Netflix has released the first five minutes of Stranger Things Season 5, taking viewers back to where the story first began. The opening scene is set in 1983, showing Will Byers alone in the Upside Down, six days after his initial disappearance. Rather than starting immediately after Season 4, the new season immerses fans in the eerie, quiet world tied to Will’s earliest encounters.
Titled “The Crawl,” the episode features a young Noah Schnapp as the 12-year-old Will, sitting in the Upside Down’s version of Castle Byers. Exhausted and frightened, he quietly sings “Should I Stay or Should I Go”, the same song his brother Jonathan introduced in Season 1, providing emotional grounding throughout the series.
The calm is soon shattered when a Demogorgon attacks. Will grabs a hunting rifle, recalling his early struggles, and attempts to defend himself. Despite climbing a tree, the creature drags him to Vecna’s lair, leading to a blackout that transitions the scene to the Hawkins library — now transformed into its Upside Down version. Vecna appears, holding Will suspended against the wall, and ominously declares, “At long last, we can begin… You and I, we’re going to do such beautiful things together,” as he snakes a vine into Will’s mouth.
This opening signals that Vecna’s influence stretches back to the earliest events of the series, not just Season 4, and hints that Will will remain central to the final arc.
According to Netflix’s Tudum, the official synopsis for Season 5 reads: “As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming, and with it, a darkness more powerful and deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone, the full party, standing together, one last time.”
Also Read: Stranger Things 5 Dialogues Tease Epic Showdown between Eleven and Vecna
The season will release in two parts: the first four episodes on November 26, three more on Christmas Day, and the series finale on December 31, with all episodes dropping at 8 PM ET. Season 5 promises to bring the ultimate showdown in Hawkins, closing the story of the beloved series.
