Stranger Things Season 5 Review: The Long-Awaited Finale Delivers Tension, But Fails To Truly Surprise | Television News

Created by: The Duffer Brothers

Language: English

Cast: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, and Linda Hamilton

Rating: 3/5

Stranger Things Season 5 Review: After a month-long wait, the much-anticipated second half of Stranger Things Season 5 has finally premiered on the OTT platform, resuming the story precisely where the first half left off. Rather than weakening the impact, the gap between releases seems to have worked in the show’s favor this time. The anticipation built by the initial episodes remains intact, with lingering questions and unresolved tensions still fresh in viewers’ minds. As a result, the series wastes no time in re-immersing the audience, pulling them straight into the narrative from the very first moments of the three newly released episodes, and reaffirming the grip the season continues to hold on its fanbase.

Strong Pacing, Uneven Character Focus

The story keeps moving at a solid pace, but the way characters are handled feels a bit uneven. Will continues to get the most emotional weight and screen time, and his arc feels thoughtful and well developed. Meanwhile, some of the characters, especially Mike and Hopper, don’t get nearly as much to do, which makes them feel oddly underused given how important they are to the series.

Visually, the show often leans into very dark scenes, frequently using flashlight lighting to set the mood. While this is clearly meant to build tension, it doesn’t always land.

Dustin’s return to his familiar, endearing personality is comforting to watch, but his arc feels largely unchanged. While his presence remains consistent, there is a noticeable lack of character development. The absence of his girlfriend, despite how warmly she was received, even with limited screen time, also stands out and leaves a gap in his emotional arc. Rather than being sidelined, Dustin feels anchored to the same beats as before, with much of his narrative energy redirected toward Steve and their dynamic. As a result, the focus leans more toward Steve’s relationships than allowing Dustin the space to grow as an individual character in his own right.

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Kali’s sudden prominence feels especially strange when compared to Dustin’s girlfriend. Kali appeared in only one episode across the first four seasons, yet she now plays a major role, recurring in four episodes during the finale. In contrast, Dustin’s girlfriend, who had more screen time and was better integrated into the story earlier, has been completely written out.

However, Kali’s increased presence this season works better than before, giving her more depth and clearer motivation, even if it still feels abrupt compared to her past cameo.

Finale Faces a Risk of Rushing

One of the show’s strongest qualities, its grounded, emotionally real tone, also raises a concern this season. With the story expanding into increasingly large-scale supernatural events, there’s a worry that the finale might lose this restraint and rush to wrap up too much at once.

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The final episode, at over two hours long, carries enormous narrative weight. Since much of the season feels like a buildup to this single conclusion, there’s a lingering concern about whether it can provide satisfying resolutions for all the storylines without compromising the show’s careful balance.

Character Arcs Falter as Some Key Figures Shine While Others Fade

Eleven, Jane, El, whatever we choose to call her, still hasn’t fully stepped into the commanding presence the show keeps promising. Rather than asserting her own choices, she often seems reactive, listening to others instead of trusting herself.

Mike’s decline in screen presence is especially noticeable. Once positioned as the emotional anchor of the group, he now feels like a bystander, drifting with the plot. Occasionally, he gets a brief moment, maybe two minutes every few episodes, where he shows flashes of his former importance. Strangely enough, even his mother now comes across as more compelling than he does.

Will, on the other hand, finally delivers an emotional speech that feels earned after suppressing so much for an entire season. Lucas and Max continue to provide some of the most heartfelt moments, maintaining a strong emotional connection that grounds the chaos around them. Winona Ryder’s Joyce, however, has been unforgivably sidelined, which feels like a missed opportunity given her importance to the series’ identity.

Can the Finale Tie It All Together?

Now the question arises whether the Duffer Brothers can successfully tie together such a sprawling story in the limited time of the finale.

Stranger Things is set to premiere its finale on Netflix, and while this season may not break entirely new ground, it still somehow feels complete, a little strange, but then again, it is Stranger Things.