The Screening Lounge

Stranger Things Season 5, Part 1: The Beginning of the End

The Screening Lounge Season 1 Episode 23

Stranger Things is finally back — and Danielle and Christy dive straight into the opening episodes of Season 5, Part 1. They get into the new mystery threads, the emotional character arcs, the 80’s nostalgia, and the deeper lore shaping the final season.

Then they unpack the biggest theories and what the Duffer brothers wants us to believe. 

Key Themes:

  • Trauma, memory, and the maze inside Henry Creel
  • Found family and redemption arcs
  • The parents’ past and hidden sins
  • Fate, prophecy, and the mystery of the clock
  • What the Upside Down actually wants

Why We Loved This Episode

Season 5 Part 1 is rich with theories, callbacks, emotional beats, and eerie parallels. Danielle and Christy break down every clue — from Holly’s golden cape to Oklahoma  — and unpack the storytelling magic that makes Stranger Things the cultural phenomenon it is.

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