Highlights
- Stranger Things season 5 will be the last, focusing on preventing more evil and potentially resolving the Upside Down storyline.
- Fans debate the episode length, with some preferring longer episodes for a well-rounded finale, while others find season 4’s length dragged in parts.
- Season 5’s focus should be on wrapping up main character arcs and answering questions, avoiding filler content for a cohesive conclusion.
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the other memorable residents of Hawkins, Indiana will say goodbye when Stranger Things season 5 premieres on Netflix in 2025. There’s a lot that needs to happen, including the main characters hopefully preventing more evil from infiltrating their town (and the world). If The Party is successful, then maybe Eleven and her friends can think about a future that doesn’t involve the Upside Down, which fans have theories about.
While there’s a lot to think about as Stranger Things season 5 gets closer, fans are focused on one significant part of the final season. Since this part of the season is so subjective, viewers can’t agree on what would be best for Eleven and the other memorable characters.
What Did Maya Hawke Say About Stranger Things Season 5 And Why Are Fans Torn?
On June 27th, 2024, Maya Hawke was interviewed on the podcast “Podcrushed” and Hawke talked about the length of the Stranger Things season 5 episodes. According to The New York Post, she said:
“We’re making basically eight movies. The episodes are very long.”
Since Stranger Things season 4 had nine long episodes and packed a lot of plot and character arcs into them, fans are debating the episode length for Stranger Things season 5. Although The Duffer Brothers said season 5 won’t be as long, it does seem like each episode might be at least an hour. According to Deadline, Matt Duffer said on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, “The only reason we don’t expect to be as long is, this season, if you look at it, it’s almost a two-hour ramp up before our kids really get drawn into a supernatural mystery.” Matt said that’s not necessary in season 5 but added that fans can expect the Stranger Things series finale to be long.
Some fans are perfectly fine with long episodes since fans hope that Stranger Things season 5 ends well. Several viewers have discussed that if there were 10 episodes, then maybe the episodes would be a bit shorter. But since there are only 8 episodes, it would make sense to make them longer so the Duffer Brothers can tell the story that they want to tell. Fans are also feeling nostalgic since it’s the last season, and they want to spend as much time in Hawkins as they can. Redditor @LilyMarie90 wrote:
“Each of them can be 1.5 hours long if you ask me. It’s the last season of my favorite show. The last thing I want is for
anything
to feel rushed or any character not get their proper ending.”
However, as fans shared in a post on the television SubReddit, some aren’t so sure that they want to see a long Stranger Things season 5. One Redditor wrote:
“Season 4 dragged way too long for me personally. Every episode didn’t need to be an hour. Every scene with Eleven was the exact same thing.”
The problem with long episodes is that while some parts are interesting, there’s also the opportunity for storylines that aren’t quite as engaging. While one fan didn’t love watching the characters in California as much as the other parts of the season, they praised Max Mayfield’s (Sadie Sink) plotline involving Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). This plotline was so well-crafted that fans wonder if Max will survive Stranger Things season 5 and hope for a real conclusion to this arc. The fan wrote:
“Season 4 had some of the shows best stuff in the flashbacks and the Max stuff. Max’s story was as good as anything the show has done. But it dragged a lot in the other areas and the groups being completely isolated from one another really hurts it.”
The consensus seems to be that if the Stranger Things 5 episodes are very long, then the focus needs to be on wrapping up every main character’s arc, answering questions, and making the final season feel well-done and cohesive. Fans won’t be happy if there is “filler” content that doesn’t add anything to the overall story and feels boring.
How Long Were The Episodes In Stranger Things Season 1-4?
Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Stranger Things have much shorter episode lengths that are similar to other TV series. Season 1 has episodes that are around 42 minutes, season 2’s episodes are between 45 and 60 minutes, and season 3’s episodes are around 60 minutes.
Stranger Things season 4 is known as being the season with the longest episodes. The Stranger Things season 4 finale, “The Piggyback,” is 2 hours and 19 minutes. While it’s full of action and an overall enjoyable watch, some might argue that it lags in some places and could have been shorter. Others, of course, are such big fans of Stranger Things that they were glad to have such a lengthy episode. Since it seems likely that the Stranger Things series finale will be two hours or more, as long as the ending of the popular series feels right, then fans will be happy with the longer runtime.
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