After years of waiting, Stranger Things is finally back in Season 5 Episode 1: “Chapter 1 The Crawl.” And after such a long time, I’ve got to admit that I was really skeptical that a lot of things wouldn’t work. For example, the time jump, the age difference with our core group, and how they were going to actually tackle destroying Vecna. I’m glad to admit that I was wrong after “The Crawl.”
Our main gang, they’re not children anymore. And that might throw some people off who have been here from the jump. But they were dealing with really adult things when they were children. And now the outside just reflects the inside. There’s also even more blatant queer realizations that we have to talk about alongside everything that’s happening with Holly and how El is really preparing for an epic showdown. Luckily she isn’t alone.
MORE: Already watched the next episode? Read our review of Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 2!
That Time Jump Actually Worked
Last time that we were in Hawkins it was 2022. They faced Vecna, lives were lost, Max became lost in the Upside Down, and the Upside Down started to leak into our world. And with so many things going on, it’s hard to follow that up. But I think that the time jump was ultimately the right decision. If we were going to get the little bits and bobs in the middle of them figuring out how to do the crawls, that would be another season on top of this one. And all of these actors are unfortunately ready to say goodbye to Stranger Things.
So what we get is a group of heroes who have created their own systems to find Vecna. Over 37 crawls they have slowly but surely tried to figure out where he is. And it’s kind of crazy that we’re not just directly jumping into the action. Vecna is hiding. And as a viewer, it makes me even more terrified for our cast of characters. Because the only reason that you hide if you’re the big bad, is if you’re planning something bigger. But instead of our party sitting down and waiting, they’ve started planning just in case.
I love how they’ve all come together in trusting each other in these kinds of military operations. You had Lucas and Mike at the tower helping Hopper get into the Upside Down. You also had Jonathan and Steve in the van tracking Hopper. And then don’t even get me started on Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Robin. I could watch a whole show about their shenanigans during these saving the world operations. And as much as I didn’t like Steve and Jonathan kind of vying for Nancy’s attention, it was a comedic break that I think the show needed. Because, it’s going to get dark, guys. Real dark.
MORE: Have your watched Stranger Things on Broadway? Because it’s soooo worth it! Read our review.
They’re All Adults Now 😭
As someone who remembers how tiny our party was in Season 1, it’s jarring to see them all grown up in Season 5. So much so that I kind of was really uncomfortable in the beginning of the episode. You had Dustin rightfully mad and trying to find his place in the world while still mourning Eddie. Then you have Will still dealing with the Vecna of it all while his mom holds him back from actually helping. Mike is just being all around pleasant and definitely giving me the vibes that he’s going to die. Lucas is over here making me cry playing “Running Up That Hill” so Max can find her way home. And El, she’s training.
All of this is to say that I’m kind of sad that they’re not those kids from Season 1. But I’m also infinitely proud. There’s something really curious that happens when you watch a group of actors or characters grow up. They kind of become part of your family. As they are part of my family, I just want them happy and healthy. But like I mentioned earlier, they are adults now. That innocence that they had in Season 1, it still faced the danger. But it feels like in Season 5 that innocence has been stripped away and they are seeing the raw reality of their world. And that moment in itself is sad.
El in particular, I feel for her. Yes, the training montage was a little cheesy there. But what else is she supposed to do? She has had trauma and trauma thrust upon her and she sees the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s why she got emotional when she was talking to Mike at the top of the station. She’s had sparks of hope and happiness interspersed throughout her life. But she’s never walked in the sun without fear. And if they defeat Vecna, she can do that. I just fear that Mike won’t be there when it happens. He’s giving “I’m going to die” vibes. Sorry…
MORE: We need to talk about the ending of Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 3. Read our review!
The Wheelers Are Suspicious…
Instead of giving Nancy her own section and then maybe Holly her own section, I’m just going to talk about the Wheelers in general. Because ever since Vecna showed Nancy that vision of what was going to happen to Hawkins, I’ve been on edge. You do not take a superpowered villain like Vecna, just give a little vision to an enemy and then go, “Ok, time to pop on home. See you later! Tell your friends!” That doesn’t happen. So the fact that he let her go and then is seemingly haunting Holly, that’s terrifying.
