Stranger Things Creators Defend Season 5's Three-Part Structure
The final season of Stranger Things will be split into three parts released over two months, a format that allows the story to expand further. The Duffer Brothers, creators of the series, explained how this division benefits the show's narrative scope.
Volume One as a Separate Entity
Ross Duffer shared in an interview with SFX Magazine that unlike season four, where the split wasn't planned, season five was deliberately divided into two halves. This planning allows Volume One to stand as its own "mega-movie" with a distinct climax.
"I'm also excited about the first volume because, in season four, we weren't aware that it was going to get split in two. It's not Netflix's fault, it's nobody’s fault. There was the pandemic, and we ended up dividing it in two so we could get episodes out sooner. But this time, we knew we were going to divide it into two, so it really is in two halves. Volume One really exists as its own mega-movie. It has its own climax."
The Most Challenging Episode Yet
The fourth episode of season five, which concludes Volume One, is described by Ross Duffer as the most technically demanding episode they have ever created. Although emotionally the finale was harder, this episode pushed their limits on a technical level.
"Episode four was the most challenging episode we've ever made, and that includes the finale – though on an emotional level, the finale was the hardest. I don't know how many days I found myself crying, and I'm not someone who cries very often outside of watching Pixar movies."
Season Five's Unique Endgame
The creators emphasized that the split format gives them the opportunity to elaborate on their final chapter more extensively than before, enhancing the experience for fans.
Author's summary: The Duffer Brothers intentionally split Stranger Things season 5 into parts to create a richer story, with Volume One acting as a self-contained epic and featuring their most technically complex episode yet.