Anticipation is steadily building for Stranger Things Season 5 – the final installment of the Duffer Brothers’ blockbuster Netflix series, which is scheduled to be released in three volumes, starting at the end of November, followed by additional episodes in December and the finale on New Year’s Eve. The conclusion of the epic small screen saga will bring about plenty of reasons to celebrate, not only because it’s the turn of the new year, but also because a viral fan-favorite character is set to make a comeback at some point during the eight-episode run (although their return may not necessarily be in the way that fans would have hoped). During a Stranger Things Season 5 set visit, Time Magazine spotted the body of a beloved Hawkins resident: Barbara “Barb” Holland, who was played by Shannon Purser in the show’s inaugural season. The character only made a handful of appearances before meeting her untimely demise at the hands of a Demogorgon, but she had an instant following and fans started a “Justice for Barb” movement in the wake of her death. Those looking for closure might be pleased to learn that the character will be back for the concluding chapter, but unfortunately, as Millie Bobby Brown once confirmed, she is most definitely dead. What the outlet saw was a dummy of Barb “half buried in the ground” and “covered in inky black vines made partly of spray-painted pool noodles,” with her “lips purple and slightly agape” and “a giant bleeding gash on her neck.” Barb was introduced as Nancy Wheeler’s best friend in the first season of Stranger Things – a cautious, quiet, and educated young woman who started to feel pushed aside when Nancy embarked on a romantic relationship with high school jock Steve Harrington. Following a disagreement, she found herself sitting alone near the pool at Steve’s house, where a Demogorgon dragged her into the Upside Down. Fans felt that she deserved better, but the Duffers never fully understood why audiences cared so much about Barb, especially given her minimal screentime and lack of prominence in the story. “The one note that we consistently got back was, ‘What about Barb?’ And we’re like, ‘It’s a show about Will,'” Ross recalled, though he agreed that they had “neglected her.” Matt admitted: “Netflix kept harassing us about it. And it turns out they were right.”
‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Will Explain the Show’s Biggest Mystery

Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger ThingsNetflix

Stranger Things Season 5 marks the end of an era, not only for the cast and crew, who have spent the best part of the last decade working together, but also the viewers at home, as the story finally reaches its almighty climax. The Duffers have promised that all the arcs that have been around since the beginning will be resolved in the forthcoming batch of episodes, including the mega finale. “It doesn’t feel like we dropped a storyline – it all connects,” Ross said. “We do every last remaining thing we wanted to do with Demogorgons and Mind Flayer and Vecna and the Upside Down and Hawkins and these characters,” Matt added, confirming that fans will also find out what the Upside Down actually is. He joked that, “Every season would be like, ‘Should we talk about it?’ And we’d go, ‘No, let’s wait.’ And then finally, we’re like, ‘Well, we have to now!'” The final season of Stranger Things sees the return of several familiar faces, including Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, Cara Buono, Jamie Campbell Bower, and… the body of Barb. It is not clear whether she will have an important role in the story or whether it will be a simple nod to the character for die-hard fans, but at least she has not been completely overlooked at the end, considering there is so much to wrap up with the main and supporting cast.

Release Date

2016 – 2025

Network

Netflix

Writers

Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock