On that Thursday evening in November, curling into my couch, I expected a lot of things from Stranger Things 5; monsters, mysteries, and a whole lot of answers, to start. But what I didn’t expect as I pressed play on Episode 1 was to be irrevocably changed. This season didn’t just raise the stakes; it blindsided me with moments of queer joy so powerful I had to pause to regroup. It’s the most emotionally precise the show has been in years, as well as the most tender.
The season wastes no time plunging Hawkins back into crisis. Vecna is regaining power, and the Party—split across the real world and the Upside Down—fight for their lives. The government’s “burns” continue to sweep through the town, and federal agents are quietly removing children between the ages of nine and eleven from their homes. Amid all this chaos, Eleven’s powers are being blocked by the military, leaving her vulnerable at a moment when the stakes could not be higher.
And yet, even in the middle of this escalating catastrophe, the season makes space for something quieter—and surprisingly profound. What struck me most was how fully the show committed to queer storytelling, giving its characters room to grow with honesty and tenderness.
When Robin and Vickie shared their first on-screen kiss, I felt a sudden, familiar rush of recognition. And seeing my emotions reflected in Will’s eyes as he watched, wide-eyed and quiet, made something in my chest loosen. It was the first of many moments that made me feel seen in ways I didn’t know I needed.
Will Byers, played by Noah Schnapp, has always been the emotional core of the series. He is “the heart,” as he once told Mike in Season 4, but Season 5 finally lets him step into that truth. While Hawkins trembles under the threat of a widening gate and Vecna’s shadow stretches overhead, Will’s inner battle hits just as hard: the fear, the longing, the messy, terrifying clarity of realizing who you are even as the world is falling apart.
His conversations with Robin Buckley (Maya Hawke), his impromptu queer mentor and confidante, become a lifeline. Having already navigated her own queer self-acceptance, she sees him in the way only another queer person can. Their scenes are some of the best-written of the season thus far: quiet moments with enormous emotional gravity.
One moment that stuck with me was when Will shyly asked Robin how she knew Vickie, her girlfriend, liked her back. Robin shrugs and says, “There were signals. A brush of the elbow, a touch of the knee, a shared look.” It’s simple, almost throwaway, but later we watch Will later do those exact things with Mike Wheeler, his childhood best friend and crush. First the playful nudge, then the lingering eye contact. Robin’s realization afterward—the soft, knowing “oh” moment—made me kick my feet a little. It’s so clear who Will loves, and just as clear that the show is guiding him toward a future where that love is reciprocated.
Meanwhile, Robin and Vickie’s relationship plays a crucial role. Their love is warm, stable, domestic in ways gay couples rarely got to be—especially in a narrative set in the 1980s, when discrimination, secrecy, and the rising AIDS crisis made queerness feel like something dangerous. Their steady happiness teaches Will—and us—that queer love isn’t a burden or a secret to manage. It’s a source of strength.
And when Will finally accepts himself, that strength becomes literal. In the climactic battle of Episode 4, he destroys three Demogorgons using telekinetic power drawn from childhood memories—memories rooted in the parts of himself he once thought he had to hide. It’s the moment his acceptance of himself finally clicks, when he realizes he deserves to be whole. Earlier, in a moment of connection, Robin had told him, “I had all the answers. I just needed to stop being so goddamn scared.” That line sticks with him; you can see exactly when he decides to be brave and trust himself.
By the end of the finale, I felt cracked open in the best way. Beyond the supernatural chaos, Season 5, Volume 1 is a tribute to queer identity, friendship, and the kind of courage that comes from being honest with yourself. And it’s simply great television—tightly written, beautifully acted, and worth watching even if you’ve drifted from the series in the past few years.
As Mike told Will back in Season 2, “If we’re both going crazy, then we’ll go crazy together, right?” Season 5 finally lets that line land the way it was always meant to.
And I can’t wait to see where they go from here.
