Stranger Things 5 had a lot of weight on its shoulders. Not only did the season have to conclude the decade-spanning series’ dense storyline, but it also had to somehow raise the stakes of Season 4, which was one of the largest-budgeted television seasons of all time. With all the pressure the show had to succeed, did it live up to it? In some ways, it absolutely did, but in others, it ran into some of the show’s most significant fatal flaws.

The season once again follows our leading group of characters, but this time, they are more united than ever. After the tragedies of season four, which left Hawkins isolated and under military rule, the season sees the characters band together to sneak into the Upside Down and kill Vecna, who has been hiding since nearly being killed last season. With many planned and failed missions, things soon take a darker turn once Holly Wheeler, the younger sister of Mike and Nancy, encounters a mysterious figure, Mr. Whatsit.

One aspect of the prior seasons that left more to be desired was the characters being split up. Seeing these characters, played excellently by the entire ensemble, bounce off each other made for many of the show’s bright spots. While season five has many moments in which the characters are split into different groups, they are much more united this time around, giving the show a stronger focus. The interconnecting storylines of season four gave the season a signature appeal, but season five shows that the show is much stronger when the characters are all together.

What makes this show so popular with fans is the characters, and Stranger Things 5 is filled with excellent character development. Although some characters, such as Joyce and Mike, aren’t given much substance in this season, many characters get a major boost. Dustin turns from a lovable comedic character to someone with deep emotion. Seeing him grapple with Eddie’s death made for many potent moments in the season, with an argument with Steve in the later episodes standing as one of his strongest moments as a character. Teased in the previous season, Will is promoted to main character status, turning from the damsel-in-distress/vessel for Vecna into a powerful badass. Although there isn’t much to take away from Will outside of his tie-ins with the Upside Down, it was pleasant to see his character get so much of an upgrade compared to the previous seasons.

Nancy is easily one of the most underrated characters in the entire show, and what they did with her is arguably the best out of any other character in the show. Starting out as a shy high-school student worried about her grades, she has since become a strong-willed, independent woman who does right by herself. One of her biggest intellectual issues revolves around her relationship with Johnathan, which has been rocky since season three. The way the show develops their relationship in season five is brilliant, finding the perfect path for both characters in an emotionally satisfying manner. A scene involving the two lashing out about what they don’t like about each other stands as one of the best scenes in the series, mostly thanks to the strong writing given to the characters.

Despite what one may hear on the internet, Stranger Things has always had corny dialogue, and season five continues on that pattern. From characters finishing each other’s sentences to one-liners occurring during significant action moments, the dialogue is over-the-top in all the right ways. If characters were speaking these lines in a show set in the present, it would come off as off-putting, but because the show’s thesis is being an ’80s throwback spectacle, the cheesy writing gives the series an enjoyable charm. For a show involving monsters and interdimensional space travel, it would be disappointing if it didn’t have corny lines of dialogue.

The finale is, luckily, full of satisfying moments, especially in the epilogue. Seeing how each character ends up and their potential future made for many tear-jerking moments. From romantic relationships growing stronger to reminiscing about the past, nearly every character is given an ending that suits them perfectly. However, there is one character that the season takes a major risk on, which I found did not work in the slightest.

Eleven turns into a superhero in Stranger Things 5, with her introduction featuring a variety of levitation jumps and flips. This was the perfect way to tease her capabilities in the later episodes of the season. While her character’s build-up had many highlights, how the writers handled her by the end is extremely weak. Instead of having a straightforward arc, she is given an open-ended development, allowing the audience decide for themselves what actually occurred with her. Leaving aspects open-ended isn’t always a flaw, but in Eleven’s case, it feels as if the writers were afraid to do anything controversial with her, which made for a disappointing finale that ruined specific sequences.

Sadly, Eleven’s arc wasn’t the only weak aspect of the season. The writing itself is a significant step down from previous seasons, repeating exact sequences and plot beats to a frustrating degree. Similar to Avatar: Fire and Ash, the show has its own formula: characters come up with a plan to stop the antagonist, their plans go wrong, and they have to start over. Season five once again has these aspects, but now that we are five seasons and 10 years deep, this formula is becoming stale. Especially because the prior seasons introduced new styles and scales of storytelling, their renowned style comes across as especially worn out in this season.

Although the repeated structure left a sour taste in my mouth, easily the weakest element of Stranger Things 5 is the lack of stakes. Despite having a larger budget than the last season and introducing new aspects of the Upside Down, the danger never felt present, especially in Volume Two of the season. Characters surviving impossible situations, conveniences happening left and right, and the repetitious screenplay made the season lack tension almost entirely at times. There were only a handful of moments when characters truly felt in danger, with the peaks of these moments occurring in the first few episodes. This was the most apparent in episode seven, which never felt like it was building to a series finale. Instead of feeling as if the characters are fighting their biggest battle yet, episode seven made it appear that the group of protagonists was fighting any other battle, which was extremely disheartening.

Although there were tons of downsides to Stranger Things 5, and it may be the weakest season of the series, there are still tons of highlights and fun character dynamics that make this season worth watching as a whole. While there may be a few rough patches, seeing these characters conclude in such a fulfilling way made the hilly journey more than worth it.

Stranger Things 5 is now streaming all eight episodes on Netflix

Rating: 7/10