Stranger Things season 5 is already wasting two of its best characters, and the pressure is on to make sure they get their chance to shine. Looking back, it’s quite incredible to see how the cast of Stranger Things has expanded over the years; each season tends to introduce new characters, developing whole new dynamics. The focus still lies on the Hawkins kids, but they operate in a wider context than ever before.
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That means the pressure is on for Stranger Things season 5 to do justice to the show’s ever-expanding cast. It won’t be enough to give the Hawkins kids alone a last hurrah; viewers are deeply invested in everyone from Brett Gelman’s Murray to Gabriella Grace Pizzolo’s Suzie. The pressure is testament to the skilled writing, incredible casting, and phenomenal performances that the entire team have made; but unfortunately, it already looks as though two characters won’t receive the send-off they deserve.
Max Has Become One Of Stranger Things’ Best Characters
Introduced in season 2, Sadie Sink’s Max Mayfield has become one of the show’s best characters. The other Hawkins kids have relatively trouble-free (if sometimes dysfunctional) backgrounds, but Max comes from a family background that’s downright abusive. The complex relationship between Max and her step-brother Billy (played by Dacre Montgomery) has been an absolute highlight. Billy was an out-and-out villain, but Max’s reaction to his death shone a light on the love that exists even in such broken environments.
Stranger Things season 4 focused heavily on Max, who was targeted by Vecna because of her trauma. The Hawkins kids battled to save her from Vecna, culminating in a phenomenal scene in which she fled from Vecna’s presence to the epic Kate Bush song “Running up that Hill.” Max survived, but she was left badly injured.
That, unfortunately, is the problem. Stranger Things season 4 explored the consequences and repercussions of trauma, and Max has gone through even more now. Everything we’ve seen so far suggests Max will spend at least a few of the final season’s episodes in a coma, critically injured and psychically traumatized because of Vecna’s attack. It’s a devastating fate for a character who’s noted for her physicality and dynamism, and it means season 5 is beginning on a very disappointing note for Max.
Robin, Too, Risks Being Wasted In Stranger Things Season 5
Maya Hawke made her Stranger Things debut in season 3, playing Robin Buckley, a colleague of Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington. A delightfully whimsical character, the dynamic between Robin and Steve was an absolute highlight of that season; each helped the other grow, and the scene in which Robin revealed she’s attracted to girls was so delightfully well done. The two stayed together for much of season 4, working with the kids against Vecna.
Robin is a fantastic character, and season 4 experimented with her by placing her alongside Natalia Dyer’s Nancy Wheeler. Again, the highlight was an awkward conversation – one in which Robin tried to reassure Nancy that she and Steve weren’t an item. As great as this scene was, though, none of the dynamics worked quite as well as the ones where Robin and Steve shared a scene together; the two actors know how to bounce off one another, elevating any shared moment.
This, too, is a problem. The Stranger Things season 5 trailers suggest the Hawkins characters will be scattered on their own sub-missions (a common narrative trick for the show). Robin seems separated from Steve quite a bit, and she’s actually hardly in the marketing at all. It can only be hoped that the trailer is concealing more than it reveals, and that Robin gets her chance to shine.
Has Stranger Things Grown A Little Too Big For Season 5?
This, ultimately, is the problem with Stranger Things season 5. Netflix’s biggest TV show is, in a sense, a victim of its own success; the writers have done such a good job handling an ever-expanding cast that they’re now facing their greatest challenge to date. The focus naturally has to remain on the Hawkins kids, but so many other excellent characters deserve a spotlight too.
It’s very hard for a show of such cultural significance to stick the landing with its final season. The failures are infamous; nobody can ever forget Game of Thrones, where the ending marred an epic fantasy show. The Duffer brothers will be desperate not to make sure everything works out, and to do that, they need more than just an epic narrative; they need character moments, scenes that draw a satisfying close to arcs that have been five seasons in the making. It remains to be seen whether they can pull it off.
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