Opinion: For 'Stranger Things' Season Five, the demogorgon needs real fangs

The menacing Demogorgon. Art by Basil Allen.

The strangest thing of all is how long the final series has taken to come out.

I've been a fan of “Stranger Things” ever since it debuted. Even though I didn't grow up in the ’80s, a decade the show is overtly nostalgic for, the mainstream implementation of cosmic horror along with an interesting cast of characters compelled me, then, and still does now. Many of my generation have grown up with this hugely popular series. While some would disagree, I think it has maintained a relatively decent degree of quality. Nonetheless, the issues in writing for this show have slowly but surely built up over time, and I await Season 5 warily. The show may lose its appeal in this final stretch if it doesn’t get a little more daring.

The biggest issue “Stranger Things” has persistently had is a refusal to let go of certain characters. The cast the audience must deal with is massive, and when the only people dying are the villains and season newcomers, it's only gotten larger and harder to manage with each season. This problem is especially noticeable in Season 4, which split its cast across four different parts of the world. And it's pretty much universally agreed that the most pointless of all of these was the California sideplot, which featured Mike, Will and Jonathan together in a van with a random stoner. None of these characters served a real purpose outside of their relationships to other more important characters, but the writers’ refusal to write them out of the series or leave them out for a season meant significant amounts of valuable screentime were dedicated to characters that didn’t really have anything to do. They added little to the plot and took up time that could have been better spent fleshing out other characters or aspects of the world.

It's this refusal to bench any fan favorites that also makes it extremely predictable who's going to die and who isn't. Any time a major character does some heroic sacrifice that makes it look like they die, they're never actually dead. Eleven in Season 1, Hopper in Season 3, and Max in Season 4 are prime examples. The audience knew they'd be coming back. Only newer characters or less relevant characters are capable of getting the axe, starting with Barb and most recently continuing with Eddie Munson. All shows have plot armor to a certain degree, but it lessens audience tension to know that the writers are scared of making any bold choices.

Hopefully, this will change in Season 5, currently scheduled to hit screens on Nov. 26. It will be the final season, and assuming they aren't planning any spinoffs, the writers can kill any characters they want. Still, with how predictable the show has become, many people seem to expect Steve Harrington — and nobody else — to bite the dust. While I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised by Season 5, the story feels bloated at this point, and if the creators don't take steps to tighten up, I fear Season 5 may end up being the weakest yet. Any good show, especially one like “Stranger Things,” which dips its toes in Lovecraftian horror, thrives on tension. Let's hope it can deliver.