NetflixStranger Things has finally returned, via a pretty pedestrian Season 5 opener that spends most of its runtime establishing the depressing new normal in Hawkins.
Nearly 10 years ago Netflix launched Stranger Things on an unsuspecting public, and the show has since become a global phenomenon, receiving the kind of attention usually reserved for the most successful summer blockbusters, and turning the show’s young cast into global stars.
The brainchild of twin brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, the series plundered 1980s cinema for a nostalgia-fuelled trip down memory lane, while at the same time crafting new heroes for audiences to root for, and new horrors to give them nightmares.
Season 5 has been years in the making, but we’re approaching the endgame, with Episodes 1-4 now streaming, and the first of them – titled ‘The Crawl’ – reviewed below. Meaning MILD SPOILERS ahead…
What is Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 1 about?
Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 1 sees Hawkins’ bravest endeavoring to locate and destroy monstrous antagonist Vecna once and for all, but from the off, the odds are very much against them.
A five-minute flashback sees Vecna attaching himself to Will Byers in 1983, before a time-jump transports us to November 3, 1987.
And it’s all change in Hawkins, as following the catastrophic events of Season 4, the town is now quarantined due to what the government is calling a “natural phenomenon.”
Much of the episode is therefore concerned with introducing the changed town – which is now dominated by a tightly controlled military zone – and re-establishing the characters, some of whom are fighting demons of their own.
Striking a more serious tone
NetflixThe previously happy-go-lucky Dustin is now struggling to cope with the death of Eddie Munson, and that simmering rage sees him antagonising the school bullies, resulting in a very cool one-take fight scene, but also something of a beating for the lad.
Related
He’s also annoyed with the new mantra his friends have adopted – to keep their heads down, follow the rules, and blend in – as Dustin wants Vecna’s head on a platter, and he wants it now. But their seemingly passive behavior is in service of a larger plan that becomes clear as the episode progresses.
Eleven is now following a strict training regime as she prepares for a battle that Hopper doesn’t want her to fight. While Murray is transporting weapons and supplies into the quarantined zone for that very conflict.
Elsewhere Max remains in a coma, with Lukas watching over her. Will keeps spinning out, which is doubtless connected to that opening scene. While Steve and Jonathan are still competing for Nancy’s affections, in one of the instalment’s few funny scenes, suggesting the tone of Season 5 will be more serious than what’s come before.
New characters and new threats
NetflixBut while some things have stayed very much the same, Season 5, Episode 1 also features new characters and fresh threats.
As played by Terminator legend Linda Hamilton, Dr. Kay is a military scientist who’s introduced cutting into a creature from the Upside Down, while her objective is established immediately – she wants “the girl,” meaning Eleven.
While young Holly Wheeler is the subject of an early Season 5 mystery, as she’s seeing someone who isn’t there; a “mystery friend” trying to protect her from the monsters in Hawkins. Which is very creepy.
A more positive development is Robin and Steve broadcasting a radio show from the WSQK studio, which gives the series an excuse to play yet more classic tunes from the 1970s and 80s. But the station serves another purpose, which drives the story forward…
Hawkins resistance in action
NetflixThat’s because Rocking Robin’s song choices and patter are code that connects all the disparate Stranger Things characters, as they work towards their common goal – saving the world from the Upside Down.
Lacking any faith or trust in the military, they’re effectively working as a war-time resistance, waiting for the army to ‘Burn,’ (the details of which we won’t spoil here) before embarking on their own ‘Crawl’ (ditto).
Which means the episode ends with an action sequence in Vecna’s realm, albeit one that doesn’t truly get going before the credits roll.
Is Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 1 good?
NetflixStranger Things Season 5 Episode 1 is less a satisfying meal, and more an hour of table-setting so everything and everyone is where they need to be for when sh*t gets real.
Indeed, the early screening Dexerto attended featured the first eight minutes of Episode 2 tacked on, and when you watch them you’ll see why, as it’s jaw-dropping stuff.
But this first instalment had much to do in terms of resetting the scene and instituting a very different Hawkins, peopled by beloved characters who have fundamentally changed, and on that front, ‘The Crawl’ succeeds.
Stranger Things 5 Episode 1 score: 3/5
Episodes 1-4 of Stranger Things Season 5 are now streaming, while you can head here for our list of the best Stranger Things episodes ever.
Review of Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 1
OK
Stranger Things has finally returned, via a pretty pedestrian Season 5 opener, that spends most of its runtime establishing the depressing new normal in Hawkins.