For the ultimate "Stranger Things" fans, maybe this is enough.
Maybe, after four seasons and nine years, it is plenty satisfying to just see all the (remarkably aged) characters from Netflix's hit horror series on one last bicycle ride, logic and storytelling be damned. Maybe the appeal has always just been flash, bangs and very moist monsters.
Because what the fifth and final season of "Stranger" (Volume 1 now streaming, subsequent episodes streaming Dec. 25 and Dec. 31, ★★½ out of four) has going for it is in its spirit: it certainly feels like the "Stranger" we've come to know and love over nearly a decade. But it is a distinctly imperfect final bow; the season seesaws between thrilling and annoying, from emotionally satisfying to logically baffling.
But it's unlikely that most viewers will be bothered by the nitpicky details that come up short. "Stranger" has always been a contradiction of good vibes and exciting set pieces mixed with ambitious failures and listless filler. Its final season, of which critics have been able to watch the four-episode first "volume" so far, is more thrilling than it is stilling, and will likely satisfy its most ardent fans. Could it have been better, sharper, more narratively focused and judicious with its plot twists and deus ex machina magical solutions? Absolutely. Do the emotions feel right even as rationality flies out the metaphorical window? Most of the time.
