RILEY RAINS / ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Spoiler Alert: This  article contains spoilers  for  “Stranger Things” season five. 

During Thanksgiving break, Netflix released volume one of the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things.” The fusion of nerdy ’80s culture, riveting Dungeons & Dragons adventures and modern media parallels have drawn students to “Stranger Things” since its debut in July of 2016. The series has grown up with students — the average USD first-year was nine or 10 when the first season was released. 

Dustin, Mike, Lucas and Will gear up for another ‘Crawl.’ Photo courtesy of @rounak/Pinterest

The longevity of “Stranger Things” allowed   many fans to grow up with Will Byers, Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson and Eleven, also known as “The Party.”  The twin writers of the series — the Duffer Brothers — have put over 10 years of work into the show and encourage viewers to revisit earlier episodes in context with the recent release.

USD   sophomore    Luke Magturo shared his memories watching   the  first couple of seasons. 

“I remember watching it for the first time, my friend put me on, back  in  sixth  grade at summer camp,” Magturo recalled. “I ended up watching it everyday, I would sneak it when I wasn’t supposed to be on my phone.”

Many Toreros, like Magturo, remember the excitement of the show in their younger years. However, with “Stranger Things’” debuting when some students were still surfing single digits, a reminder of recent plot events was necessary  for fans to stay engaged. 

Season four ended with Max Mayfield in a coma and D&D enthusiast Eddie Munson sacrificing his life for Dustin, all while shredding Metallica in the Upside Down. Fans discovered Eleven’s involvement in sending Henry Creel, also known as Venca or 001, into the Upside Down. Finally the fragile divide between Hawkins and the Upside Down was flung open — placing the small Indiana town in a particularly vulnerable situation. 

With a lot left unfinished in 2022, fans were eager for season five. However, Netflix took three years to film and produce the final season, causing many USD students to forget the plot during the yawn. Magturo explained where  his   mind was during the lull.

“The show slipped my mind between seasons,” Magturo commented. “I haven’t thought about it much, only when there’s ads.”  

Producers taking their time to release seasons is a trend that is not uncommon in 2025: series like “Severance,” “Game of Thrones” and “Euphoria” have taken a notable amount of years in between seasons or sequels — a move that affects actors’ appearances and viewer engagement. A big reason for the universal delay was the lasting effects of the COVID-19 on production schedules.

The pandemic along with the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG AFTRA, strike in 2023 considerably slowed writers and directors down. USD sophomore Olivia Sullivan commented on some differences she noticed in the newest season of  “Stranger Things” in light of the gap.  

“I was in sixth grade when the first season came out,” Sullivan recalled. “Now Millie Bobby Brown has a kid, and lip filler. It has just been so long.”

Millie Bobby Brown, who plays the character Eleven, was 12 in season one, and has since been in numerous films such as “Enola Holmes” and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.” Most notably however, the 21-year-old recently adopted a child with her husband Jake Bongiovi. This fact sparked attention from many fans of “Stranger Things,” especially because she is playing a 16-year-old. Similar to Sullivan, USD sophomore Blaire Lynch also noticed aging, but not just with Eleven. 

“Lucas looks really old to me and it kind of freaked me out,” Lynch joked. “However, I think the age thing is okay if they’re supposed to look older. Like Robin and Steve are doing great.”

The much anticipated volume begins with Robin Buckley and Steve Harrington — the two high-school graduates who refuse to be unemployed — working together at the WSQK 94.5 FM radio station, or “The Squawk.” The Party  uses the station to connect all characters in organizing “Crawls” to look for Vecna, the central antagonist in “Stranger Things.” 

The military has put Hawkins under quarantine, and stationed troops in the Upside Down — the decaying mirror of Hawkins that is stuck in 1983. Their stations monitor supernatural behavior which the military has mistakenly attributed to Eleven. Lucas is crushed that Max is still in a coma and tensions rise between Steve and Jonathan Byers as they fight for Nancy’s affection.

The Duffer Brothers came full circle and revolved the story around vulnerable kids. Actors like Nell Fisher — playing Holly Wheeler — and Jake Connelly — playing Derek Turnbow — have pivotal roles in moving the “Stranger Things” plot forward. Vecna targets young children to abduct into the Upside Down, for reasons currently unknown, reminding the audience of the once childish “Party” who just wanted to play D&D.

While the buzz around campus swells surrounding the first volume of “Stranger Things,” the season is far from over. Netflix adopted a popular marketing strategy to release the remaining four episodes later, in this case three on Dec. 25 and the finale on Dec. 31. Lynch does not enjoy waiting weeks for new episodes. 

“I don’t like how the volumes come out a month apart,” Lynch complained. “I just want to watch them all right now.”

While Lynch doesn’t have the patience for the split release, Sullivan   appreciates    the suspense.

“I like the volumes because the finale builds so much anticipation,” Sullivan argued. “It makes it more special, like I can’t stop thinking about Will. It’s fun when people come up with theories of what is going to happen.” 

Eleven taps into her powers in order to interrogate a soldier. Photo courtesy of @radiotimes/Pinterest

Various theories of potential endings have been spreading around the internet as pervasively as the Mind Flayer. Everything from Mike and Will’s ship “Byler” to potential time warping has a place in fan musing. However, fans will not know until the last and final volume of “Stranger Things” is released in late December, concluding the Hawkins universe for good.

Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington and Robin Buckley worked many jobs from seasons three through five. Photo courtesy of @strangerthingsnetflix/Instagram