Is Stranger Things Sacrificing Story for 80s Throwbacks?

Back where it all began, for some reason.

Stranger Things has always been a show about nostalgia. Nostalgia for a simpler time when you could ride around town on your bike with your friends, nostalgia for classic children’s coming-of-age movies like The Goonies or Stand By Me, or just nostalgia for when Netflix didn’t cancel every other original series after one season. The show is finally heading into its fifth and final season, and details about the last chapter are being revealed. These glimpses reveal a familiar pattern for the series, but it may backfire by playing things too safe.

A new behind-the-scenes video from Stranger Things co-showrunner Ross Duffer revealed that Castle Byers will make one last appearance. Castle Byers, the forest fort made by Will and Jonathan Byers, is a safe space for the Byers boys to escape to in the wake of their father’s absence. It’s the first place Joyce looked for him after his disappearance, and where Will hid in the Upside Down after leaving his house to escape the Demogorgon.

In the video, Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp gave a quick tour of the fort while explaining how the location was one of the first places he filmed Season 1 years ago. He revealed he was now filming with the Upside Down version, which makes sense considering the version in our world was destroyed by Will in Season 3.

The cozy interior of Castle Byers.

Netflix

This is the latest evidence that Stranger Things will return to Season 1’s iconic locations. In another behind-the-scenes post, the now-iconic wall of Christmas lights in the Byers house appeared, suggesting a flashback. However, now that we’ve seen the Upside Down version of Castle Byers, it’s possible there may be an exploration of these places in that parallel world.

For a show all about nostalgia, it looks like Season 5 will get nostalgic about its own existence. But will revisiting all these old locations distract from the show’s evolution from coming-of-age adventure to epic sci-fi showdown? Stranger Things has more or less managed to keep the series fresh by switching villains, stakes, and tones from year to year, but revisiting the glory days may get it too wrapped up in the past to nail its own ending. Nostalgia is great, but nostalgia for nostalgia is risky.