In 2016, Stranger Things debuted on Netflix and quickly became the most popular show on the streamer.
It’s taken nearly a decade to get five seasons out of that horror/sci-fi series, but the conclusion of the show begins later this week with the debut of Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1.
Unless you have an absolutely open schedule, there’s not enough time to binge-watch all four seasons ahead of time.
However, Watch With Us has selected five Stranger Things episodes you should watch before season 5 arrives.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 1, Episode 6 — “The Monster”
Unlike the season finales, The Monster is more of a personal turning point for the characters. Before this episode, Steve (Joe Keery) was a stereotypical high school jock, and he even gets into a fist fight with Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) because he mistakenly believes that the latter is having an affair with his girlfriend, Nancy (Natalia Dyer). Steve loses the fight, but it completely changes his outlook. This is the beginning of his face turn and his transition towards becoming a fan-favorite character.
It was also a very pivotal episode for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), as Sheriff Jim Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) discover the fate of her mother and how she came to have such incredible mental powers. The conclusion gives Eleven a real superhero moment when she saves Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) from certain death and makes sure that the bullies won’t ever try to do that to him again.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 2, Episode 9 — “The Gate”
According to Hopper, mornings are for “coffee and contemplation.” But on this show, the season finales are for cinematic spectacle. The Gate raises the stakes from the previous season’s finale by leveling up the threat from the Mind Flayer as it uses Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) as its conduit to our world. Luckily, Eleven has also gotten a better handle on her powers, as seen in the scene above when she closes off the portal to the Upside Down.
There’s some fun camaraderie between the kids at the school dance in the epilogue, as well as the ominous shot of the Mind Flayer observing them from the Upside Down. The show previously led us to believe that the Mind Flayer was the mastermind behind the Upside Down’s incursions into our reality before Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) came to the forefront in season 4. But since we’re heading into the final season, it seems inevitable that the Mind Flayer will show up again.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 3, Episode 8 — “The Battle of the Starcourt Mall”
The Mind Flayer had an even bigger presence in season 3, especially through its possession of Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery), the disturbed stepbrother of Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink). By the time the third season finale arrived, the Mind Flayer seemed poised for victory. Eleven was stripped of her powers and the Mind Flayer found its way into our world.
Amidst the horror, the show hilariously gives Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) and his long-distance girlfriend, Suzie Bingham (Gabriella Pizzolo), a musical interlude as they sing the theme song of The Never-Ending Story. That moment of levity is balanced out by the grim conclusion that includes the death of Billy and the apparent demise of Hopper. If Hopper had turned out to be really be dead, this would have been an epic sendoff.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 4, Episode 4 — “Dear Billy”
This was the episode where Sadie Sink’s Max went from just another one of the kids to being the heart and soul of the show. After being tormented by visions of Vecna, Max is so sure she’s going to die that she pens letters to the people she loves, including her late stepbrother, Billy. When Vecna finally comes to claim her life, Max’s friends save her by playing Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” which made that song a hit again decades after its debut. It’s a beautifully executed sequence that instantly went viral.
The non-Max scenes in this episode are also noteworthy and could set up the finale. In the ’80s, Robert Englund would have played Freddy Krueger or some other Vecna-like character. But in this episode, his character, Victor Creel, is a haunted and sympathetic man who relates the death of his family decades earlier. It all ties back to Vecna, and it seems likely to be important intel for season 5.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 4, Episode 9 — “The Piggyback”
Were you looking for a happy ending? You won’t find it in the fourth season finale, The Piggyback. Eleven gets her rematch with Vecna, but not in time to save Max from dying at his hands. The results of Eleven’s attempt to resuscitate Max remain unclear heading into season 5, but there’s a much bigger problem. Eleven won the fight with Vecna, but lost the war. The Upside Down has broken through into Hawkins, and fixing that may be beyond her abilities.
This episode also allowed Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) to make a hero’s sacrifice by playing an impromptu heavy metal concert inside the Upside Down to distract the murderous creatures. Quinn went on to a movie career, appearing in films like A Quiet Place: Day One and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. However, Justin remains haunted by Eddie’s death, and those feelings of grief will linger in season 5.
Stranger Things seasons 1-4 are streaming on Netflix. Season 5 vol. 1 begins on November 26 at 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST.
