Chrissy Vs. Strangers Things Season 5 Episode 1 “Chapter One, The Crawl”

Canadian Correspondent Chrissy is too nice to spoil Stranger Things, but she will tell you what she thought of the first episode of season 5!

WE REITERATE: Spoiler Free Review!

This is the beginning of the end of Stranger Things, Netflix’s revolutionary horror Sci Fi mega hit show that has become a juggernaut of a franchise.

Chapter One, The Crawl, is where the journey begins. The Duffer Brothers had a tall order while writing the first episode. It’s been a little over three years since the last part of Season Four aired. Remember the summer of 2022; when we all became Kate Bush fans all over again? Remember what happened to Max or, even worse, to Eddie Munson?

It’s been a year and a half since the season four events went down in Hawkins, Indiana, and the once idyllic town has changed.

The show uses the first episode to catch viewers up. There are some big exposition plot devices used to do this. For instance, Maya Hawke’s Robin is now a radio DJ who loves to talk. Which is a great way for the writers to address the town of Hawkins and in turn  the viewers of Stranger Things.

We find out that Hawkins is under military quarantine and the events of season four. We learn that the gang are still searching for Vecna, and we learn they are still reeling from what’s happened to them and to their friends. Stranger Things has always been a show about friendship.

One of the major bones of contention that has been discussed in online chatter leading up to Season five is the age of the kids. The actors have naturally aged a normal human amount since 2016. This puts them at about five years older than the characters that they are currently playing in 2025.

 If I am being honest this was kind of hard to ignore. Seeing the core four; MIke, Lucas, Dustin and Will wandering the halls of Hawkins High and dealing with Bullies was a tad distracting. I couldn’t help but wonder why they didn’t time jump to 1990 or beyond, as much as that might have complicated the storyline.

I am hoping as the episodes go on I lose myself in the show enough not make this so glaringly obvious. On a positive note, Eleven, played by the now married Millie Bobby Brown’s maturity  actually works for her character. Eleven possesses a strength and self-assurance that really lends itself to where I suspect her story is going.

All this to say, I’m all in for the upcoming season. The first four episodes dropped tonight, Wednesday November 26 as I write this review, and two more blocks of episodes will come on Christmas Day and New Years Eve respectively.  I don’t just plan to watch but I’m super pumped to cover those final episodes here on Memento More Ink!

Did you watch? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Chrissy Winters is a writer who lives surrounded by golden wheat fields and swaying soybeans in rural Ontario, Canada.  A graduate of Simon Fraser University’s The Writers Studio, Chrissy is a wife and mother of three and dog mom of two.  She loves creating characters, reviewing books, film and television and is fueled by exercise and coffee. Connect with her on Instagram @chrissyreadsandwrites.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.