On Wednesday, Nov. 26, the Duffer Brothers released the first volume of the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” on Netflix. Highly anticipated by the fans due it being one of the longest waiting periods between seasons (1,244 days), Season 5 also marks the end of the show. 

Similar to the previous season, Season 5 is being released in parts. The season will be released in three parts on significant days of the year: Nov. 26, 2025, (the day before Thanksgiving), Dec. 25, 2025, (Christmas Day), and Dec. 31, 2025, (New Years Eve). 

Millions of Netflix watchers, including students at Pascack Hills High School, binged all four episodes of Volume I as soon as it dropped.

“I was so excited for Season 5, as it is the end of the series. Overall, it was definitely worth the wait, and I can’t wait for the rest of the show to be released!” said Hills sophomore and longtime fan Isla Lungeren. 

Since the show was released in 2016, it seemed that people immediately went into binge-watching mode. The show was different from anything the audience has ever seen and that’s what made it so gravitating.

The last four seasons of Stranger Things surround a group of young friends that are unexpectedly thrusted into a world of supernatural and dangerous government secrets. The initial reason for them getting involved was because of the sudden disappearance of Will Byers, a member of their friend group, which plays a connection with the unusual appearance of a girl named Eleven who has unique powers.

As the friends search for Will, they uncover a dark parallel dimension, the Upside Down, and a secret government facility, the Hawkins National Laboratory, which is the source of the town’s strange confidence. The following seasons continue to follow this core group (Will, his friends Mike, Dustin, and Lucas, and older siblings Nancy and Jonathan). Working with characters that join along the way (Steve, Robin and Max) and the parental figures (Hopper, Joyce, and Murray), they face escalating threats that breach the barrier between their world and the Upside Down, while discovering new creatures that tie to the said “curse” over their town.

“[Stranger Things] is a beautifully crafted show with eye opening character developments alongside revolutionary dynamics that you don’t see in most television series. It somehow portrays things that are completely dysfunctional, while still imbedding relatable topics,” said Hills sophomore Madison Torrente.  

Volume 1 ends with a dramatic cliffhanger: Will, the boy whose disappearance launched the series discovers he has powers. Vecna emerges from the Upside Down, confronting Will, Mike, and the others, while revealing the true nature of his interest in Will: his obsession with the “weaker” and “easily broken.” In a shocking twist, Will uses his newfound abilities to defeat demogorgons, suffering a bloody nose, much like Eleven. 

With Volume 2 now out, fans have already started wildly speculating about what comes next, theorizing every twist from Volume 1 and 2 and debating how the series will ultimately end. Volume 1 set the stage for a dramatic conclusion, and the audience’s excitement shows no sign of slowing down.