Character arcs and glaring plotholes: Stranger Things’ last season delivered hits and misses

After three years of waiting, Stranger Things Season 5 finally arrived on Netflix.

There were eight episodes split into three volumes, with the series finale arriving on New Year’s Eve. I watched the season the second it came out — and I have to say it delivered some of the best the show has offered.

The story this time around was very detailed and complex, which I loved. I also noticed the character dynamics were different from previous seasons, which honestly made the show better. The standouts for me were Dustin and Steve and Hopper and Eleven.

Although shown throughout the series, the relationships and friendships between the characters were a much larger focus this season — and fans appreciated this. 

My favourite scene was from the episode “Chapter Seven: The Bridge,” where Henry faced his fears and went into the cave. I have to admit that scene actually scared me. It probably scared many others, too, just because of how unexpected it was. 

Speaking of, Henry was by far the best character this season. Everything about him was perfect: his delivery, backstory, dialogue, and authenticity. All his scenes were immersive, and he conveyed his emotion very well. 

As much as I loved the show, there were some major drawbacks. The acting in Season 5 was a major downgrade — and so was the bad dialogue. There were some good parts, but nothing compared to the previous seasons. A lot of the conversations between characters felt too forced and extremely unnecessary.

I think it’s because there were one too many jokes in this season and they were all delivered at the worst times — and psst, I’m writing of scenes with Robin when I say this! I get it’s just her personality, but I think the writers should have dialed it back a bit.

When it came to the acting, a lot of it was believable, but there were a few characters that showed almost no emotion (we all know it’s Mike). 

I was relieved to find out that I wasn’t the only one who didn’t feel fully satisfied with the final episode — thousands of people online felt that way, too.

The episode seemed surprisingly basic compared to the overall complexity of Stranger Things, especially considering it was wrapping up the entire series. It also felt a bit rushed and should have been more impactful, particularly the fight between Eleven and Vecna since they have so much history.

Another thing I noticed this season was the amount of plot holes, probably the most out of any of the previous seasons. In Seasons 1 and 2, anyone who entered the Upside Down had to wear a hazmat suit, since the air was toxic. In Season 5, however, they wear no protection whatsoever.

Also, Henry went to high school with Joyce, Hopper, and the other parents, but that doesn’t line up with the fact that he is much younger than them. He also spent a lot of his childhood in the Hawkins National Laboratory.

But one of the biggest anomalies is Holly’s age. In Season 1, Holly was only 3 years old, but in Season 5, she is clearly much older than seven, the age she should be based on the series’ timeline. The showrunners apparently lowered Holly’s age to around 10, which doesn’t line up. 

Even with all the bad acting, terrible dialogue, and endless plotholes, I still very much enjoyed this season. I would rate it 7.5/10.