EDITORS NOTE: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2. The world is still reeling from the epic conclusion of Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2, with the final installment of the penultimate season arriving on July 1 and breaking records—and streaming services. It was announced earlier this year, along with the Season 4 release dates, that the show would be ending with its fifth season. Differing from its predecessors in a variety of ways, including length, narrative, and stakes, Season 4 served as an emotional, heart-pounding setup for the series' ultimate conclusion.
In a recent interview with Collider Editor-in-Chief, Steve Weintraub, Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer discussed their plans for the upcoming final season and where they see it all ending. The writer's room for Season 5 is set to begin work in the first week of August, but the Duffer Brothers already have a pretty good idea of where they want to go with the last installment.
Much of the show's power lies in its incredibly compelling characters, and Ross Duffer assured us that that's what's at the forefront of their plans for Season 5 saying:
"We want to give the characters their moments and a lot of these characters have been evolving over the course of these four seasons, and so it'll be five seasons of them. We want to make sure that they all land in a way that we all feel good about."
From Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Party to Steve (Joe Keery) and his merry band of misfits to Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Hopper (David Harbour), these characters are what keep fans coming back to Stranger Things and rooting for their victory over the evil machinations of Vecna and the creatures from the Upside Down. Hearing the Duffer Brothers share their confidence about the ending is certainly reassuring in that context. "We do feel good about the ending," said Matt Duffer. He continued saying, "I was like, okay, I think this ending is not... I'm not super insecure. I'm insecure about a lot of things, but I feel like the ending feels good."
Though writing has not yet officially begun on Season 5, Ross Duffer told Collider that the final moments of the series are something they already have a very clear vision for. "The last 20 minutes, they're locked in. Like I told you, sticking the landing is so [important]," said Duffer. Season 4 certainly had its fair share of victories and losses, as we watched our heroes fight desperately to get back to each other and stay alive. With Max in a coma and the horror of the Upside Down pouring into Hawkins, it seems like we're entering "it's always darkest before the dawn" territory. In such a high-stakes series, finding that perfect ending is going to require a delicate balance.
Writing for Stranger Things Season 5 is set to officially begin next month and you can watch the entirety of Seasons 1-4 of Stranger Things on Netflix right now.