Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 made me want to scream – it’s a masterpiece

This review is based on all four episodes of Stranger Things season 5 volume 1.

I can’t quite believe that I’m writing about the final season of Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Ever since the start, it felt like one of those shows that could go on for an infinite number of seasons – or if I’m being realistic, at least more than five. And I would have carried on inhaling every single episode.

This isn’t just any old TV show. This finale is a TV moment that will be remembered for years to come. Especially if the sensational first four episodes of the season are anything to go by, which we were granted access to watch before their release today.

When Netflix first launched the supernatural sci-fi tale in 2016, introducing audiences to a group of kids teaming up to save the world, it was clear that co-creators the Duffer Brothers had captured lightning in a bottle.

Not only did the series provide a strong dose of nostalgia, paying homage to classic films like The Goonies, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and A Nightmare on Elm Street, but it also felt completely unique. It struck fear and hope into the hearts of fans in equal measure.

That same feeling – fearing the devastation that villain Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) will cause in season five, while maintaining faith in our heroes to crush evil with every ounce of might that they can muster – has continued up to the fifth and final season.

Released in three volumes – with the first batch of four episodes out now, three more coming on Boxing Day, and a feature-length finale landing on New Year’s Day – season five picks up after Vecna successfully managed to create a rip between the world and the Upside Down.

Hawkins is now under military rule, with the residents forced to remain under quarantine inside the parameters of the Indiana town while soldiers enforce strict curfew rules, all the while keeping the true reason behind what happened a secret.

Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is technically ‘missing’ while the military searches for her – but really, she’s stealthily honing her powers and physical strength with the help of her adoptive dad Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and surrogate mum Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder).

The boys in the group – Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) – have all been advised to lay low in the aftermath of Vecna’s killing spree.

However, Dustin refuses to do so, proudly wearing a Hellfire Club top to school after the death of Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), knowing full well that it’ll enrage the jocks who were hellbent on hunting Eddie before his demise. At the beginning of the season, Dustin’s usual light spark has faded, and only his anger and determination to kill Vecna remain.

Gaten has always been one of the standout stars of Stranger Things, but now he gets to flex his phenomenal acting chops like never before.

While we’ve known many of these characters for almost a decade, there are a few who will really take viewers by surprise in season five. Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) boasts one of the most fist-pumping moments of the entire show, while Holly (Nell Fisher), the newly recast youngest child of the Wheeler family, is brought into the fold of the main story in a major way.

Poor Will Byers, who was kidnapped and taken to the Upside Down in season one, only to still bear the mental and emotional scars from his time in the other dimension when he returned, is going to have to face even more trauma before the story’s conclusion.

Despite the horrors that Hawkins has endured, there are still moments of levity that’ll make you chuckle. You can always count on Murray (Brett Gelman) to deliver comic relief, as well as Robin (Maya Hawke), who’s rocking a radio show to keep the town entertained while they’re quarantined, with the help of Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington (Joe Keery).

Now that the gang is all reunited in their hometown, they’re secretly hatching a plan away from the military’s prying eyes to search for Vecna, with the formidable Nancy (Natalia Dyer) leading the charge from one end, and Hopper the other.

Before you ask – yes, you do find out more about what’s happening with Max (Sadie Sink), who’s currently in a comatose state after being attacked (and technically killed) by Vecna. That’s all we’re going to say about that.

Without going into any significant story spoilers, I can say that the final moments of episode 4 gave me full-body chills and honestly had me on the verge of screaming. Stranger Things season five, volume one, is epic, and will remind you why you fell in love with TV in the first place.

I know this isn’t the end – with four more episodes of the final season yet to come – but I have faith that the Duffer Brothers and everyone who poured their heart and soul into this series will stick the landing.

Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 is streaming from Thursday November 27 on Netflix.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.