Stranger Things Season 5 gave the Hawkins gang a bittersweet send-off six months ago, and the Netflix show’s final batch of episodes feature many moving parts. Most of them were included in Matt and Ross Duffer’s plans early on, but there’s one narrative they added later. They revealed as much in Stranger Things‘ new July 2026 release. Out on July 14, Stranger Things: The Complete Scripts, Season 5 is giving fans of the show the chance to read the final episodes rather than watching them on-screen.
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The book of scripts also kicks off with an exclusive introduction written by the Duffer Brothers, during which they reflect on closing things out after 10 years. Over three pages, they discuss the hardest scenes to write and why they chose to end the series with Season 5. They also reveal why they added one Season 5 storyline that wasn’t a part of their original pitch. Their explanation makes perfect sense, and the addition adds to the final season — and its very last scene — in truly compelling ways.
Stranger Things Season 5’s Holly Story Wasn’t Part of the Duffers’ Original Plan
Holly Wheeler is very young and relegated to the sidelines when Stranger Things opens, and she stays there for much of the series. However, Stranger Things Season 5 recasts the role with Nell Fisher, and it gives Holly a much bigger part to play. According to the introduction of Stranger Things: The Complete Scripts, Season 5, this wasn’t always the plan. When the Duffers first pitched the final season, it’s one of the few aspects of the final product that was missing.
It’s hard to imagine now, as Holly’s disappearance plays such a pivotal role in Stranger Things‘ final episodes. She’s the link that connects so much of the plot, giving the Hawkins gang renewed fervor to pursue Vecna — and making it so that they’re eventually able to reconnect with Max. The majority of Season 5’s storylines revolve around her, and reading the Duffers’ reason for expanding her arc, that central role makes sense. They decided on her disappearance when looking for a way to link things together. Here’s how that panned out.
Why Matt and Ross Duffer Added the Vanishing of Holly Wheeler to the Final Chapter
According to the Duffers, they “felt that something was missing” from their original Stranger Things Season 5 pitch — and that’s what led to the brainstorming that resulted in Holly’s storyline. They had a couple of major problems with the original setup, most notably that they wanted it to feel more like the first outing. The Duffers have talked in the past about making Season 5 more like the initial chapter. They even told The Guardian it would be “like season one on steroids” back in 2023. It seems bringing Holly and her friends into the fray was a step toward achieving that. They wrote:
“For one, Max was drifting around Vecna’s mindscape with no one to talk to and no direct connection to the plot, but most worryingly, it didn’t quite evoke the feeling of Season 1. For answers, we turned to our final scene, to the image of Holly and her friends — the next generation — pounding down those basement steps. Then, an idea: What if Holly became a major character and was taken by Vecna just like Will in Season 1?“
It is difficult to envision Max’s return working without Holly. As they say, she’d be left completely on her own, which doesn’t exactly make for interesting television. It’s a good thing the show’s final moments were able to guide them in a better direction. Their final choice does bring everything together nicely, too, with Holly’s story making Stranger Things‘ very last scene hit even harder.
Stranger Things’ Added Storyline Was the Right Choice for Its Ending
Stranger Things Season 5’s Holly story may have been a later addition, but it really is a perfect fit for the show’s ending. It solves the problem of tying Max’s journey into the rest of the subplots, but it also goes beyond that. As the Duffers rightfully note, Holly adds a a childlike wonder to the series that’s otherwise reduced in its later chapters. As the main characters grow older, Stranger Things feels less like a series about childhood and growing up. Holly and her friends bring back that element, and it lays the groundwork for the final scene impressively. As Mike and his friends enter into the next stage of their lives, he’s able to pass on D&D — and all it represents — to his little sister.
With Mike and Nancy getting so much time to shine, it’s only fair that Holly gets to see the spotlight too. Stranger Things Season 1 sets up her involvement by having her notice the workings of the Upside Down, but the subsequent outings don’t deliver on that. We’re grateful that Stranger Things Season 5 finally gets the chance to, and Nell Fisher nails what she’s given. It all goes back to the Duffer Brothers’ clever plotting, which fans can learn more about from the franchise’s new scripts book.
Stranger Things: The Complete Scripts, Season 5 is now available in e-book and paperback formats.
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