Stranger Things season 5 viewers hail episode 4 ending ‘wildest in years’

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‘A straight-up jaw-dropping TV moment,’ one astounded viewer wrote

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Stranger Things viewers are reacting to the ending of volume one, calling it “mad” and the “wildest” TV cliffhanger of the year.

Fans of the hit show have binged season five’s first four episodes after their arrival on the service on Thursday (27 November) and have been left stunned by the closing moments.

*Spoilers follow - you have been warned*

At the end of episode four, Will Byers (Noach Schnapp) steals the power that Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) has over the Demogorgons to save his friends, including Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Robin (Maya Hawke).

In other words, Will temporarily gains superpowers.

The episode shows Will’s eyes turn white as he controls the Demogorgons – and in the closing shot, he wipes blood from his nose in a callback to the same thing done by another super-powered character, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).

The moment also had an emotional callback to a scene earlier in the episode, when Robin, witnessing Will’s unrequited love for his best friend Mike, tells him to think back to his childhood to rediscover his self-worth.

Will’s powers were also teased by Mike, who suggested that his friend might be able to gain control of the Demogorgons because he’s “a wizard”.

“In D&D, Mike, not in real life,” Will replies, to which Mike says: “True. In real life, you’re more like a sorcerer, because your powers don’t come from a book of spells. They’re innate.”

In the final scene, Vecna returns and goads Will by telling him he has been easy to control ever since he kidnapped him back in season one due to his weakness.

Then, after seeing Mike about to get eviscerated by a Demogorgon, Will takes up Rovin’s advice and, after flashing through memories of his upbringing, realises his powers.

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Schnapp, speaking of the moment he discovered the twist, told Variety: “So I was skimming it, and then, like, literally, in the shower getting ready, I got to the end, and I was like, ‘Oh my God!’ I ran out of the shower screaming. I lived with an assistant. Her name is Brooke. And I was like, ‘Brooke! Oh, my God, I have powers!’ I wanted to tell everyone I knew. And of course, I had to wait two years for anyone to see it. But: coolest thing ever.”

The show’s creators, the Duffer brothers, have clarified a point regarding Will’s powers, though: they aren’t within him.

“He’s able to channel these powers from Vecna and use it... sort of puppeteering.”

Viewers couldn’t get enough of the moment. with one stating: “Episode four’s final moments are pure madness…and the cliffhanger leaves you breathless.”

Another wrote on X/Twitter: “A straight-up jaw-dropping TV moment in 2025, honestly one of the wildest in recent year.”

The next batch of Stranger Things season five will be released on Boxing Day, with the final episode dropping on New Year’s Day.

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