There’s something oddly comforting about returning to Hawkins, like revisiting your hometown only to remember you never quite survived high school. The Duffer Brothers clearly know this nostalgia spell, because ahead of the grand finale of "Stranger Things," they revealed four very specific episodes to revisit.
They mentioned these episodes in a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, and the choices are as ominous as you’d expect. If your memory of Upside Down lore is as foggy as the Byers’ living room during a demogorgon attack, consider this your cheat sheet. And a gentle reminder that the final season is rolling out in three parts: November 26, December 25, and December 31 of 2025.
Here’s the express marathon the Duffers want you to take.
Season 2, Episode 4: Will the Wise
Rewatching this one helps you track the earliest hints about the Mind Flayer’s connection to Will, which Season 5 is expected to revisit with extra emotional punch. Anything involving Will’s visions, drawings, or haunted expressions is about to matter a whole lot more.
Season 2, Episode 6: The Spy
This is the episode where Will’s connection goes from spooky to catastrophic. He’s essentially being used as an intel pipeline for the enemy, giving the Mind Flayer a tactical advantage. "Stranger Things" turns into a paranormal espionage thriller, and somehow it works.
The finale season seems primed to circle back to this relationship, which was never fully resolved. Will has always been the heart of the series, so revisiting the moment he becomes The Spy helps you understand the emotional stakes headed our way.
Season 4, Episode 7: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab
Here’s where the puzzle pieces click together. Eleven’s memories, Henry Creel’s true identity, Vecna’s origin, and how the gates started forming.
If you only rewatch one episode, pick this one. The Duffer Brothers clearly structured it as the Rosetta Stone of the "Stranger Things" universe. Season 5 will be building directly on this foundation, and a refresher makes the twists ahead way more satisfying.
Season 4, Episode 9: The Piggyback
This supersized finale is the calm-before-the-apocalypse moment. The gang’s risky mind-travel rescue mission, Max’s terrifying encounter with Vecna, the emotional gut punch that still hasn’t healed — every thread here is dangling, ready to be pulled tight in Season 5.
Your Mini-Marathon, Fully Sanctioned by the Duffers
The Duffers aren’t just being nostalgic. They’re pointing you to the exact pressure points of the story. These episodes anchor the mythos, the emotional throughlines, and the supernatural logic that Season 5 is about to detonate.
If time is tight, you don’t have to binge everything. Just grab snacks, dim the lights, and run through these four chapters. You’ll step into Season 5 fully powered, like Eleven right after a dramatic nosebleed.