'Stranger Things': Dive into major episodes before the finale

With Stranger Things season 5 dropping soon, fans are scrambling for any last-minute refresher before the final chapter begins.

A full rewatch is nearly impossible at this point—but the good news is the show’s creators say you don’t need one. Instead, they’ve handpicked a short list of episodes that carry the most weight heading into the endgame.

Matt and Ross Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter that out of all 34 episodes, only four are essential viewing before season 5:

• Season 2, Episode 4: “Will the Wise”
• Season 2, Episode 6: “The Spy”
• Season 4, Episode 7: “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab”
• Season 4, Episode 9: “The Piggyback”

Matt explained why season 2 remains so crucial to the show’s mythology. “Season two is when we really started to build out the mythology and started to dive into everything, and how this was going to be an ongoing [series]. That’s where we started to really plant the seeds for the mythology, and I think probably that’s why that is as relevant as it is,” he said.

He added: “Season four is also highly relevant — ‘Massacre at Hawkins Lab’ is a good one.”

While the Duffers have teased that season 5 will bring the story “full circle” to its season 1 origins, they admit they only realised the show’s long-term potential during season 2.

That insight aligns with longtime fan theories that the second season holds the key to understanding the Upside Down.

The two highlighted season 4 episodes also dive deeply into the histories of Eleven and Henry Creel/Vecna—backstory that will drive the final season's biggest confrontations.