Since “Stranger Things” final launched new episodes in 2022, quite a bit has occurred. The writers’ and actors’ guilds went on a historic strike, delaying manufacturing on the ultimate season. The Duffer Brothers, because the present’s creators Matt and Ross are identified, developed a stage play set within the “Stranger Things” world that premiered on London’s West Finish and transferred to Broadway earlier this 12 months. The star, Millie Bobby Brown, who was 12 when the present premiered, turned a spouse and mom.
The time between the fourth and fifth seasons is lengthy sufficient that many followers — save those who’ve been faithfully rewatching and thoroughly taking notes in preparation — could not bear in mind what occurred final. And key context and developments from earlier seasons could also be even fuzzier in our recollections, like Eleven attempting to recall what occurred within the rainbow room.
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Let’s refresh our recollections collectively.
“Stranger Things,” set in fictional Hawkins, Ind., (primarily) within the Eighties, follows a ragtag bunch of youngsters and a handful of trusted adults as they battle evil and supernatural forces of their small city. Highschool college students Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Max (Sadie Sink), together with older teenagers Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawke), work alongside Eleven (Brown), a lady with particular psychokinetic skills, to guard the city from a parallel dimension known as the Upside Down with monsters, electrical storms and a Lovecraftian, other-worldly power. Becoming a member of them within the struggle is Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), Will and Jonathan’s mother, police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and a handful of different instrumental characters.
Right here’s a recap of the vital storylines to recollect, a refresher on the place the collection left off and all the pieces else you could know to arrange for the fifth and ultimate season that will probably be launched in three installments, starting with Vol. 1 on Nov. 26, Vol. 2 on Christmas Day and the finale on New Yr’s Eve.
The place we left off 
The crew gathers as they see darkish clouds transfer over Hawkins on the finish of Season 4, indicating that the Upside Down is infiltrating the actual world.
(Netflix)
Season 4 of “Stranger Things” concludes in a darkish place, actually.
Vecna, the primary antagonist from Season 4, had been looking for out 4 victims whose deaths would open 4 gates to the Upside Down. Though his ultimate sufferer, Max, was solely lifeless for a minute (extra on that later), he succeeded. The gates converge on the heart of Hawkins, culminating in a big increase on the Hawkins Public Library. Though it’s dismissed by officers as an earthquake, our gang is aware of higher — the Upside Down is merging with the actual world.
The ultimate moments of the season present darkish clouds billowing by means of the sky because the acquainted, dandruff-like particles from the Upside Down float by means of the air. Earlier within the season, Vecna possessed Nancy, displaying her a terrifying imaginative and prescient of mass dying and destruction in Hawkins and the 4 gates to the Upside Down ripping by means of the city. These are only a few steps in his mission to destroy humanity.
On the finish of the season, we additionally see the long-anticipated return of Hopper, who was trapped in a Russian jail till Joyce and Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman), their mutual good friend and a non-public investigator, assist break him out and produce him again dwelling. Eleven and Hopper, who’ve a father-daughter-like bond, reunite in one of many brilliant spots of an in any other case darkish season.
And though he achieved his purpose, Vecna is weak. Nancy, Robin and Steve set his physique on fireplace whereas he was attacking Max, who was in a trance. Fearless Nancy then shoots him repeatedly till he falls out of the second story of his lair. Though it appears at first that they’ve killed him, his physique is gone by the point the crew rushes to the bottom ground, and Will senses that he’s nonetheless alive.
Characters who died in Season 4 
Vecna’s assault briefly killed Max, however Eleven was capable of revive her. She’s in a coma on the finish of Season 4.
(Netflix)
Max Mayfield (kind of)
Vecna preyed on Max for a lot of Season 4, and within the ultimate episode, taking part in Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” on repeat from her Walkman will not be sufficient to save lots of her. Vecna kills Max, however Eleven is ready to revive her through the use of her powers to restart her coronary heart. The final shot we see of Max is of her hospitalized in a coma, with damaged bones and her involved mates by her facet.
She’s alive, however her short-term dying was sufficient for Vecna to perform his purpose. Theories about whether or not Max’s consciousness is trapped in Vecna’s visions, or if she is going to recuperate with powers that allow her to spy on Vecna, have been circulating on social media because the launch of Season 4, however followers of the character shouldn’t fret. Sink is listed within the credit for Season 5 and she or he is seen briefly within the Season 5 trailer, with Lucas carrying her physique as a Demogorgon, one of many monsters within the present, runs towards them.
Though he died within the Season 3 finale, Billy Hargrove, Max’s stepbrother, is noteworthy since his dying took a giant emotional toll on Max, filling her with guilt and grief, which primed her to be one in every of Vecna’s targets.
