The 4 Stranger Things Episodes You Need to Rewatch Before Season 5 — Where the Mythology Takes Root

Stranger Things season 5 drops in a matter of hours. If you did not spend the week speed-running four seasons to prep, the Duffer brothers have you covered. In a new chat with The Hollywood Reporter, they say there are exactly four episodes worth rewatching before volume 1 hits. That should spare you a 35-hour full-series cram.

Your four-episode refresher course (and why these matter)

• Season 2, episode 4: 'Will the Wise' — Will is still entangled with the Shadow Monster, and his visions are detailed enough that he basically drafts a map of the Upside Down. This is where the mythology starts to feel like an actual system instead of random spooky vibes.
• Season 2, episode 6: 'The Spy' — Will takes a darker turn, acting as the Mind Flayer's inside man and luring a team of scientists into a trap. It is a clean look at how the Upside Down uses people, not just monsters, to get what it wants.
• Season 4, episode 7: 'The Massacre at Hawkins Lab' — Flashback time. One, aka Henry Creel, manipulates Eleven into opening the gate, then slaughters everyone at the lab, escapes, and ultimately becomes Vecna. It is the key origin story for the big bad and a lot of the Upside Down rules.
• Season 4, episode 9: 'The Piggyback' — The last stop before season 5. Hawkins is torn open, the gate is still very much open, and consequences are everywhere. Also: Max is in a coma. The new season jumps forward in time, but the town is still dealing with the fallout, and the military has locked things down.

"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 is where we started to really plant the seeds for the mythology, and I think probably that is why that is as relevant as it is."

— Matt Duffer

"That [episode] starts unveiling some of the Upside Down mythology and starts giving some answers, and, of course, all the stuff with Henry and Eleven continues to resonate throughout season five. Those are some good ones to revisit."

— Ross Duffer on season 4, episode 7

Quick context if it has been a minute

The season 2 picks are not random: that is when the show stops being just missing-kid horror and becomes the long-game saga about the Mind Flayer, the Shadow Monster, and how the Upside Down messes with Hawkins through people like Will. Season 4, episode 7 is the deep-lore unlock for Henry/One/Vecna and how Eleven accidentally opened the door. And the finale, 'The Piggyback', is the table-setter: Hawkins is under military lockdown, the gate is still open, and Max has not woken up.

When to watch

Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 lands on Netflix November 26. If you are timing your binge, check the release schedule for exact drop times. And if you somehow find extra time, there are more lore-heavy episodes you could revisit, but the Duffers say the four above will get you ready fast.