Critic Rating: 10/10
Strange things happen as Vecna revisits Hawkins, Indiana for one last adventure. The TV series, starring actors Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Sadie Sink, and Finn Wolfhard, has kept fans hooked for almost a decade. With the release of the first five minutes of Season 5, fans are reminded of the captivating thrill of the show.
The five minutes of Stranger Things season 5 that’ve been released so far reveal Will Byer’s time within the Upside-Down during the week that he was missing in Season 1. What’s showcased are clips that’ve never been seen before in the series. While Will is chased in the Upside-Down by a Demogorgon, emotional tension is heightened and viewers are once again reminded of the horror and mystery plaguing Hawkins.
However, what truly caught viewers by surprise is that Vecna, the mastermind behind all of the conflicts within the small town, actually met Will in the timeframe of Season 1. From the very beginning, before the characters themselves knew about his existence, Vecna was an ever-present shadow looming over them. In the teaser, Will is seen being captured, rather than eaten, by a Demogorgon and presented in front of Vecna, who forces a substance into Will’s mouth through his grotesque tendrils.
These first five minutes of the season showcased in the teaser don’t just revisit old horrors; they reframe them. By revealing Vecna’s early involvement, the teaser shifts our entire understanding of the show’s beginning as we realize that Will wasn’t taken by a Demogorgon by chance, but rather to deliver him to a superior being to carry out a greater plan.
Vecna was manipulating events that occurred as early as Season 1 all along, and even the possession-like symptoms that Will showed were not mere coincidence or a result of poor health caused by his time in the Upside-Down; they were the result of his direct contact with Vecna. This hair-raising realization introduces a new perspective while raising the stakes for the series’ final chapter. While only a glimpse, it’s evident that the new season is going to be the most chilling and ambitious yet.
All that’s left is to see how the rest of Season 5 unfolds.
