The creators of Stranger Things have revealed the four episodes you need to rewatch tonight before season five, volume one releases tomorrow.
The fifth and final season of the Netflix show is set to release its first four episodes this evening in the US and in the early hours of tomorrow in the UK, however, many fans have completely forgotten the plot in the last three years.
Stranger Things may be beloved by fans, but many have taken to social media to complain that the long wait between seasons has led them to forget major plot threads.
Thankfully, the Duffer Brothers, who created the show, have narrowed things down to just four episodes of TV you need to watch before the show kicks off in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
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This not only means you can narrow down which episodes you need to watch before the episodes release, but also potentially reveals major plot beats in season five based on what they consider to be vital to rewatch.
A season two episode which hints huge role Will is going to play in season five
Despite the entire first season revolving around finding Will, the seasons that followed have not always focused massively on his character.
The Duffer Brothers, however, recommended watching season two, episode four, titled Will The Wise.
This episode focuses largely on Will and his continued recovery from his kidnapping at the hands of the Upside Down and Venca.
It sees Noah Schnapp’s character struggling as the roots of the Mind Flayer take hold inside of him, leaving him at times completely motionless with his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Another major plot point in the episode reveals Eleven’s mother, Terry Ives, who is in a permanent state of catatonia.
Another season two episode points to a potentially awful fate for Will in new episodes
The second episode recommended to rewatch from season two points in a terrible direction for Will and his fate in season five.
Season two, episode six, titled The Spy, was the second the Duffer Brothers recommended fans rewatch, and the focus on Will continues to be clear.
In The Spy, one of the major plot points surrounds Will being taken to the Hawkins lab after falling unconscious and convulsing, where they begin trying to figure out what’s wrong with him.
Whilst there, they investigate his connections to the mind flayer, even showing him in agonising pain after they burn one of its tendrils in front of him.
One of the scenes which may prove relevant saw Joyce questioning scientists over what would happen if Will ‘loses all of himself’, something they are unable to answer.
The early trailers from season five have shown Vecna seeming to control Will, so we may finally get the answer to what happens when Will loses all of himself.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Duffer said: “Season two is when we really started to build out the mythology and started to dive into everything, and how this was going to be an ongoing [series].
“That’s where we started to really plant the seeds for the mythology, and I think probably that’s why that is as relevant as it is.”
Two major episodes of season four are must-rewatch viewing for Stranger Things fans
Two of the last episodes recommended by the Duffer Brothers are the final two episodes of season four, episode eight and episode nine, titled The Massacre at Hawkins Lab and The Piggyback.
The Duffer Brothers have spoken about the importance of the Upside Down lore revealed in these two episodes, particularly scenes between Eleven and Henry (who would go on to become Vecna) in episode seven.
They said: “Season four is… highly relevant — Massacre at Hawkins Lab is a good one.
“That [episode] starts unveiling some of the Upside Down mythology and starts giving some answers, and, of course, all the stuff with Henry (Bower) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) continues to resonate throughout season five. Those are some good ones to revisit.”
Stranger Things season five volume one releases in the UK November 27, at 1am. Volume two will release Christmas Day, and the finale releases New Year’s Eve.
Topics: Stranger Things, Netflix, TV, TV and Film
Michael Slavin