It’s tough to reconcile that Stranger Things has been on for almost a decade when you consider that there are only five seasons, but it’s obvious when you look at the kid actors at the center of the story. In fact, these kids are now young adults, having matured significantly between Seasons 1 and 5. This detail has resulted in criticism, mainly because while these characters have grown up before our very eyes off-screen, the passage of time in the series doesn’t match. Timelines aside, seeing them the way they are now actually helps the story progress forward in one specific way.
The ‘Stranger Things’ Cast Aging Adds a Sweet Narrative
When Stranger Things began its perfect first season, it centered on pre-teen boys who encountered the young Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown). From there, their lives turn upside down, pun intended. Like The Goonies, the show puts the kids front and center. Adults like Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Hopper (David Harbour) are big parts of the story, but they weren’t in the know, as the kids were, until much later. The story was about kids figuring it out on their own and fighting evil forces using their own creative methods. The parents didn’t need to know about all the madness going on. The story isn’t about them.
This was made plausible thanks to a few older kids who fell into parental-like roles. Steve (Joe Keery) became one of the most popular characters, the high schooler the kids looked up to or despised, depending on who and how you look at it. His budding big brother-like dynamic with Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) instantly endeared fans to the character who might have otherwise just been the stereotypical arrogant jock. Others, like Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), became the voices of reason while the actual parents continued to be left in the dark.
Fast-forward to Season 5, and the core cast members have a chance to continue this tradition with a sweet narrative that puts them in the parental-type roles now that they have effectively aged out of the kid roles. We see Robin (Maya Hawke) rounding up the kids in the cave under the military base bathroom like she’s a middle school teacher. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) is now guiding kids through a shootout with the parental-like “eyes on me” rules to help them feel more comfortable. Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) is a protector, helping children navigate through a cave, valiantly facing the Demogorgon to protect them as if he were a camp counselor fighting off a vicious bear.
It makes sense to see these kids taking responsibility now that they’re in high school and more mature, not to mention more well-versed in everything to do with the Upside Down, Demogorgons, and Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). Had they remained stagnated in the same immature headspace they were in during the first season, there wouldn’t have been any room for character growth.
Even the dynamics have changed, with Steve and Dustin having more of a balanced relationship. Dustin is more confident, which leads to them butting heads more often. Nancy and Mike, meanwhile, rely on one another in a different way than they did before. He’s no longer the bratty little brother. Erica (Priah Ferguson) could always hold her own, a precocious young girl wise beyond her years. But now, she’s a feisty middle schooler sitting in the very same desk in science class her older brother once sat in and taking on more demanding tasks to help the group. (The words “I told you to eat your d**n pie” have a whole new meaning now.)
‘Stranger Things’ Passes the Torch
Having these kids return much older while still playing teens is almost like giving the show permission to remain cyclical. Even in its final season, introducing new characters like Holly (Nell Fisher) and Derek (Jake Connelly) ensures the series maintains its same purpose: young children fighting off evil.
Mike’s sweet conversation with his little sister, Holly, is a highlight of the season so far, especially when he hands her the Holly the Heroic Dungeons & Dragons character he created just for her. It was like a proverbial passing of the torch to Holly as one of the new generation of kids that will be important to battling Vecna and other forces from the Upside Down, maybe even keeping the D&D tradition alive. Mike is saying, “We’ve done this before. We’re still here to help. But this is your fight now.”
Later, when Holly meets Max (Sadie Sink), she tells the young girl that Holly has given her hope of finally getting out of Vecna’s mind and thus her coma. Max’s plan won’t work without Holly, and this instantly puts Max into a mentor-like role as she guides Holly on what she needs her to do.
Not to mention, who can forget fan favorite character Derek (Jake Connelly), who steps into a leadership role in Episode 4, “Sorcerer,” the highest-rated episode ever on IMDb. He’s the quirky, misunderstood kid who surprises everyone when he proves that he doesn’t have to be “dip**t Derek,” but can instead be “delightful Derek” when given the chance. True to the focus on kids, the group needs a kid to infiltrate the military base, making Derek their only hope. Someone new stepping into this child-hero role is fun and exciting, and gives the other characters the chance to evolve.
‘Stranger Things’ Season 5’s Narrative Mirrors Real Life
While we can crack jokes about how much the actors have changed in the last decade, when only four years have passed in the story, the truth is that kids really do grow up quickly. And the change can be dramatic at a certain age. The challenge in casting 11 and 12-year-old kids to play characters of the same age is that noticeable physical changes as they become teenagers are inevitable.
Even when some of them were 16 and 17 in Season 4, the actors still looked much older than they did in Season 1. Had this been a real situation involving kids aging from middle school to high school, it’s entirely possible they would look completely different in the span of even a year. What’s more, even if the series filmed a season per year for five years, the dramatic changes with the cast members would still have been apparent.
Admittedly, it might not have been as noticeable as it is now with the main cast in their early 20s. But they can still pass for teenagers. What’s most jarring for fans is reconciling the striking difference between how they look now and how they looked then. In the end, it all worked out because they got to step into mentor roles as a result, while a new generation of kids were brought in to keep this cycle going. This is a show about kids fighting evil, after all. As long as the main characters are still in the equation, imparting their knowledge on the Upside Down and using all the skills they learned in the last 48 months along with these pre-pubescent kids, that’s all that matters.
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