Erm, About That Stranger Things Season 5 Time Jump...?!

The final season of Stranger Things is expected to feature a time jump from season 4's ending, but will it work after the finale's cliffhanger?

Erm, About That Stranger Things Season 5 Time Jump…?!

Warning! SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 4 volume 2.

Stranger Things season 5 is expected to open with a time jump, as confirmed by the Duffer brothers, though season 4’s cliffhanger ending throws the time jumps effectiveness into doubt. Stranger Things season 4 ended with the show’s biggest, most ambitious cliffhanger yet, with Vecna seemingly beginning his invasion of Hawkins and the rest of the world. This begs the question of how the time jump will work, given such a huge event beginning already.

With every season of Stranger Things wrapping up their respective stories fairly neatly, from Will being found in season 1 to Eleven closing the gate in season 2 and the Russian operation and the Mind Flayer being foiled in Starcourt in season 3, it came as a bit of a surprise that Vecna’s plan succeeded in Stranger Things season 4’s ending. After taking the four victims he needed to open the required amount of gates to the Upside Down, Vecna joined all four gates together to begin the Upside Down’s invasion of Hawkins. Usually, this ending would be expected to carry over directly into Stranger Things season 5.

However, the confirmation of a time jump from the Duffer brothers means that audiences won’t see the immediate aftermath of Vecna’s initial invasion. How will the time jump work? Well, there are many ways it could that make sense both in the context of the story and outside factors from the show’s production that spurred the Duffer brothers to have a time jump in the first place.

How Stranger Things 5’s Time Jump Can Work (Despite Season 4’s Cliffhanger)

Firstly, the main way the Stranger Things season 5 time jump will work is in the Duffer brothers’ initial reasoning behind the decision. The creators of Stranger Things cited the age of the show’s actors as the main reason, with most of the “child” actors now being 18-20 despite them playing characters that are supposed to be around 15/16 years old. If Stranger Things season 5’s time jump is around two to three years, it would make the characters in the show more closely line up with their respective actor’s ages. However, that begs the question of how this would work in the context of the story, given season 4’s massive cliffhanger.

One way the time jump can work is in the recuperation of both Vecna and Eleven. If anything, Stranger Things season 4 established that the final battle will seemingly come down to both of these characters, given they are who started it all. With season 4 also stating that Eleven’s powers aren’t yet enough to match Vecna’s, a time jump would allow Eleven’s powers to grow stronger. With Vecna taking a significant beating on three different fronts – from the Hawkins crew, Eleven’s mind powers, and the Russian prison trio’s efforts – it would make sense for him to need some time to recover and plan his invasion.

Season 4’s cliffhanger ended with the giant gates Vecna created throughout the season allowing the Upside Down to take over Hawkins, not unlike season 2’s underground tunnels only on a much bigger scale this time. With that in mind, the time jump could establish that this is what our characters have been dealing with in between Stranger Things season 4 and season 5. They could have been simply helping the people of Hawkins escape, almost containing the outbreak in Vecna’s absence.

The time jump would allow for the more unclear parts of season 4’s ending to be resolved, such as the nature of Max’s coma. It is clear the Duffer brothers have a plan for Max, explaining the decision to give Eleven a new resurrecting power, with the time jump allowing for a deeper explanation of why she was kept alive after her tragic death scene. Other Stranger Things season 4 loose threads could also be tied up with a time jump, namely the many relationships the show has. From Joyce and Hopper’s reunion to Will’s sexuality, the Steve/Nancy/Jonathan triangle, and Robin’s connection with Vickie, many things can be set up offscreen proving there are still many ways the time jump promised for Stranger Things season 5 could work, despite the huge cliffhanger at the end of season 4.