Stranger Things Season 5 Has a Surprising Upside Down Twist (& I’m Not Sure It Makes Sense)

Stranger Things Season 5 is just a few weeks away, and the series promises a big Upside Down twist in its final outing — though it doesn’t make sense, given where it left off. Stranger Things‘ fifth and final season will release in three parts, the first of which premieres on Netflix on November 26. The stakes are high after the gang’s showdown with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) at the end of Season 4. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her friends may temporarily defeat the villain, but Will’s (Noah Schnapp) ominous conversation with Mike (Finn Wolfhard) promises his return.

The final moments of the outing also see the Upside Down bleeding into the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in a more noticeable way than ever before. The mysterious dimension splits the town, leaving those residing there mourning loved ones and the home they once knew. This detail from Stranger Things Season 4’s ending is sure to have serious consequences in Season 5. And we now have an idea of how the government will respond. Their reaction will prove an intriguing addition to the final season, but it’s at odds with what we’ve already seen.

Stranger Things Season 5 Will Introduce A Quarantine Zone For The Upside Down

According to Time‘s set report for Stranger Things Season 5, the upcoming episodes will continue a series trend: the Hawkins gang fighting battles on multiple fronts. Not only will they be tasked with defeating Vecna in the coming episodes, but they’ll be dealing with a military quarantine that threatens to get in the way of that goal. The quarantine is a response to the now-open portal between the Upside Down and Earth. And after what we’ve seen of the Netflix series’ world, it’s not wholly unexpected.

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The military proves an obstacle for Eleven and her friends on multiple occasions throughout Stranger Things‘ first four seasons, regularly hindering the group through its attempts to conceal the truth of the Upside Down. The military forces Eleven into hiding early on, and it goes to great lengths to ensure the public’s ignorance of what’s happening. On that level, it makes sense that it would try to contain the growing threat of the other dimension. Unfortunately, the last scene of Season 4 pokes holes in this twist, as the Upside Down appears beyond containment.

Why This Upside Down Reveal Makes No Sense After Season 4’s Ending

Although Stranger Things Season 5’s quarantine twist fits with the military’s actions over the last four outings, it doesn’t add up after the Season 4 finale. The imagery of the Upside Down splitting Hawkins implies a much larger takeover, as does the final scene of the season. The characters witness the sky darkening over Hawkins, ash falling from above, and greenery dying as the dimension spreads. Nearly every major character sees it, whether they’re home, volunteering, or hiding out in the woods.

The fact that everyone we know in Hawkins witnesses the breach implies that it’s everywhere, something that doesn’t align with the possibility of a quarantine. The massive scale of the damage would be difficult to keep under wraps, and it looks huge as it’s happening. It’s possible this level of spectacle is simply there to ramp up excitement for the final episodes. However, it raises questions about how the military could ever hope to contain such damage. It’s also a tad disappointing after being led to believe the threat throughout Season 5 would be much bigger.

Season 5’s Quarantine Zone Solves One Stranger Things Problem Before It Ends

Stranger Things Season 5’s quarantine doesn’t square with the level of damage seen at the end of season 4, but it does solve a problem that’s prominent throughout the series. After its beloved first season, Stranger Things expands the scope of its world, repeatedly taking the characters — and thus, the viewers — outside of Hawkins. The show even brings Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) to Russia in its most recent batch of episodes, its most glaring shift away from the small-town horror it started out as.

With Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer telling The Guardian that Season 5 would be “like Season 1 on steroids,” it makes sense to tighten the focus. The small-town charm is part of what makes the series so compelling, and the final chapters should honor that. It would also be difficult to have the Hawkins gang save the entire world with just a single outing left. The Netflix series would need to show the impact of the Upside Down all over, which would take precious time away from the storylines already in play.

So, while the quarantine feels like an inconsistency after Season 4’s final images, it could be for the best that the series is pursuing such a narrative. It will keep our favorite characters where it all started, bringing the story full circle and ensuring its conclusion doesn’t get too unwieldy.

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