Stranger Things 5 Vol. 1 Review: A Total Dumpster Fire

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Many viewers fear the final season of Stranger Things will have an unsatisfying conclusion, similar to the widely criticized ending of Game of Thrones.

Netflix released the first four episodes on Wednesday, but honestly, you only need to watch the last part of Episode 4 to understand everything. Seriously, that’s all there is to it – consider this review done!

You’ll find a lot of weak acting, pointless conversations, and unnecessary attempts at social commentary that don’t fit the tone of a classic 1980s kids’ adventure show. The story feels cluttered with too many characters and generally comes across as disorganized and confusing.

It’s clear Netflix asked the creators to make the episodes longer to increase viewing time, a tactic they also used with Season 2 of Squid Game, which wasn’t well-received.

Forced Politics and Unnecessary Scenes

One scene takes a shot at Republicans for absolutely no reason.

During a family dinner, the doorbell rings. The mother instructs her child to be polite to whoever is at the door, but adds with a dismissive look that this doesn’t apply if it’s someone from the Mormon church or a member of the Democratic party.

It’s clear the character is portrayed as a Republican, and the scene goes to great lengths to make fun of her entire family. Then, a character makes a comment about the daughter wanting fur coats, which is intended to signal something negative about her.

And it gets worse.

The Forced LGBTQ Insertions

Honestly, it often feels like LGBTQ+ representation was just tacked on by creators wanting to see themselves in the story, or because Netflix was pushing for diversity numbers. It probably wasn’t just one thing, but a mix of both, which is frustrating.

Robin’s character feels unnecessary and detracts from the show. Her lines come across as forced and irritating, and she seems included simply to meet diversity requirements. The writing for her, particularly a random, politically charged outburst, feels unnatural and like the writers are inserting their own opinions.

Honestly, that whole “I don’t like dick” line just felt…weird. It seemed completely unnecessary, like it only existed so the character could announce she’s gay, even though it was pretty obvious to everyone else in the scene! It was one of those moments that felt totally crafted for her, and not in a good way.

This brings us to Will Byers, the character. Noah Schnapp, the actor who plays him, recently shared that when he was 13, the media was persistently asking him about his sexuality. He seems to find those questions inappropriate and strange.

Will unexpectedly saw Robin kissing another girl – it was the only romantic moment between characters across the entire four episodes, and they’re the only characters who seem to be in a relationship, despite it being a pretty unlikely pairing. It’s clear what Will was feeling. Later, Will and Robin have an honest conversation about love and what it means to them, but unfortunately, the story doesn’t really go anywhere with it.

Overstuffed Plot and Stale Dynamics

The story itself is decent, but it’s way too long. It could have been a solid two-hour movie if they’d trimmed a lot of unnecessary content. The villain, Venca, is still around and repeating his old crimes – kidnapping children, just like he did with Will years ago. Honestly, you can skip straight to the last half of the fourth episode; everything before that isn’t important.

The storylines involving Steve, Jonathan, and Nancy have become tiresome. The dynamic between Steve and Dustin feels even more stale, and the relationship between Hopper and Eleven is equally predictable. The show seems determined to portray Millie Bobby Brown as if she were still a child, which is clearly no longer the case.

Annoying Real-World Mistakes

Here’s something else that bothers me: the little flag on a mailbox isn’t for showing you have mail. It’s actually a signal to the mail carrier that you have outgoing mail they need to collect. Once they’ve taken your mail, they’ll put the flag back down to show they’ve done so.

I also didn’t understand the car jumping scene. It seemed unrealistic that the Jeep driver didn’t simply rev the engine to give the other battery a boost – that’s a helpful trick! And repeatedly trying to start the car before the battery had a chance to charge would have just made the problem worse.

Yeah, I notice these things.

The Forced Ending and Season 2 Callback

And that ending? Seriously? They’re claiming Will’s sexuality was planned from the very beginning, that the writers knew even when Noah Schnapp was a child how his story would unfold? I don’t buy it. And it’s not surprising the media is praising it. Now, suddenly Will being gay makes him some kind of revolutionary character? Come on, that’s ridiculous.

The finale revisits a character from the widely disliked Season 2, the one where Eleven briefly joined a group of alternative teenagers. It wasn’t a strong storyline. I also suspect the character may be LGBTQ+.

None of it feels organic. It’s all shoved into the plot. A big, forced mess.

The Few Things That Actually Worked

I especially enjoyed the storyline with Vecna, the young girl, and Sadie Sink’s performance, which offered some interesting insights.

The show would have been better if they’d reduced the roles of Robin, Joyce, and Jonathan. It should have primarily focused on Eleven, Hopper, and the other core kids.

The Verdict

Vol. 1 is bloated, forced, and full of pointless filler.

The story involving Vecna is the only strong element, but it’s overwhelmed by weak writing, forced political themes, and characters who have outstayed their welcome.

The show isn’t as good as it used to be, and if the ending continues like this, Stranger Things will have a disappointing conclusion. I’d give it a 4 out of 10.

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2025-11-28 06:02