Stranger Things Season 5 Part One review: louder, stranger, and surprisingly moving

Stranger Things returns with a final season that feels like a reunion, a victory lap, and a new story trying to punch through at the same time. Part One comes packed with plot, spectacle, and character moments that carry more emotional charge than the show has had in years.

It is dense, chaotic, and occasionally over-explained, but it is also a reminder of why this series became a cultural heavyweight. When the season leans into its strengths, the show feels alive again.

Stranger Things Season 5 Part One review

A packed and confident first half that mixes spectacle, emotion, and high-stakes storytelling. It gets messy and overexplained at times, but the payoff in the final act of Episode 4 is worth the ride. The show feels big, alive, and ready for its finale.

Pros:

• Stunning cinematography, especially in Episode 4's climax
• Strong emotional beats and character moments
• A sense of scale and urgency that actually works

Cons:

• Narrative overload with too many threads
• Occasional over-explaining slows the pace
• Some characters are still underserved in the ensemble

Across the first four episodes, there is a sense of scale that hits you almost immediately. Hawkins is heavier, older, and running out of room to pretend everything is fine. The cast looks and moves like people who have been carrying this war on their backs for far too long. You feel the exhaustion and the hope clinging to them at the same time. Even the slow stretches have a quiet tension, almost like the story is gathering its breath before the next spike.

At its core, Part One follows the gang as they prepare for one last push against Vecna. His motivations feel more fluid than ever, shifting over the seasons in ways that make his endgame hard to define, but the threat feels real all the same.

Hawkins sits under heavy restrictions with military presence everywhere, and the kids find themselves doing long crawls, setting traps, and planning in that campy, classic Stranger Things way that somehow still works. Demogorgons appear again, although with plot armour this thick, you rarely fear for the main group. The fun lies in the execution, the teamwork, and the nostalgia. 

And yes, Linda Hamilton shows up, which feels like a small miracle for anyone who grew up on 80s action movies. The late-80s energy never stops humming under the surface, giving the season its familiar charm without turning it into empty fan service.

This part of the season tries to do a lot. Absolutely a lot. Threads branch out in every direction, characters split up and regroup, new information surfaces in rapid intervals, and every few scenes, the show drops a revelation that hints at the larger endgame.

Normally, this much narrative volume can drown a season. Here, it creates a messy but enjoyable rhythm. It feels like flipping through the final chapters of a long book, where everything is accelerating, and the stakes no longer leave room for small talk.

Within that swirl, certain characters step into surprising prominence. Robin gets more screen time than ever, and her growing importance almost feels like a signal for a future tragedy, although the show may be playing with expectations. Eleven carries the emotional weight of past choices while Hopper tries to steady the world around him, and their scenes together have a softened warmth that cuts through the chaos. Dustin continues to wrestle with Eddie’s death in a way that finally feels like more than surface-level grief. These individual arcs anchor the season and give it a pulse when the plot starts to sprawl.

The ensemble work benefits from this focus. Smaller reactions, strained conversations, and quiet moments of doubt help reveal what years of supernatural trauma have done to these characters. The show allows these threads to breathe without slipping into melodrama. It is careful with how it uses these emotional beats, which creates a stronger sense of connection than the previous season managed.

There is also the unmistakable touch of Netflix’s current style of storytelling. Dialogue slips into reminders, clarifiers, and mini-summaries of past events. Fans who remember every detail may find it unnecessary, but it does have a function. It keeps the momentum steady and lets anyone who is not living on Reddit keep up without pausing to rewatch Season 4. The show sometimes sacrifices subtlety for clarity, but it never derails the emotional throughline.

Even with this wide scope, the character work is stronger than expected. The story lifts familiar relationships back into focus and gives side characters surprising depth. Long-running tensions simmer under the surface. Personal stakes finally pay off. You can feel the writers steering everything toward an ending that wants to mean something. There are still too many characters for all of them to shine, but the ones who do get spotlight moments make the episodes worth it.

Visually, Part One is the most confident Stranger Things has ever looked. The show has always cared about mood, but the cinematography here goes harder, especially in the final stretch of Episode 4. The last twenty minutes deliver sequences that are bold, eerie, sharp, and strangely beautiful. It is the kind of high-energy filmmaking that reminds you that the Duffers know how to scale an emotional crescendo. It feels theatrical in the best way, like the show is finally using its full budget and storytelling weight.

The pacing swings between disciplined and wild. Some scenes linger too long, others sprint forward before you can process them. Whenever the story slows down, it does so with intention. The quieter beats are grounded in character: trauma that has shaped people, bonds that have survived too much, and the kind of small conversations that feel heavier because you know the finale is close. This balance, even when imperfect, is part of what makes the season compelling. It is a show preparing for an ending, and you can feel the edges tightening.

One thing that stands out is how Part One handles tone. Stranger Things has always mixed genres, but this time the blend feels sharper. The horror is more atmospheric, not just creature-based. The drama leans more mature. The humour is lighter but more deliberate. Even the nostalgia has shifted. Rather than leaning on obvious references, the show lets the late-80s setting breathe through texture and mood. It is a more subtle version of the aesthetic, which works better now that the characters are older and the stakes are larger than their childhood fears.

From a structural standpoint, the season feels like a bridge with weight on both ends. It resolves some long-standing threads while preparing several others for the finale. The tension is consistent, the mission is clear, and the sense of urgency never really fades. Some plotlines move more slowly than others, and a couple feel like they are waiting for Part Two to fully activate, but none of it feels wasted. Even the detours have purpose.

Part One succeeds most when it remembers that the show is not only about portals and monsters. It is about growing up with danger at your doorstep. It is about second chances and impossible choices. It is about people who refuse to lose each other, even when the world insists they will. That emotional heartbeat drives the season through its heavier moments and gives the climactic finale its punch.

By the time Episode 4 hits its final sequence, the season shifts into a higher gear. It is bold and intense, but also strangely elegant. The camera work and atmosphere lock together with a confidence that pulls everything upward. You can feel the writers aiming for something that respects the journey while raising the stakes one last time. It leaves you wanting Part Two immediately, which is exactly what a final-season first half should do.

Stranger Things Season 5 Part One is not perfect, but it is committed. It swings hard, embraces its own size, and chooses ambition over caution. Even with the crowded cast and the occasional over-explained beat, the season feels fun, heartfelt, and grand. It captures the messy excitement of a show preparing to say goodbye.

You feel the history. You feel the effort. You feel the finale pulling closer.

And honestly, it is a thrill.

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