Warning: Spoilers ahead.
On Nov. 26, Netflix’s biggest blockbuster series returned to screens, dropping the first four episodes and turning the world upside down all over again. So grab the walkie-talkies, tune in to WSQK 94.5FM “The Squawk” and prepare, because there are some insights into “Stranger Things 5” Volume One.
Despite a five-minute preview released nearly three weeks ago, absolutely no one could have predicted what these opening chapters had in store. Volume One wastes no time launching viewers back into Hawkins, which is now gated, guarded and groaning under the weight of everything bubbling beneath and above it.
The Byers clan has unofficially merged with the Wheelers, Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke) is back on the mic with her own radio gig and the core four are trying to survive high school, heartbreak and lingering grief of past losses.
Episode one, “The Crawl,” sets the tone with a thumping 71-minute return that scatters the characters across a transformed Hawkins. Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin) are navigating a tense social landscape. Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) is struggling with unspoken feelings, and Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) remains in a coma with Sinclair firmly planted by her side.
The new military presence in Hawkins has established armed access points to enter the Upside Down, including a government lab facility operating within the warped dimension. Byers’ sixth sense for the creatures of the Upside Down is growing.
Meanwhile, Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher), the youngest Wheeler family member, has a new figure hovering in her orbit. Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton), a mysterious scientist, emerges with a vibe reminiscent of the deceased Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) operating inside the Upside Down lab facility.
Episode two, “The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler,” kicks things into investigative overdrive. A sudden attack shakes the Wheeler household, sending Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) and Ted Wheeler (Joe Chrest) to the hospital in critical condition, and Holly Wheeler is missing.
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who is yet again being hunted by the military, plunges into the Upside Down to find Holly Wheeler and ends up trapped, though hope isn’t lost. A long-awaited reunion with Jim Hopper (David Harbour) gives the episode its emotional heartbeat.
Meanwhile, Byers forms an unexpected bond with Buckley, turning to her for advice about when it’s “the right time to date someone,” with heavy implication for his feelings for Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard). Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) find themselves forced into a reluctant duo thanks to a very battered Henderson. The mystery tightens until the final moments, when Holly Wheeler arrives at a startlingly familiar and unsettling place.
Then comes episode three, “The Turnbow Trap,” where the threads start tangling into full-blown chaos. Eleven discovers a strange sonic weapon, a kind of kryptonite that neutralises her powers, courtesy of the ever-encroaching military.
The group uncovers the identity of the next targeted kid, sending everyone, including Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson), who crashes the plot with unmatched Sinclair-sibling energy, into a bold plan that involves infiltration, sedation and a barn.
Mike Wheeler and Will Byers finally start to work through some of their long-buried tension, Hopper and Eleven interrogate a soldier tied to Dr. Kay’s operation, and Henderson reunites with the gang, with visible injuries from his run-in with Andy (Clayton Royal Johnson) and his goons.
Holly Wheeler makes an eerie trek into the woods, and just when danger seems inevitable, someone very unexpected steps out of the shadows.
Episode four, “The Sorcerer,” at 86 minutes, is practically a movie. Multiple missions unfold at once: a frantic attempt to wrangle “Dips--t” Derek Turnbow (Jake Connelly) before a creature closes in, a high-speed pursuit across the Rightside Up and a tense infiltration of a massive military facility hidden in Hawkins.
Dr. Kay, convinced Eleven is behind the disappearances, orders children to be rounded up “for their protection.” At the same time, Mayfield, whose consciousness is revealed to be stuck in the Upside Down, reveals to Holly Wheeler what really happened to her after last season’s climactic showdown.
Buckley connects with Will Byers during a quiet, heartfelt moment deep in the tunnels, Hopper fights through the Upside Down’s horrors and Eleven struggles against that paralyzing sonic weapon.
By the time the episode barrels toward its final stretch, every group is in motion, the plan is cracking at the seams and Hawkins feels more volatile than ever.
So, keep your dials tuned to “The Squawk” because you won’t want to miss what comes next.
@emiliedeoreo
