After years of anticipation, the end is finally here. Stranger Things 5, Volume 1—consisting of the first four episodes of the final season—doesn’t waste any time on slow-burn mysteries. Instead, it hits the gas and never lets up, delivering a dark, high-stakes setup for the series finale. While some of the lighthearted D&D nostalgia and early-season charm take a backseat this time around, this installment doubles down on cinematic action and a game-changing twist that fans have been theorizing about for years. Since its 2016 debut, this Netflix hit has kept the world hooked, and from “The Vanishing of Will Byers” to the recent premiere of “Sorcerer” on November 26th, it’s clear the show hasn’t lost its grip on its audience.

Volume 1 drops us right back into Hawkins under military quarantine. Vecna has succeeded in tearing a hole between our world and the Upside Down, turning the town into ground zero for the apocalypse. The real strength of these first four episodes is seeing the entire ensemble—Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Hopper, Joyce, Nancy, and the rest—finally working together as one tactical unit. We’re past the days of three separate plotlines scattered across the globe. Now, everyone is together, hiding underground and planning an all-out war against both Vecna and the paranoid U.S. military hunting for Eleven.

Despite the explosions and Demogorgon fights, the emotional heart of this volume is definitely Will Byers. The Duffer Brothers use a gut-wrenching Season 1 flashback to finally explain Will’s psychic connection to Vecna, revealing that the monster didn’t just target him—he chose him. This storyline leads to a massive, jaw-dropping moment in Episode 4. After four seasons of feeling like a victim or an anchor, the cliffhanger finally puts the power back in Will’s hands. Seeing him transform from the party’s “Wizard” into a legitimate force to be reckoned with is a payoff that feels completely earned, and it perfectly resets the stakes for the final battle. The final episodes will drop on Christmas Eve with the finale premiering on New Years Eve.