STRANGER THINGS: SEASON FIVE

Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Winona Ryder, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Sadie Sink
Creators: The Duffer Brothers

AMARÚ

VOL. 1

Even after years between episodes, once you return to Hawkins for each season of Stranger Things, series creators The Duffer Brothers quickly remind you why we have loved this show for so long. Their writing and directing aren’t off-the-wall unique or top of the line, but it’s everything we want from our favorite franchises: an absolute blast. Combined with a cast that, while hilariously older, injects charm and care into the perfect handle the Duffers have on their creation, Volume One of the final season ups the action, scares, scope, and stakes to bring us all back into the inevitable fold. It’s just so good.

PAIGE

VOL. 1

After the long awaited return of Stranger Things, the first four episodes throw you right back into Hawkins without missing a beat. The fast-paced narrative can feel a bit convoluted, offering a heavy dose of setup and lots to take in, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this show is a true phenomenon because of its characters and scope. Volume One may be a lot to digest, but it leads to such an eventful and impactful moment to make it all worth it. With only four episodes left, I’m on the edge of my seat to see where The Upside Down will take us.

QUENTIN

VOL. 1

Given its momentum-killing, decade-long path to Season Five, Stranger Things viewers probably fit one of two categories: blindly committed, eager to champion the series while ignoring its flaws; Or begrudgingly committed, determined to see how it ends while tolerating its flaws. I go back and forth, and Volume One epitomizes my wishy-washiness. On the blind hand, the action, gore, and stakes are elevated to series highs. On the begrudging hand, most everything is confusingly convoluted story setup, the release schedule is annoying, several actors’ performances have badly regressed, and the younger cast’s ages are laughably distracting. However, with six hours of story still to come, we’ll see…