Eddie Munson
This fan-favorite character performed by Joseph Quinn died within the ultimate episode of Season 4, however he went out with a blaze. Eddie and Dustin have been within the Upside Down finishing up their half within the plan to assault Vecna, and Eddie shredded out Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” on his guitar in an effort to distract the Demobats defending Vecna’s lair. Dustin says the musical ruse is the “most metal ever,” but it surely’s not sufficient to maintain them protected from the terrifying creatures.
After Dustin makes it by means of the gate again into the actual world, Eddie stays behind to drive the bats away and purchase the group extra time. He’s finally attacked by the creatures, and dies in Dustin’s arms after defending his mates.
Eddie initially befriended Mike, Lucas and Dustin due to their shared love of Dungeons & Dragons, forming the Hellfire Membership to play the sport collectively. Eddie’s dying is prone to reverberate with Dustin within the upcoming season, who’s seen within the trailer sporting his Hellfire Membership T-shirt.
Dr. Martin Brenner
Dr. Brenner, or Eleven’s “papa” as his take a look at topics known as him, was killed by navy gunfire when officers invaded his analysis facility in quest of Eleven. They believed she was behind the unusual happenings and murders happening in Hawkins.
Brenner (Matthew Modine) performed a major position within the controversial MKUltra program, a real-life covert CIA mind-control and chemical interrogation analysis program. He took a younger Henry Creel (who in the end turned 001/Vecna) into his custody after discovering he possessed psychokinetic skills and tried to duplicate these skills in different youngsters, together with Eleven.
In his ultimate moments, Brenner tells Eleven he’s happy with her and that each one he ever wished was to assist her and defend her, regardless of the psychological and bodily abuse he inflicted on her.
Different vital issues to recollect 
Though Hopper and Joyce have been capable of rescue Will from the Upside Down, he’s nonetheless intently tied to the dimension and its monsters.
(Netflix )
Will’s connection to the Upside Down
Since he was trapped within the Upside Down throughout Season 1, Will hasn’t been capable of sever his tie to the dimension. In Season 2, he’s possessed by the Thoughts Flayer and feels ache when the vines within the Upside Down are broken or Demogorgons are harm. He’s tapped into the dimension’s “hive mind” and might sense Vecna’s presence, normally by means of an odd feeling on the again of his neck.
Eleven’s ‘sister’
Though the entire take a look at topics who have been raised alongside Eleven have been killed by Henry/001 within the bloodbath at Hawkins Labs (Season 4, Episode 7), one in every of her “siblings” managed to flee the lab earlier than that fateful day. Kali, or 008, made a quick look in a Season 2 storyline — Eleven briefly joined her gang of misfits to assist in Kali’s mission of getting revenge on individuals who labored within the lab.
Kali didn’t seem in Seasons 3 or 4, however other than Eleven and Henry/Vecna, she is the one different particular person identified to have highly effective psychokinetic skills.
‘The First Shadow’
The stage play “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is a prequel diving into Henry’s origins and the way he finally turned 001, and Vecna. Though it’s thought-about a standalone work, the Duffer Brothers collaborated with “Stranger Things” author Kate Trefry to create the play’s story they usually have confirmed it’s canon within the “Stranger Things” universe.
Some followers who’ve in contrast the small print from the play and the collection say that the play suggests Vecna may not be in charge of the Thoughts Flayer, as he has advised. Reasonably, the Thoughts Flayer is in charge of him, or that it had a minimum of corrupted his human self.
Followers who’ve traced again by means of the collection to see if this concept holds water level out that Dustin, whose theories concerning the Upside Down are usually appropriate, advised the identical factor in Season 4. Talking concerning the Thoughts Flayer, he says, “If the Demogorgon was just his foot soldier, Vecna’s his five-star general.”
What we all know is coming subsequent 
Within the first have a look at Season 5, Will and Vecna come head to head.
(Netflix)
Netflix launched the primary 5 minutes of the brand new season in early November, through which we see a flashback to Will’s time trapped within the Upside Down. A Demogorgon drags an unconscious Will to Vecna’s lair, and Vecna ominously says they will start their work “at long last.” “You and I, we are going to do such beautiful things together, William,” he continues.
It appears to be like like we will anticipate a showdown between our heroes and Vecna, but it surely’s attainable we’d additionally get additional rationalization about why Will was particularly focused from the start.
Is that this the tip of ‘Stranger Things’?
In a phrase, sure. However new tales happening on the earth of “Stranger Things” will probably be coming. Netflix just lately unveiled the primary have a look at an animated spinoff collection, “Stranger Things: Tales From ’85.” The collection is ready between the occasions of Seasons 2 and three, and it’ll function the primary characters followers know and love. The Duffer Brothers collaborated with showrunner Eric Robles to create the collection, which doesn’t have a premiere date but.
The Duffer Brothers are additionally creating a derivative collection with new characters and a “clean slate,” which they teased in a latest interview with Selection.
