It’s hard to believe that a decade has passed since Stranger Things first captivated audiences. The Duffer brothers have had plenty of time to prepare a fitting conclusion to their groundbreaking series. However, as the curtain rises on the fifth and final season, viewers are plunged into a whirlwind sprint towards the finish line.

While Stranger Things wasn’t Netflix’s initial breakout success, it certainly elevated the streaming giant to new cultural heights. The show spun an irresistibly engaging tale that sparked widespread discussion. Although ’80s nostalgia had never truly faded, Stranger Things ignited a fresh wave of retro-themed shows and films, with studios striving to replicate the Duffer Brothers’ winning formula. Despite its age, the series maintained its momentum through its early seasons.

By the time season 4 rolled around, the pace of new episodes slowed significantly due to production setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the larger Stranger Things universe expanded with a stage adaptation and plans for an animated offshoot. Yet, following delays from the 2023 writers’ strike, there were concerns about rekindling enthusiasm for the show’s concluding chapter in Hawkins.

In the opening quartet of episodes for Stranger Things 5, the Duffer Brothers strive to reconcile past production hurdles beyond their control while delving into story arcs they envisioned long before the series aired. This season seamlessly picks up from where the previous one ended, though it’s interspersed with reminders of the significant time lapse since we last joined these characters.

The youthful cast noticeably appears and feels older, a change not solely attributable to growth spurts. Characters frequently engage in witty exchanges laden with exposition, seemingly aware that viewers might need a refresher. These elements of Stranger Things 5 require a suspension of disbelief, which is understandable given the circumstances that delayed its release.

While much has transformed in Hawkins since the Upside Down nearly tore it asunder, daily life has mostly resumed. Residents recall the cataclysmic events that fractured their streets, but they try to focus on the present, now that the damage is largely obscured by vast metal coverings.

Aside from the compulsory medical checkups and a military-enforced quarantine that keeps civilians from leaving town, things feel relatively normal to people unfamiliar with Vecna.

(Jamie Campbell Bower) and his many Demogorgons. But for Eleven / Jane (Millie Bobby Brown), Hopper (David Harbour), and the rest of their crew, the unnatural calm is a sign of how much more dangerous things are about to become.

In order to remind you how this winding story began and to emphasize what kinds of monsters Stranger Things‘ heroes are up against, the new season spends much more time with Will Byers (Noah Schnapp). Will insists on playing a larger role in the teens’ plans to take their fight to Vecna in the present, but the show also jumps back to the past to explore what happened to the boy when he was first dragged into the Upside Down in season one. As disturbing (in a good way) and impressive as many of this season’s otherworldly set pieces and VFX are, the Will-focused flashbacks featuring a new child actor superimposed with Schnapp’s de-aged face undercut some of the show’s fantasy. Similar to the show’s previous experiments in de-aging its quickly growing stars, the effect doesn’t quite work on a visual level. But it does give you a sense that the Duffers really want this season to feel like it’s bringing certain characters’ stories full circle.

You can feel that same desire at work as the show cuts to missing child posters of a younger Eleven before revealing that she has actually been hiding out in the woods with Hopper and training to use her powers in combat. Hop — originally introduced as a drunken mess in season 1 — knows that his adoptive daughter isn’t a little girl anymore. He and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) both understand that Eleven might be their only hope of defeating Vecna for good, but it’s hard for them to accept her willingness to risk her life.

Stranger Things has always had a massive cast of lead characters and done a (mostly) solid job of weaving together their plotlines in ways that felt organic. But because this season is so focused on giving everyone one last hurrah, the show quickly starts to feel a little too busy for its own good.

The season bounces between Hopper family drama, school troubles for the Hellfire Club’s other remaining members (Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Priah Ferguson) and a fraught love triangle between some of the older teens. Beats like the growing friendship between Will and Robin (Maya Hawke) have to move relatively fast because the show only has so much time. And things get even more hectic as Stranger Things 5 gives new prominence to Mike’s younger sister Holly (Nell Fisher) and her foulmouthed classmate Derek (Jake Connelly).

While Stranger Things 5 tries to flesh out some of its players further, it often feels like the show is coasting on the assumption that you still know and love these characters enough that simply seeing their plots wrapped up is enough to make for a satisfying story. After all this time spent in the pipeline, though, what Stranger Things needs to really stick the landing is a final chapter that works as its own compelling narrative. The show might be able to pull that off in its final four episodes if it can slow down and really lean into the kind of emotional drama that made Stranger Things such a knockout in its earlier seasons. But with this season already halfway over, Stranger Things 5 is going to have its work cut out for it.

Stranger Things 5 also stars Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Brett Gelman, Cara Buono, Amybeth McNulty, and Linda Hamilton. The first four episodes are now streaming, the next three debut on December 25th, and the finale premieres on December 31st.