What is Stranger Things?

01/26/2026

By Sai Bhattacharya (Grade 6)

WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS

I am pretty confident that you heard/seen the Netflix show Stranger Things. Well this is an amazing show so I would recommend you to watch it. Many of my peers have asked me questions like "What is Stranger Things?" or "What happens in Season 4?" So today I am going to tell you a short summary about each season.

Season 1

Stranger Things Season 1 blends 80s nostalgia with supernatural horror, starting with the mysterious disappearance of Will Byers. This triggers a search involving his friends, mother Joyce, and Police Chief Hopper, uncovering a secret government lab, a parallel dimension called the "Upside Down," and a monstrous "Demogorgon". There they find a girl with psychic powers (Eleven) who escaped the lab, and helps them fight monsters and find Will.

Season 2

A year after Season 1, Will Byers suffers from PTSD, experiencing terrifying visions of a giant, shadowy, spider-like creature (the Mind Flayer) connected to the Upside Down, which begins infecting him and creating tunnels under the town. The Mind Flayer is the main antagonist and attacks them and each one of them has to fight through.

Season 3

As the 2nd season folds into the 3rd, it starts of by Russians trying to reopen the Upside Down gate; the Mind Flayer returns, possessing Billy to build a fleshy monster army, leading to a final showdown at a mall where Eleven seemingly loses her powers and the whole team starts falling apart.

Season 4

Stranger Things Season 4 introduces the powerful villain Vecna, a monstrous entity from the Upside Down who targets traumatized teens in Hawkins, leading to many murders and the reopening of gates to the alternate dimension, forcing the separated friend group (in California and Hawkins) to reunite, ultimately revealing the Upside Down is merging with their world, setting the stage for the final conflict.

Season 5

In Season 5, Vecna kidnaps Holly Wheeler and 11 other children to use as "psychic vessels" to merge The Abyss with the real world. Will Byers embraces his connection to the hive mind, gaining telekinetic powers similar to Eleven's. He plays a crucial role in tracking Vecna and ultimately helps restrain him in the final battle.