Each drop feels intentional, like it’s giving us time to let go, one volume at a time.
The gates to the Upside Down are staying open just a little longer. After nearly a decade of nosebleeds, Demogorgons, and late-night binges, Stranger Things is finally wrapping up and it’s doing so in the most dramatic way possible. Netflix confirmed during its 2025 Tudum fan event that Season 5, the show’s last, will roll out in three parts across the biggest holidays of the year.
The beginning of the end drops on November 26, just in time for Thanksgiving. The second volume is on December 25, which means our Christmas plans now involve a little emotional damage and a lot of nostalgia. And the finale, the last chapter in Hawkins, will stream on December 31, New Year’s Eve, closing out both the show and the year.
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Hawkins is still falling apart
Set in the fall of 1987, the new season picks up after the chaos of Season 4. The town is in pieces. The Rifts are open. And Vecna, though wounded, is still very much alive. The group, finally all back in the same place, knows what’s at stake. This is it. This is the last fight.
Netflix’s official synopsis tells it all clearly: “The final battle is looming and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone—the full party—standing together, one last time.” It’s not subtle. Stranger Things is ending, and it wants us to feel every second of it.
The teaser, which aired during Tudum showed flashes of past seasons cut with quick, moody shots of what’s to come ending with Will Byers screaming “Run!” at something just offscreen. That single line is already doing numbers online.
Who’s back and who’s new to join the pack?
The full cast is returning for Season 5. Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Finn Wolfhard as Mike, Noah Schnapp as Will, Sadie Sink as Max, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Winona Ryder as Joyce, David Harbour as Hopper, Joe Keery as Steve, Natalia Dyer as Nancy, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan, Maya Hawke as Robin, Priah Ferguson as Erica, Brett Gelman as Murray, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna.
The biggest addition this season is Linda Hamilton. Yes, Terminator’s Sarah Connor, still in an undisclosed role. Is she a scientist? A villain? Eleven’s long-lost relative? No one’s saying yet, but her role is sure to be something big, if not, maybe pivotal.
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Let’s talk about that Season 4 ending because we’re still not over it
Season 4 didn’t just end, it detonated. Eddie Munson died a hero, shredding Metallica in the Upside Down before being taken out by demobats. Max was left comatose. Hawkins split open, literally, as the town began merging with the Upside Down. And Vecna, though seemingly defeated, survived and started spreading darkness across Hawkins.
The final scenes showed the group reunited, staring into a town that no longer felt like home. It was clear then that Season 5 isn’t just about closing a chapter. It’s about surviving the ending.
It was never just a show
When Stranger Things came out in 2016, it felt like a small show that quietly pulled people in. It brought back old songs, made Dungeons & Dragons cool again, and turned a bunch of young actors into stars we grew up with. But it stuck around because it had heart. It talked about friendship, fear, grief even with all the monsters and sci-fi, it always came back to the people and how much they meant to each other.
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I was lucky enough to see some of the cast at AsiaPOP Comic Con in Manila. Watching them in real life and now seeing how far they’ve come makes me emotional too. I started this show as a fan in 2016, not knowing it would stick with me this long. Seeing it end this way? It’s emotional in the most bittersweet kind of way.
The Duffer Brothers and Netflix know what it means to fans. That’s why they’re not rushing the ending. Each drop feels intentional, like it’s giving us time to let go, one volume at a time.
The final battle starts soon
There are eight episodes total and considering Season 4’s final episode ran over two hours, it’s safe to expect something similarly unhinged. So yeah, we’ll definitely scream with Will but we’re definitely not going to run because our eyes will be glued to the screen for this epic finale.
