Stranger Things Season 5: Part 1 (Review)

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After a long awaited time, Stranger Things Season 5 finally came out on November 26, 2025. So students from Walnut Grove High School shared their exciting thoughts on the new episodes. 
by Mackenzie Smith and Nyla Ferguson

​Owen Ezzell, a freshman, gives his opinions about the new season of Stranger Things. When asked what he expected to see in the new episodes, he says, “I expected Vecna to go crazy, and Will—if you know, you know.” He added, “I didn't like how the episodes were rushed and some parts of the episodes weren't as good as the other ones, but overall it was great.”

Regarding his favorite character, he says, “Derek the Destroyer; he's my favorite character because I feel like Derek for real—me and him are twins.” He concluded, “So far, I give the episodes an 8.5. Some parts of the episodes could've been better, but other than that, it was great.”

Christian Williams, a junior, says, “I expected to see Will unlock his powers; I saw it on TikTok and wanted to see if it was true or not.” He noted, “Some of them were actually dry and a lot longer than they needed to be.” He added, “I actually kind of like Vecna this season because it showed how evil he is and went into his character instead of a basic old thing.” Continuing with his rating on the new episodes, he says, “I rate the episodes a 9 out of 10.”

Jackson Knight, a senior, comments, “I mean, what they gave us—character development, keeping within the plot and the story—I liked overall what they did.” Jackson said sometimes he thought the pacing and some of the conflict were kind of forced, and he thinks there were some issues with continuity from the last season.

“We could see what some of the characters in the series could do, but that’s one thing I didn’t really appreciate,” Jackson said. “My favorite character is probably Eleven. I love her character arc and what she does—she kills it every episode, and she's awesome.”

Makenzie Malcolm, a junior, shares her expectations followed by her dislikes about the new episodes. “I expected to see one of the main characters in the show die. I didn't like all of the action that they included in the fighting scenes.” She added, “After watching the four episodes, my favorite character is Will because he did his thing in the end. Overall, I rate the episodes a good 8.5 out of 10 because I expected more to be revealed in the episodes.”

Have you watched Stranger Things Season 5 yet?