Now we know Miss Nancy can handle herself. I’m over the moon that Stranger Things continues reinforcing this idea that Nancy is a baddie. We loved seeing her direct this operation in “The Crawl.” And we loved it even more that she was handed the bullets and she was leading the charge to figure out what was happening at her house after Will’s warning. But something is wrong. Like I get that same sense Will does with his goosebumps on the back of his neck when I think about the Wheelers. Because they’re not just being spared because of the plot. Stranger Things is dropping intentional clues that something is amiss with them.
One of the biggest clues that something is weird with the Wheelers is Holly. She’s been floating around when it comes to Stranger Things in the background. But she’s never had this kind of focus. So when you combine it with everything that I fear with Nancy, Mike giving “I’m going to die” vibes but still here, and Holly having this mysterious “friend” visiting her, there’s purpose here. Vecna is coming for them. But he has specific plans for the Wheelers that go beyond their connection to El. It goes deeper than that. And I wonder if the show is going to connect Stranger Things on Broadway to the Wheelers. Cuz I watched it. But I’m still not connecting the pieces.
Let’s Talk About That LGBTQ+ Representation
I’m so happy that in the first couple of minutes of Stranger Things Season 5 we got Robin being unapologetically queer. She’s dedicating a song to her girlfriend Vickie and calling her “babe.” And it goes back to what I was saying earlier about the show dropping some light moments throughout the episode to balance out all the darkness. As a queer viewer myself, seeing this being put front and center is a statement. They’re showing that yes, there were happy lesbians in the ‘80s. They’re not a modern invention. And I appreciate Stranger Things giving us soft moments between Robin and Vickie more than they’ll ever understand.
Then there’s Will.
For the longest time everybody has had their gay inkling about Will. But I don’t think that the show has blatantly given it such focus until now. Because it’s something different to not understand your feelings for your friend of the same gender. And it’s another thing to actually see those kinds of same feelings in front of you. Even more so when the queer things that he is seeing are too queer people that look happy and in love. For some people that kind of love is obvious. For others it’s not. And it’s got to be terrifying to be dealing with Vecna, a military takeover, and then witnessing two people normalizing something that you maybe thought was otherworldly about yourself.
Unfortunately there isn’t enough queer media on our TV screens in 2025. So imagine what it was like in the ’80s? Because sometimes I feel like it’s a wasteland nowadays and if you told me to make a list of LGBTQ+ characters in major shows or in leading roles in 2025, it’s going to take me a second. So it’s believable that Stranger Things is having Will come to this shocking moment/realization where he sees Robin and Vickie kissing and the world didn’t end. The world’s going to end by Vecna’s hands probably. But in this moment of queer love, the world is okay. He’s okay.
Additional thoughts about Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 1 “The Crawl”:
- Steve is still the babysitter. The exasperation that he was feeling at Dustin and the comment about his tone. That’s his child.
- Robin really seems in her element when it comes to The Squawk and it reminds me of Bob in Stranger Things on Broadway. He did the radio show and it was an integral part of the play.
- Everything that’s happening with Holly is really reminding me of IT and Pennywise. It’s eerie and kind of disturbing. And I love it.
- Why did the military call that woman they caught a “burnout”?
- It was terrifying seeing Will in the Upside Down when he was freshly kidnapped in Season 1. But it does give me perspective as a viewer of the continued importance of music on Stranger Things. This isn’t something that popped up in Season 4. This is something that has always been there.
- Talking about music…
- That was Lucas playing music for Max in hopes that she would find her way home
- I’m okay
- Everything’s fine
- EVERYTHING ISN’T FINE!
- I’M CRYING!
- Max, come home!!!!!
Stranger Things Season 5 Episodes 1 through 4 are now available on Netflix.
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