Connecting the Dots: Season 5 of Stranger Things and First Shadow
You’ve probably rewatched everything related to Stranger Things as you gear up for the release of Season 5 this week. You may have taken notes on Easter eggs you missed, explored fan theories, and speculated about the increased significance of Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher). Yet, approaching the excitement of Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1, you might feel like there’s something you’re overlooking. You might be wondering how the play Stranger Things: First Shadow ties into this final season.
**Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Season 5 of Stranger Things**
Yes, there’s a solid connection between Stranger Things Season 5 and First Shadow. You can watch the entire last season without needing to fork out cash for a Broadway ticket, but having at least a basic grasp of First Shadow might clarify why Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) and Holly Wheeler are trying to escape Vecna’s (Jamie Campbell Bower) mental grasp…
At the beginning of Season 5, Max finds herself in a coma following the traumatic events of Season 4. Meanwhile, Holly, now a creative young girl, enjoys reading A Wrinkle in Time and engaging with her “imaginary” friend, Mr. Whatsit. The catch? Mr. Whatsit is actually Henry Creel (aka Vecna) in disguise. By the conclusion of Season 5, Episode 1, Holly gets kidnapped by the Demogorgon and is taken to the Upside Down. Here, Vecna connects her to his hive mind, all while assuring her that he wants to “protect” her from monsters.
Later, Holly receives a letter that seems to be from Henry, urging her to help him. He’s in peril, and she can only rescue him by gathering her courage and entering the Forbidden Forest. Holly reflects on her D&D character and decides to follow her friend. The third episode of Season 5 wraps up with the reveal that it was actually Max who lured Holly out of Creel House and into a cave-like sanctuary.
In Season 5, Episode 4, Max elaborates on how her mind has been trapped in Vecna’s memories all along. She nearly breaks free while Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” plays, but she must traverse through Henry Creel’s fragmented recollections. Eventually, she stumbles upon a cave system that seems to terrify Henry, making it his hidden lair. And yet, she’s puzzled as to why he holds such fear about caves—if you’re a fan of First Shadow, you might get why!
Now, diving into the connections between Stranger Things Season 5 and First Shadow…
Why is Vecna Afraid of Caves?
In Episode 4, titled “The Sorcerer,” Max narrates her experiences in Vecna’s memories. Firstly, she witnesses the grim massacre in the Rainbow Room, where 001 faces off against Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), resulting in the deaths of other children at Hawkins Lab and Vecna being trapped in the Upside Down. Then, she lands in the 1950s, observing Henry’s teenage memories, including a glimpse of Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) longing for an audience at her school play when she was still Joyce Maldonado.
Meanwhile, in First Shadow, we see teenage Henry at Hawkins High, where Joyce is indeed involved in theater, attempting a rendition of Dark Side of the Moon.
But the most significant connection lies in the caves where Max hides. The unsettling reason behind Henry’s dread of them unfolds in the play.
Stranger Things: First Shadow embraces an urban legend regarding the USS Eldridge, which vanished in 1943 during government experiments on cloaking and teleportation. In the story, the ship travels to a terrifying Dimension X. When it returns, nearly everyone aboard is murdered by alien beings, with the sole survivor being Dr. Brenner’s father. He returned changed, inspiring Dr. Brenner to spend his life trying to rediscover Dimension X.
By the early 1950s, Brenner was involved in the Nevada Experiment, during which a scientist defected with stolen gear hidden in a cave near Rachel, Nevada. One day, a young Henry Creel meanders into this cave while playing with a toy spyglass (the same one Holly discovers!). This activates the device, sending Henry and the Exiles to Dimension X, where he encounters an “entity”—the Mind Flayer.
When Henry returns, he’s irrevocably changed, gaining special powers and a different blood type. As Brenner loses track of his spyglass, they eventually converge on Hawkins, where Henry’s family intends to settle. This marks the inception of Hawkins Laboratory and sheds light on why Henry fears caves. It’s where his dark abilities were first awakened.
Stranger Things: First Shadow was penned by Kate Trefry, a writer and story editor for Stranger Things. Interestingly, she has a writing credit for an upcoming episode in the final season. Episode 6, titled “Escape from Camazotz,” is set for release on Christmas Day.
Camazotz serves as Holly Wheeler’s nickname for Vecna’s spirit, paying homage to the film Prison Planet which correlates with A Wrinkle in Time. With this episode title, we can expect crossovers or Easter eggs linking back to the play.
