The Secrets Of The Upside Down Echoes As Monsters Attack

Hawkins, the Demogorgon, and the Upside Down have returned to television screens after an intense 3-year-long wait. The first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5, the 1980s-themed supernatural television series on Netflix, were released on November 26, 2025. The fifth season will be the last of the series, as fans will have to say goodbye to the beloved characters and the Upside Down. Stranger Things Season 5 was created by Matt and Ross Duffer, produced by 21 Laps Entertainment and Upside Down Pictures, and is distributed on Netflix.

The Beginning of The End

Set a little over a year after Season 4 in the fall of 1987, Season 5 Volume 1, which consists of the first four episodes, opens up as the gang, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Hopper (David Harbour), Joyce (Winona Ryder), Will (Noah Schnapp), and the others, seek to find and kill Vecna once and for all as children in Hawkins are being kidnapped and the military takes over the town in pursuit to hunt down Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). One-character steps forward to be an important part of this season, Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher), known as the little sister of Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer), who ties the story together through her imaginary friend and her kidnapping. The kidnapping aspect of Season 5 Volume 1 brings audiences back to reminisce over Season 1 with the kidnapping of Will Byers (Schnapp). Overall, the beginning of Season 5 reminds everyone why they fell in love with the characters and the mystery of Hawkins.

The bond between friendship ties the season together as the characters start to realize that they are stronger than they think. As usual, behind the curtain of the monsters in the Upside Down are some meaningful, humorous, and heartfelt moments. Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Matarazzo) continue to have their endearing humorous friendship, which began in Season 2, while Steve (Keery) is also fighting against Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) for Nancy (Dyer)’s heart, which she doesn’t have time to think about since she is trying to keep the world from ending. Meanwhile, Robin gives one young character advice about finding out who you truly are. Overall, the plot of Season 5 Volume 1 is strong and entertaining with breakout character moments.

Casting The Heroes and Monsters

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 includes Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp. The acting of this current season is stellar. Audiences see growth in many of the characters, such as Matarazzo’s character Dustin, Schnapp’s Will, and Nell Fisher’s Holly Wheeler. Matarazzo brings to the screen the emotional impact that the end of Season 4 had on Dustin. While still a hilarious character with heavy banter with Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington, Matarazzo’s acting shows that Dustin is evolving as a character through getting into fights at school over honoring his friend Eddie after his untimely demise.

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Schnapp’s character Will is also finding himself this season. He is growing to realize that he is as strong as the other characters while also figuring out his connection to Vecna and the Hive Mind. Schnapp plays his character and his journey to finding out who he is excellently, especially during a moving scene with Maya Hawke’s Robin in the last half of Season 5 Volume 1. Finally, the addition of Nell Fisher as an older Holly Wheeler, the little sister of Mike and Nancy Wheeler, who had a very limited part in the first four seasons. Fisher brings a whole new story to the fight against Vecna as he returns to capture the kids of Hawkins. Fisher’s performance shows incredible emotions through a scene about bravery with Finn Wolfhard. This addition to the cast allows for the kid element to still be in the show, as the main cast is getting older and are teenagers this season. Audiences will have to wait until Volume 2 of Season 5 to find out more of Holly Wheeler’s story.

Bloody-Splattering Visual Effects

Volume 1 of Season 5 has shown the audience just how much the cinematography of the show has advanced. Through scenes of the Upside Down and roaming Demogorgons, the series shows large-scale visual effects. Throughout the previous four seasons, the world of the Upside Down was treated as a parallel universe to Hawkins. But Season 5 Volume 1 added layers to the universe as Hawkins and the Upside Down are physically merging together. This allowed for camera shots to have both worlds coexisting in-frame. Season 5 Volume 1 shows more CG elements such as creeping vines of the Upside Down, ash particles, and skies. The CG elements are used in production to replace traditional set extensions. Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 uses more visual effects to create the creatures and their movements. The season used actors in creature suits with digital augmentation, which are enhanced using CG movements. A very interesting aspect of the use of visual effects in this season is the approach to Will’s senses and Eleven’s powers. Eleven’s powers are layered with forcefield movements and distortion, while close-up shots of the hairs standing up on Will’s neck along with distorted sounds are used to show his connection to Vecna and his sense of the Upside Down. The use of these visual effects is used to keep the emotion to the scenes by warping lights and using elements of sound design.

A Final Battle Of Hawkins

Overall, Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 is worth watching. It boasts incredible acting, excellent visual elements, and an intriguing storyline to kick off the long-awaited final season of this beloved series. Do not miss out on the final battle of Hawkins vs. The Upside. Fight a Demogorgon in the Upside Down and watch Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 – Episodes 1 through 4 on Netflix. Volume 2 releases on December 25 and the Series Finale on December 31.