The world is once again talking about Stranger Things. The beloved Netflix series has once again made its presence felt on the streamer for the beginning of its fifth and final season and it has already broken the internet with just four episodes. The power of Stranger Things, right?!
Eleven's most recent adventure involves her teaming up with her loved ones and allies one more time to finally take down Vecna once and for all, while also solving the mystery of the Upside Down. If they know what they are dealing with, maybe they can finally close the gate. And considering that the gate consists of a massive fissure straight through Hawkins, it would be preferable if they figure it out sooner rather than later.
Speaking of that fissure, it took place in the closing moments of season 4 and is now under full military supervision in season 5. So, with that in mind, just how much time has passed between seasons, and when exactly does the latter take place.
Stranger Things season 5 takes place around 18 months after season 4
Stranger Things 5 takes place on November 3, 1987. That means that it's been around 18 months (584 days to be exact) since we last saw the gang in the season 4 finale when they stared intently at the tear in the very fabric of Hawkins. That was the same day that Hopper and Joyce returned home from Russia, allowing the former to reunite with her adoptive father in one of the show's most emotional scenes.
During that time, Max has not come out of her coma (although her fate is confirmed in the season), Eleven has remained hidden from the military, Vecna has also gone into hiding, and the military has taken almost complete control of Hawkins, which was forced into a lockdown. As Eleven couldn't get out, she, Hopper, and the whole party have continued to use the tunnels to avoid garnering any unwanted attention from the soldiers in town.
Fans were surprised to learn that there had been a time jump between seasons as the ending of season 4 made it clear that the threat of the Upside Down - potentially merging with our world - was clear. And with that, the battle felt a lot more urgent than it ultimately has been. While season 5 has done a great job of pacing the story well, building up the beginning of Vecna's new plan in the midseason finale, it's understandable that fans wanted that tension in the end of season 4 to still be there in season 5.
After all, this was the first time that the vast majority of the outside world had found out that something like the Upside Down existed, so it was somewhat disappointing that we didn't get to see a scene where the likes of Karen and Ted Wheeler react to the fact that the supernatural is real. While portions of the military obviously knew that, the general residents of Hawkins did not. Therefore, it would have been nice to see some people getting accustomed to that to create a sense of atmosphere that ultimately has to be established through dialogue instead.
As for why the show skipped forward 18 months, there are a number of theories. For one, the majority of the TV shows do tend to feature some kind of time jump between seasons. Stranger Things itself has done it in all four prior seasons, so it's not too surprising to see that it has done so again. The other element here is the fact that the younger stars have continued to grow up during the long production gaps, so picking up too soon afterwards when the cast might look significantly older might have raised some eyebrows.
Stranger Things 5 is now streaming on Netflix. Volume 2 arrives on December 25, with the finale streaming on December 31.