Stranger Things 5 is coming our way in 2025 and we cannot wait to see how this epic adventure ends. Hawkins was left in a lurch at the end of season four with Max in a coma, poor Eddie Munson being labeled a murderer, the Upside Down leaking into Hawkins, and the entire town recovering from the “earthquake.” There’s a lot for the show to address and wrap up as it moves into the Fall of 1987. We don’t know what to expect yet but, thanks to a Stranger Things 5 episode title announcement video, we have some potential ideas about what could go down based on the title’s meanings (or lack thereof). Let’s get into it.
Stranger Things 5 Episode 1 – “The Crawl”
This Stranger Things 5 episode title doesn’t have a very clear meaning. “The Crawl” could involve one of our main kids having to literally crawl their way out of a sticky situation. Maybe we will see Max, who is in a coma, crawling in the mental hellscape she’s stuck in with Vecna. But, considering this show’s D&D foundation, this title could be in reference to running a dungeon crawl. It’s basically a scenario where players have to cleverly make their way through the maze of a dungeon, where they will battle monsters, solve questions, and more. There will be some new locations and perhaps one of them will serve as a dungeon-like place where Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and everyone else has to lean into D&D knowledge to get through successfully.
Stranger Things 5 Episode 2 – “The Vanishing of [REDACTED]”
This is an obvious full circle moment that takes us back to when Will Byers seemingly vanished into thin air on November 6, 1983. It seems unlikely that another one in our main crew would “vanish.” Our money is on Holly Wheeler, Mike’s younger sibling who has been a non-factor until this point. A lot of it was likely due to her very young age in earlier seasons. However, she’s probably around 7 or 8 years old at this point with a new actress cast for season five. Every other sibling, including Lucas’ little sister Erica, has been in on the action. It would make sense for Holly to witness something and end up missing this round. There are rumors that she will play a bigger role, so we will see what goes down.
Stranger Things 5 Episode 3 – “The Turnbow Trap”
This one is interesting. In a behind-the-scenes teaser clip for Stranger Things 5, we caught a glimpse of a billboard that appears to be in the Upside Down. It is an artistic depiction of a family (presumably Mom, Dad, and their son) and advertises for a land development & real estate company. We don’t know anything about this family nor their role in everything that’s been happening in Hawkins and beyond but it seems they are up to no good. At this point, we don’t have details about who Linda Hamilton is playing, so perhaps she is a part of this family or works with them.
Stranger Things 5 Episode 4 – “Sorcerer”
We have previously put the main Stranger Things crew into different D&D classes. And we have none of them as a Sorcerer. That includes One/Vecna who is actually a lich. It is possible that we will meet a new character who could occupy this role. Or, maybe there’s someone who returns with sorcerer-like powers, like Eleven’s sibling Kali/Eight. Her ability to manipulate minds and cloak herself and others fits into the bill. Anything is fair game in this final round.
Stranger Things 5 Episode 5 – “Shock Jock”
This Stranger Things 5 episode title suggests that a large portion of this adventure will take place at WSQK 94.5, the radio station that we have been seeing in a ton of behind-the-scenes photos and likely heard in the background in previous seasons. For those who don’t know, a shock jock is a radio personality/DJ who uses drama and (sometimes crude/controversial) humor to entertain fans. In reality, it is based on WPTF out of Raleigh, NC, which services the Duffer Brothers nearby hometown of Durham. In the series, we will see our crew perhaps working out of the station with Eleven. We know that radio frequencies are closely aligned to how she taps into her powers, so that makes sense. As far as the titular shock jock, that seems to be “Jimmy Fasthands” Lee, based on an ad that Ross Duffer posted on IG. Hmmm….
Stranger Things 5 Episode 6 – “Escape from Camazotz”
There’s so much potential with this one. In Mayan mythology, the Camazotz is a bat spirit that is serving the underworld. Based on that, it wouldn’t be totally out of the realm of possibilities for Eddie Munson to return in Stranger Things 5 as a Camazotz in service of Vecna. He died in the Upside Down after being attacked by a swarm of Demobats. However, the more likely reference here is A Wrinkle in Time’s Camazotz, which is a planet where Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin go to save Meg’s father. It can appear creepily utopian with extreme uniformity and is under the control of IT, a brain-shaped antagonist. In Stranger Things 5, it is possible that the kids find themselves in a place that’s very similar and they must get out, lest they want to be trapped and lose their free will. It could even be a parallel to the Upside Down where those who have died now reside in this afterlife place. (More on that in a bit.)
Once again Ross Duffer gave us a hint that the latter is more likely with a photo of A Wrinkle in Time‘s cover.
Stranger Things 5 Episode 7 – “The Bridge”
This is indeed a vague one. It could be a literal bridge or a bridge between worlds. Whatever it is, crossing from one side to the next holds an extreme amount of risk. Last season, Eleven did go into Max’s mind and see her skateboarding near a small bridge, but that may not be related to what’s going on here.
Stranger Things 5 Episode 8 – “The Rightside Up”
Could “The Rightside Up” be a reference to a place that is NOT just plain ole Hawkins in its normal state? If the Upside Down exists, there could be a parallel to that world where deceased/lost souls get to live in peace. It would be lovely to see fallen friends like Bob, Barb, and Eddie somewhere that feels like the realm of Hawkins but not quite. Or, this could simply mean that someone, perhaps Eleven or Will, make the ultimate sacrifice to shutter the Upside Down for good and turn everything rightside up again so lives can be normal.
