Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 – Spoiler Review

It's been over three years since the epic season 4 left us all wondering: What's going to happen to Max? Did Vecna actually die? And seriously, what hair products is Steve Harrington using? Even during its break, Stranger Things never stopped dominating pop culture. Eddie-inspired songs popped up everywhere, and Kate Bush basically lived on the charts again. Clearly, the love for this show wasn't going anywhere.

Meanwhile, in the time since season 4, my partner and I somehow managed to move house four times, have a baby, and switch jobs. So thanks, Duffer Brothers and Netflix, for reminding us that time marches on whether we're ready or not.

Episode 1 — The Crawl

We start with The Crawl in the Upside Down with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), finally seeing how he managed to survive during his season-1 disappearance. After a wild chase with a Demogorgon, we discover that Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) took him and implanted something inside him, which explains how he stayed alive down there.

Jump ahead to a year after season 4: the military has sealed the rift, Max (Sadie Sink) is still in a coma, and Hopper (David Harbour) is helping train Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) while they keep a low profile, in an eye-rolling Rise of Skywalker-style training montage that just comes off as goofy. Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) is still heartbroken over Eddie and gets defensive whenever anyone brings him up, totally understandable, though ditch the trench coat, buddy.

The rest of the gang continues doing "crawls" to check if Vecna might still be out there, but they haven't found anything. After a breezy debrief, they head out for another crawl… and this time, things take a turn for the worse. Hopper gets separated in the Upside Down, Will gets possessed, Dustin gets jumped, and Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) is seeing strange men called Mr Whatsit that no one else can see. It's revealed that the Demogorgon is coming for the Wheeler family, kicking off the plot with fire and haste. It's an intense opening episode that wastes no time and captivates the viewer from the first second. The military tracking Eleven have also set up base in the Upside Down - a cool reveal that I'm sure is not dangerous at all.

Episode 2 — The Vanishing of Nancy Wheeler

Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) are racing to the house, and the show refuses to give us even a second to breathe. The Demogorgon tries to snatch Holly (Fisher), but luckily blows its first attempt, sending Holly and her mum Karen (Cara Buono) scrambling into a bathtub. They impressively hold their breath longer than Jack Osbourne did in his trial the other day, get them on I'm A Celeb NOW.

Then we get a fantastic moment: ABBA's Fernando starts playing as the Demogorgon bursts through the door in glorious slow motion - menacing, dramatic, and honestly kind of stylish. Just as it's about to find them, dad Ted (Joe Chrest) arrives home… and everything goes off the rails. Karen puts up a seriously brave fight and even injures the creature, but when Nancy and Eleven finally reach the house, it's too late. Ted and Karen are badly hurt, and Holly has vanished. It's a brilliant sequence that maintains the pace perfectly and showcases the cinematic visual storytelling the show is known for.

Eleven enters the Upside Down to try and save Holly before it's too late.

Episode 3 — The Turnbow Trap

Robin (Maya Hawke) and Will (Schnapp) go against Joyce Byers' (Winona Ryder) wishes and sneak out to test a theory that Will is a transmitter for Vecna. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Nancy visit their mum at the hospital, where she reveals Mr Whatsit's name is Henry, whom they know as Vecna. Will gets the tingle and it's confirmed that Mr Whatsit is indeed Vecna, and that his next victim is Derek Turnbow (Jake Connelly).

Yes, a lot happens, thrilling but very jumpy and fast-paced.

Hopper and Eleven reunite in the Upside Down and quickly discover a wall blocking entry at one point, as well as a military weapon that can harm Eleven. Meanwhile, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Steve (Joe Keery) are both showing off trying to win Nancy's attention. It's goofy enough to break the tension, but sadly, this is all they really do in Volume 1.

The Turnbow Trap sucks you straight back in. Eleven takes a painful hit from an army weapon, then in true Hopper style -kidnaps and interrogates a soldier like it's no big deal. Meanwhile, Holly gets her side-plot spotlight, with Max (Sadie Sink) along for the ride, as a trap is set that somehow involves the kidnapping of an entire family. This is where it felt a little too silly for me. Between this and how hilariously unaware the military is, it's just hard to believe. These are kids, not a Black Ops unit, they should not be getting away with all of this.

There's another cool planning scene, plus tender moments sprinkled in: Will and Robin share a touching exchange, and Will and Joyce get some heartfelt bonding. Derek breaks free and tries to escape, leading to one of the funniest exchanges I've ever seen - seriously, Maya Hawke's delivery of "Jesus Christ" had me rolling. Of course, the Demogorgon figures out where Derek is, but before it can strike, Steve runs it over, all while poor Will is having another episode.

Steve follows the fleeing creature into the Upside Down with Jonathan, Dustin, and Nancy. Yes, again, a lot happens very quickly - the pacing is mental and a little jarring. The rest of Derek's family aren't mentioned again after this point… so do we assume they just left them in the barn? It's a bit of a mess at times and seems, dare I say, rushed.

Episode 4 — Sorcerer

Hopper and Eleven infiltrate an army base to find Number Eight (cue collective shrug). Not a welcome return, as Eight was very boring and part of the worst-rated episode of Stranger Things ever. But before the reveal, we get a genuinely moving flashback to Hopper and his daughter, which grounds the supernatural madness in real emotion.

The kids get captured by the army, leading to an incredible one-take sequence of chaos in the base. Vecna shows up and attacks the compound, delivering an insane kill straight out of Logan (2017). He sends a group to attack the gang, and just when things seem hopeless, we cut to an 8mm reel of Will and Mike - a touching moment that segues into the reveal that Will has powers.

Vecna launches an attack on the gang, and Will saves them with his newly acquired abilities by freezing the Demogorgons and breaking their limbs. Episode 4 is the standout - it's thrilling, dramatic, and has some truly poignant emotional beats. It leaves a hugely satisfying cliffhanger for Volume 2 that feels deserved. But seriously… where are Derek's family? What did they do to them? It's giving major Bite of '87 energy in the background.

Final Thoughts

The episodes double down on backstory, especially what happened to Max - while delivering plenty of humour, LGBTQ+ moments, and standout performances from Maya Hawke and Noah Schnapp. The story feels rushed and choppy at times, but it remains engaging, thrilling, and spooky. Eleven and Dustin are the least likeable so far, while Mike, Steve, and Lucas don't have much to do. It's early days, and we have two more parts to come. I'm super excited to see where it goes. Hopefully the ending won't be that it was all in their heads while playing D&D… but we've seen stranger things. (Sorry, I had to.)

Bonus theory: I don't think Eleven is as good as she seems. There's a few things pointing in that direction…

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Blake Reilly