Stranger Things season 5 airs tonight, part 1 of the three-part series finale that has four episodes today, three on Christmas Day and the finale on New Year’s Eve as Netflix inserts itself into all your holiday plans.
First, however, you may want to catch up on a recap of the series, given that it has been over three years since season 4 aired. Millions of people have been rewatching Stranger Things, which has been in the top 5 list on Netflix, with viewers refreshing themselves. Or I suppose, binging it for the first time to see what all the fuss is about.
Netflix, I would argue, has not produced a proper Stranger Things season 1-4 recap, leaving that to fans instead. I’ve poured through a number of these, and the best one I’ve seen has been from the guy who does this for a living, Man of Recaps. He posted this 18-minute video two weeks ago, which has already racked up 682,000 views, and I believe that makes it the most popular comprehensive recap released:
However, it’s possible that you may want to refresh yourself on season 4 only, given that it was the last season that aired. This one, from Recap and Chill, is 11 minutes focused on season 4 only. I would, however, caution that you may want to do the full recap of all the seasons, as the Duffer brothers have been pretty clear that the show will be pulling events from the scope of the entire series, and answering questions from back then.
Is there something official from Netflix you should watch at all? I mean, I guess. You can check out this “Eleven things to remember before the epic conclusion of Stranger Things” video that’s only three minutes, but I mean, that’s a very brief overview. I suppose it’s fun it’s made by the cast. I forgot Millie Bobby Brown is British:
Stranger Things season 5 is not live now (depending on when you read this), Netflix is saving it until 8 PM ET tonight for appointment viewing. Thank god, because that’s exactly when my family has come into town for the holiday, and I probably won’t get to watch any of this until Monday at best. Thank you Netflix, really great release schedule you’ve done here.
So, hopefully those videos are enough to catch you up, and we will see just how big this final season is going to be soon enough, both in scope and in terms of viewership, as it will no doubt be one of Netflix’s most-watched series ever.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/11/26/the-only-stranger-things-seasons-1-4-recap-you-need-to-watch-before-season-5/
