The first half of “Stranger Things” season five is out now and the world is buzzing. The fan base is already anticipating for second half that will be released on Christmas day, with more episodes coming on New Years Eve. “Stranger Things” has been an integral part of pop culture for almost a decade and everyone is finally ready for the last season. In this article, two members of the Buzz staff and fans of the series will give their outlook and opinions regarding the season so far.
(WARNING: Spoilers Ahead)
Mara Kuroda
Mara Kuroda (Entertainment Editor and a Senior in High School) started watching Stranger Things in the 6th grade and has been eager to watch how everything turns out for about five years. Kuroda finally watched it the night it came out and has some very interesting “hot takes” on the first part of the season.
Mara Kuroda absolutely loved the season and believes it is better than the last season. This is because it felt more like seasons one, two and three. Kuroda also thought that the episodes had campy, 80’s horror movie vibes such as Friday the 13th and Halloween. She really enjoyed seeing all of the character growth that was shown throughout the new season. Eleven is speaking in full sentences and is actually fighting back when she disagrees with a plan. Nancy is also focusing on finding her sister instead of focusing on a love triangle. Since Kuroda grew up with a parent in the visual effects community, she has a great appreciation for the effects that went into the season, with the upside down and the demogorgon.
However, Kuroda did have some complaints about the season. Kuroda thought that they changed Dustin’s character too much and hates how Steve and him are fighting for no reason. Kuroda also thought that Steve is reverting back to season one “meat head” personality when it came to talking to Johnathan and competing for Nancy’s love. Kuroda also was confused on the demogorgons capability and the strength it has when fighting people. Mara also doesn’t like how they introduce a new character each season that will eventually die at the end. For example Barb died in season one, Bob died in season two, Billy died in season three, and Eddie died in season four. Her prediction is that Derick will die at the end, and it’s becoming more and more predictable as the seasons move along.
Aaron Koch
Senior at Damascus High School and pop culture enthusiast, Aaron Koch is an avid viewer of Stranger Things. He remembers watching the show in 8th and 9th grade after a good friend recommended the show to him. Originally planning to watch the fifth season after the whole bundle has been released at the start of the new year, Aaron was given an offer to write an article about the new season of Stranger things to which he jumped at the opportunity. In preparation for this task, Aaron binge watched the first half of the season until one o’clock in the morning because he was unaware that they would start the next day. After this experience, Aaron is inclined to give his opinions regarding the season.
Aaron enjoyed the fifth season to some extent, he enjoyed the retro 80s look of the show, and the narrative that came with it. For the final season of Stranger Things, they did a great job emphasizing the urgency of what was happening, the children being taken by the demogorgons, Henry/Vecna amassing an army, and the sense of mystery when the giant wall in the upside down was discovered. Aaron also respected the growth of character that each of the characters go through so everyone could cooperate and achieve their common goal of taking down Vecna once and for all.
Overall, Aaron thought that the first installment fifth season was decent. He is hesitant to give a general analysis of the season as a whole because only half has been released. Thus far they have done a good job in the making of this season, he looks forward to the conclusion of the decade long series.
