The cast of “Stranger Things” Season 5 was large. The ensemble cast nearly doubled in size from Season 3 to Season 5. Many fans were frustrated, however, because they felt that their favorite character was snubbed for screen time or underutilized. Although this challenge to character screen time may be due to the limited episode count and the runtime of each episode, it has begun to seem like the Duffer brothers have trapped themselves in a difficult corner. Just emerging from the 2023 WGA and SAG strike, they needed to produce an 8-10 episode season.
The Duffers could’ve really developed the characters more, and used more time in earlier seasons doing that. It is clear to see what films were inspirations for the brothers’ plot and story: E.T., Terminator, Akira, and Alien are just a few to name. The writing is very reminiscent of eighties style, but nostalgia doesn’t guarantee good writing. And, as fans of Steven King, the Duffer brothers should know that nostalgia can be horrifying when it comes with bliss and ignorance.
But these movies succeeded because their characters grow and learn, and we as viewers watch that growth. It feels as if the characters’ growth in “Stranger Things” happens off-screen. Why are Will and Max friends now? What created the demogorgans and demodogs that should’ve been in the Abyss? It’s all unknown until the next Duffer’s interview.
It seems that the Duffer brothers utilized an era of uncertainty and fear in the earlier seasons, leaning on nostalgia as the background, to throw these misfit characters into a world much fitting for the time. The first two seasons were very gritty and colder than the other two; season three seems to be a shift in tone and style, adding more color and nostalgia to the mix with more references and music.
In the documentary “One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things Season 5”, the Duffer brothers talk about their journey as writers and directors. They claim that they had to find their own creative voice and use it, and that, when they were younger, they typically followed what they believed other people would want. The documentary follows the production for the final season. Costume designer Amy Peris, set director Jess Royal and all the other production designers put in incredible work to create the world of “Stranger Things”, but the world can only do so much to carry the story.
Sophomore Andreana Butler is a Contributing Writer. Her email is abutler1@fandm.edu.