Some time ago, the Duffer brothers announced that they were halfway through shooting for the fifth season of Stranger Things. To celebrate, Netflix shared behind-the-scenes footage and revealed the names of the actors who’ve just joined the cast. Now, we’ve learned the titles of all episodes in the series’ final season.
Stranger Things season 4 ended two years ago, leaving viewers with a promise of a life-and-death clash between the sinister Vecna and Eleven, supported by her friends. We’ve rounded up all the rumours and news from the internet and analysed what we know of the final few episodes to predict what may happen in the show’s grand finale.
If you want to know what else is on Netflix, we’ve have round-ups of the best TV shows and the best movies on the platform.
Has Netflix started production on season 5 of Stranger Things?
Pre-production on Stranger Things season 5 started in 2022, as confirmed by an image of a blurred storyboard posted on the writers’ room Twitter account.
Season 3 took two years to develop, and season 4 took over three years – though admittedly a lot of that time was due to Covid-related delays.
The actor who plays Hopper, David Harbour, told GQ in July 2022 that they’d be shooting in 2023, making fans hopeful for a 2024 season 5 release. However, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike put the start of filming on hold, pushing back the potential premiere date to 2025.
According to the latest announcement, shooting for the fifth season is halfway through. To celebrate the big moment, Netflix has released a behind-the-scenes featurette that teases the best season of Stranger Things ever.
How many episodes will be in Stranger Things season 5?
On Twitter, the writers of the show shared a grid showing eight episodes in total. Last season had nine episodes, so this number does make sense.
On 6 November 2024, Netflix published a short teaser announcing the titles of all episodes. The date wasn’t random – the first episode of Stranger Things, titled The Vanishing of Will Byers, was set on 6 November 1983.
Here are the titles of Stranger Things season 5 episodes:
Episode 1: The Crawl
A possible reference to a D&D game type of scenario called a dungeon crawl, in which the player must move through a maze defeating monsters, solving puzzles and avoiding traps.
Episode 2: The Vanishing Of…
This refers to the first episode of Stranger Things season 1, titled The Vanishing of Will Byers. In season 5, another character from the series is likely to go missing.
Episode 3: The Turnbow Trap
In Stranger Things, Turnbow is the name of a development and real estate company. It appears on a ragged billboard depicting a smiling family, which you can spot in a behind-the-scenes clip from season 5.
Episode 4: Sorcerer
In a D&D universe, a sorcerer is a character class able to use arcane magic. The episode’s title could announce the appearance of a powerful, new ally in a fight against Vecna. Could it be the mysterious character played by Linda Hamilton?
Episode 5: Shock Jock
A shock jock is a common term referring to DJ or broadcaster who likes to surprise audiences with controversial behaviour. It may refer the radio station WSQK 94.5, which will appear in Stranger Things season 5.
Episode 6: Escape from Camazotz
In Mayan mythology, Camazotz is a bat who is the servant of the gods of the underworld. On the other hand, in the sci-fi novel A Wrinkle in Time, Camazotz is a utopian planet governed by a sinister entity. Considering the photo of this novel posted on social media by Ross Duffer, the latter is what the episode’s title refers to.
Episode 7: The Bridge
It may mean a connection between the ordinary world and the Upside Down.
Episode 8: The Rightside Up
It may mean the inverse of the Upside Down, yet another alternate world, or a return to the ordinary Hawkins.
Will Stranger Things season 5 be the last?
The Duffer Brothers have confirmed that season 5 will be the final instalment of Stranger Things. It will be a slightly shorter season than previous ones – though we don’t know if we will get those two-hour long episodes again.
On the ending, they said in an open letter:
Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things. At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but – as you’ll soon see for yourselves – we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last.
If you’re sad about the end, then we have some good news – the Duffer Brothers aren’t done with this universe. There will be a spin-off based on the world of Stranger Things with a brand new cast and plot, and there will also be a stage show based on the sci-fi series.
Who is in the cast of Stranger Things season 5?
Netflix hasn’t officially confirmed the full cast for season 5, but we can take a guess at who will return.
We imagine that the following cast members will be back:
- Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven
- Finn Wolfhard as Mike
- Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas
- Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin
- Noah Schnapp as Will
- Sadie Sink as Max
- Joe Keery as Steve
- Natalia Dyer as Nancy
- Charlie Heaton as Jonathan
- Maya Hawke as Robin
- Priah Ferguson as Erica
- David Harbour as Hopper
- Winona Ryder as Joyce
- Brett Gelman as Murray
Netflix
We will almost definitely see the return of big bad Vecna, portrayed by Jamie Campbell Bower, as well as other antagonists like Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan played by Sherman Augustus.
There will also be a new face – Terminator star Linda Hamilton will be joining the cast in a so-far unnamed role.
Further additions to the cast include:
- Nell Fisher
- Jake Connelly
- Alex Breaux
What will happen in Stranger Things season 5?
Spoilers for Stranger Things season 4 below
The ending of Stranger Things season 4 was bleaker than most other season finales as ultimately, the Hawkins crew lost. Vecna opened the gates to the Upside Down, and now Hawkins is leaking parts of this strange world into the real one.
Vecna himself is missing after being injured by Eleven, Nancy, Steve and Robin – but we imagine that he is still seeking out Eleven, either for revenge or for a full-on team-up.
The Hawkins group will likely try to find ways to close the gates and return Vecna and his monsters back to the Upside Down once and for all.
The Duffer Brothers have confirmed to TVLine that there will be some sort of time jump. This is most likely due to the fact that most of the cast just can’t pass for young teenagers anymore – but it may be that the Upside Down completely engulfs Hawkins over the years, and the team have to find a way to revert it back to how it once was.
But how? We still don’t know the origins of One’s/Vecna’s/Henry’s powers. Finding this out could be the key to taking him down, and ending his control of the Mind Flayer and other creatures from the Upside Down.
Eleven clearly stands the best chance against him, but she still has some more training to do before she can take him down.
We also know that Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan is still after Eleven, as he considers her to be a real supernatural threat. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the team laying low and hiding from the government. This is even more likely considering everyone’s connection to Eddie and the Hellfire Club – with many residents of the town believing that they are a devil-worshipping cult.
In an interview with The Wrap, the Duffer Brothers pitched the final season to some Netflix executives, and said: “They really responded well to it. I mean, it was hard. It’s the end of the story. I saw executives crying who I’ve never seen cry before and it was wild.”
Does that mean that we will get some major character deaths? Last season, the only two major losses we had were of Eddie Munson and Dr. Martin Brenner/Papa. Max is severely injured and in a coma, but has survived. Her experience may also mean that she still has a psychic link with Vecna, which could prove useful in the final battle.
Netflix
Either way, we can’t see everyone in the gang making it out alive. We have a strong suspicion that Eleven may have to sacrifice herself, as ultimately she was the one that opened the gate to the world all the way back in season one, so she may have to be the one who closes it.
In addition, we expect Will to play a major part in season 5, at least if Collider‘s article is anything to go by. The finale of last season showed that he still has a connection to Vecna, and that in the finale he will come into his own. Will also showed strong hints that he is in love with Mike – another plot that we believe that will be explored in season 5.
There is also the ongoing love triangle between Jonathan, Nancy and Steve – another story that may indicate that at least one of these characters won’t make it out of the final season alive and well.
Finally, the Russians may be still be hunting down Hopper and Joyce after they escaped from prison. Will they make their way to America to enact their revenge? All will be revealed in season 5.
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