It’s almost time to say goodbye Stranger Things.
The fifth and final season of the wildly popular Netflix show, which helped supercharge the platform’s own success, finally makes its debut on the 26th/27th. November. And while Netflix only treats us to the first four episodes, aka volume 1, of Stranger Things season 5, they are bound to be full of important talking points.
Before the return of the supernatural sci-fi horror franchise, everyone has their own ideas about what will happen – including myself. To that end, I’ve compiled a list of five things that I think will happen in the first part of it Stranger Things 5. So grab some Eggos and your Walkman and cycle over to my house (read: scroll on) for my predictions for Season 5 Volume 1.
1. One of Stranger Things’ main cast members will die
Stranger Things has always been an ensemble piece. Yes, some characters are more prominent than others, but each season has boasted a variety of main and supporting characters.
So the last hurray of one of the best Netflix shows is no different. As I pointed out in my guide to Stranger Things season 5, over 20 actors — 21, to be exact — are confirmed to appear. That doesn’t count minor grades that I would expect to see again as well, which could take up to 30 stars.
With franchise creators/overlords Ross and Matt Duffer teasing it Stranger Things 5 will be the deadliest entry yet, it is inevitable that some characters will meet their end. And while it’s safe to assume that bit-part players will likely die in Part 1, I think it would be far more impactful if one or two key characters die as well.
I imagine many of Stranger Things‘ core cast will make it to part 2, but it would be an emotionally devastating way to end season 5 volume 1 with the death of e.g. Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper or even one of the kids.
If Netflix wants Stranger Things season 5 to dominate the news cycle and online discussions until season 5 volume 2 arrives in December, killing someone important will go a long way to achieving that goal.
2. Volume 1 ends on a cliffhanger
This may be an obvious prediction to make. But if the Duffer brothers don’t kill off a major player or two in episodes 1 through 4, the next best option to keep the conversation flowing between volumes is for volume 1’s finale to end on a cliffhanger.
Think about it. Someone is in a dangerous situation that they can’t get out of, and just when you think they’re about to meet their end, the screen goes black. Revolving credits. Watch the shocked expressions from the wide-eyed and mouth-watering viewers, who now have to wait a whole month to learn the result.
We’ve already seen a potential cliffhanger moment involving Will and Vecna Stranger Things 5s spoiler-y final trailer. However, I don’t think this scene will be the last we’ll see in this season’s fourth episode, mainly because of its appearance in said teaser. And with Stranger Things season 5’s eight episodes are basically movie-length events, and we’ve only seen a fraction of this season’s footage. There are countless unreleased sequences that could fit the cliffhanger ticket instead.
3. We learn what Vecna’s full plan is – and more about his past
It is clear that Vecna, aka Stranger Things‘ overall villain, has an ax to grind with Eleven and her allies. It is also clear that the person formerly known as Henry Creel wants to punish the rest of the world for traumatic events that eventually led him to become the monstrous entity that he is.
Yet there is much we still don’t know about Vecna’s master plan. Does he want to destroy the world and humanity? Or is he trying to convert it into a realm like the Upside Down? And why does he need Will Byers to help him achieve whatever his primary goal is?
It’s also in the Duffers’ best interest to reveal some crucial details about Vecna’s past.
Fans who have seen the scene play the prequel Stranger Things: The First Shadow will know more about Creel’s backstory than those who don’t. To ensure Stranger Things 5 doesn’t hit the big Marvel and Star Wars issue, it needs to recap key moments from the piece, preferably at some point in its first four episodes. Otherwise, some viewers may think they’ve missed crucial information from a previous season, and/or be confused as to how Eleven and company know certain things about Vecna that weren’t explained in previous seasons.
4. A certain scene will go viral
It was inevitable Stranger Things season 4 would be a huge hit for Netflix ahead of its July 2022 debut. Still, I don’t think any executive on the streamer’s payroll expected so many of its scenes to go viral.
Any sequence involving Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson – his guitar-shredding last stand against the demo bats and that ‘Chrissy, Wake Up!’ meme video to name just two – immediately springs to mind. It does too to iconic scene depicting Max’s escape from Vecna, i.e. the one set to the Kate Bush song ‘Running Up That Hill’, which achieved cultural phenomenon status after being streamed over 1 billion times on Spotify.
So it seems inevitable Stranger Things 5 will have its own instantly meme-bare and/or viral moments. Whether it’s a set to Queen’s ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ aka the song used in Stranger Things season 5’s official trailer, or a sequence that no one expected to be a breakout clip, I bet there’s a scene or two created with the goal of becoming the show’s next viral event.
5. A trailer for season 5 part 2 will be shown
Another easy observation to make, especially given Netflix’s penchant for ending a volume of a show’s latest season with a teaser for the next installment.
Nevertheless, there’s no better way to hint at what’s to come than to show a trailer for Stranger Things season 5, part 2, when the final endings of volume 1 have been rolled.
Sure, the world’s best streaming service could wait a day or two, but Netflix knows what the people want — and if you’re anything like me, you’ll want new footage once Part 1 is over. After all, with a month to wait for episodes 5 to 7, we need a teaser to look for clues as to where the story is going. Make it so, Netflix.
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