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Stranger Things: What to think about season 5?
After a fourth season that received mixed reviews, we’re hoping for both a terrifying and aesthetically-pleasing fifth season of Stranger Things. And it turns out that the first four episodes of this final chapter, released on Netflix on November 27th, 2025, are both spectacular and satifying to watch…
By Violaine Schütz,
and Jordan Bako.
Published on 3 November 2025. Updated on 27 November 2025.
What can you expect from Stranger Things season 5?
Delayed by the writers’ strike that hit Hollywood in 2023, the fifth season of Stranger Things is finally out now. Netflix has released some of the episodes from the cult show during the night on November 27th, 2025. And the amount of people watching the series at the moment even led to a massive crash.
After more than three years of waiting, fans were eagerly awaiting the show’s grand finale. This last season will be split into three parts, released on different dates on the streaming platform. The first four episodes will be come out on November 27th, followed by three more on December 26th. Finally, the last episode will come out on January 1st, 2026. A slightly frustrating release schedule for those who love to binge-watch… But judging by the start of the season, it looks like it will be worth the wait.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlYrNC_1XmkOverview of season 5 of the series Stranger Things.
The joy of seeing the gang back together
This final chapter takes place in the fall of 1987, eighteen months after the events of Stranger Things season 4. First good news, the group of teenagers from Hawkins is finally reunited in Hawkins. Gone are the far-flung subplots and their convoluted consequences. This time, the kids stand together to face supernatural forces and the villain Vecna, who threaten their fictional small town, now placed under quarantine. We find them in a militarized context, with residents under surveillance and soldiers guarding the gates to the eerie, terrifying Upside Down.
Max (Sadie Sink) is still in a coma because of Vecna, but her friends play her some Kate Bush in a moving scene. Will (Noah Schnapp) is still having visions, while the badass Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is more powerful than ever, since she has trained to fight the enemy. Meanwhile, Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) hosts a radio show and sends coded messages to her friends through her introduction to Diana Ross’s song Upside Down.
A first glimpse of the series Stranger Things season 5.
A spectacular final chapter
All the companions strategize, gear up and get ready to track down Vecna’s hiding place. Once again, the Duffer brothers, creators of Stranger Things, go all in on our 1980s nostalgia. A The Fall T-shirt, a Clash song, synth-heavy music, a Dungeons & Dragons figurine given as a protective talisman, nods to Terminator with actress Linda Hamilton playing Dr. Kay, a military lab scientist, or to Alien, Spielberg, and The Goonies, sometimes verging on parody… Plus a whole array of kitschy outfits from that period, much to the fans’ delight. This retro imagery is sharp, polished, and fun to watch.
While the first episode are a bit long at times, one can enjoy the performances of the young cast, all clearly committed to this final mission, as well as to the chemistry that binds them, tender humor, poetic settings (forests, old-school houses), and visual, special effects. These opening episodes are spectacular and mainly stage action scenes. Especially one breathless, high-stakes chase-battle against the slimy Demogorgons, those vile creatures acting under Vecna’s evil command.
A grand finale worthy of the cult Netflix series?
Even if the formula can sometimes feel repetitive – teenagers devising plans to face a threat, adults stepping in, a missing child, a love triangle – the chilling sequences and collective acts of bravery keep viewers on the edge of their seats. The fourth episode, in particular, is quite impressive. Without giving anything away, it delivers some truly cinematic surprises and intense thrills.
The question now is whether the second half of season 5, which will mark the end of the show, can keep up the momentum and offer a fitting conclusion. In the past, many series finales have been rushed and disappointing, such as Game of Thrones for instance. This grand finale need to deliver a true climax, worthy of the scale and cultural impact of this large-budget mainstream production.
The first four episodes of Stranger Things season 5, created by Matt and Ross Duffer, are now available on Netflix. The last episodes will be released on December 26th, 2025, with the grand finale scheduled for January 1st, 2026.
