Stranger Things Creators Defend Season 5's Three-Part Split
The Duffer Brothers, creators of Stranger Things, explain why the final season is split into three parts released over two months, allowing the story's scope to expand.
Volume One as Its Own Mega-Movie
"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," Ross Duffer told SFX Magazine. "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 5, which concludes Volume One, is described by Ross as "the hardest thing that we've ever done 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."
Final Season Structure
- Season 5 is the final season of Stranger Things.
- The season is split into three parts over two months.
- This format allows the story to expand further and give each volume its own arc.
The split format was planned in advance this season, unlike season 4's unplanned division caused by the pandemic.
Summary: The Duffer Brothers reveal that splitting the final season into distinct volumes enhances storytelling, with Volume One acting as a standalone mega-movie featuring their most technically demanding episode yet.