dying” and even forming a relationship with her in Vecna’s mind, inspiring Max to not give up for Lucas.
What disappointed me the most though was the ending of El’s character. She has been tortured since season 1, being reduced to a lab rat and to a machine in season 5. Having a character going through unimaginable traumatic experiences and killing herself is not the message any person wants to see. El had favorite colors, clothes, and friends and It's disappointing to see how lazy of an ending the Duffers had for her where it was “up to interpretation.” The audience
shouldn't need to create their own ending in their head due to the lack of passion directors have.
Now I’m not saying that season 5 was terrible. It was great– but out of the entire show, season 5 will be ranked at the bottom.
What are your guy’s thoughts?
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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