It’s here at last. Netflix dropped the first trailer for the fifth and final season of its smash hit Stranger Things today. It’s quite a trailer – probably the most epic we’ve seen from the series. It’s also a well-made trailer because while it shows a lot of stuff happening and you absolutely get the sense of dread and epic stakes, it doesn’t give away much of the actual plot. Hopefully Netflix will keep it that way and not spoil too much in future trailers.
In the “official teaser” trailer, we see the gang in various locations. The military quarantine of Hawkins, Indiana is ongoing. We open on the WSQK radio building where we see Steve increasing the decibel of a broadcast, perhaps in some attempt to counter the forces of the Upside Down. Or reach someone? By the end of the trailer we reach 100 dB, a sound level that can impair human hearing.
We get a glimpse of Eddie Munson’s grave. Someone has defaced it with the words BURN IN HELL, either in paint or blood. It appears that Dustin is kneeling in front of the grave.
Max is still runnin’ up that hill in a coma, with Lucas sitting next to her looking depressed. My theory is that she comes out of the coma at the end of Volume I (the season’s release is spread across three parts) and she’s a more active player for the rest of the season. Of course, we could also see her in the Upside Down.
Deep Purple’s ‘Child In Time’ is playing during the trailer. “Sweet child in time / You’ll see the line / The line that’s drawn between / Good and bad”.
We also get a glimpse of Karen and Holly Wheeler holding their breath underwater. They appear to be either hiding or perhaps avoiding a fiery blast (water is better for stopping fire than Upside Down monsters).
At one point, we get a very brief shot of Eleven flying. She’s more and more the superhero every season, though Season 4 did its best to take her powers away for as long as possible. With Vecna still about, and the rift open in Hawkins, it’s clear the gang will need her at the height of her power to stand a chance. At one point she’s in a wetsuit that looks kind of like a superhero suit.
There’s a nice little nod to the original Jurassic Park midway through the trailer. We see Lucas holding Max as demodogs prowl through what appears to be the hospital. Someone in a striped uniform is next to them, but it’s impossible to tell who that may be.
Finally, we get a look at Vecna, seemingly holding back a blast of fire, perhaps from the flamethrowers we saw earlier in the trailer. “Found you,” he says in his creepy deep voice. Fans have speculated that Will Byers is actually the one throwing a fireball spell at Vecna, but giving Will powers this late in the game feels weird. It’s possible Vecna is producing the fire as well.
We see the rest of the gang as well, scattered about the trailer: Mike looking freaked out; Jonathan giving a bit of an inspiring monologue – “After all we’ve been through, this thing…it ties us all together forever”; Hopper with David Harbour’s Thunderbolts beard on full display. “Wherever this leads,” he says, “I need you to fight one last time. Let’s end this kid,” he says, pulling pins on a pair of grenades. Nancy, Robin, Joyce, et alia all get little moments here.
The plot summary for Stranger Things 5 reads:
“The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna.
“But, he has vanished – his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding.
“As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming – and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone – the full party – standing together, one last time.”
I still maintain that Season 1 was the best and that this entire show could have been pretty much perfect with just one season, but I’ve enjoyed (to a lesser degree) the rest of the show as well, and it’s been fun to get to know all the new characters introduced after Season 1. I’m still a little bitter that they killed off Eddie, however. Either way, it’s good that it’s finally coming to an end before all these kids are in their 30s.
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