After a 2 year wait, Hawkins, Indiana is returning to our screens for the fifth and final season. With new plot twists, new characters and fan theories circulating around social media, “Stranger Things” fans are gearing up for season 5. 

Last season, we were left with a cliffhanger after Vecna ripped apart the town and connected the real world with the upside down. Max was left in a coma and Eleven’s powers were stripped in trying to help her. Each character was in a different state physically and mentally. 

My hopes for the new season, as well as many other viewers, is that the story will be taken back to Hawkins where everything started. With this, I hope the original group is fully reunited, as it would tie the storyline back to the beginning where the kids were just navigating the town together. 

For a lot of fans my age, we have grown up with this show. The first season was released in 2016, when we were only 8. We are now almost graduating high school and it feels as though the show ending symbolizes the end to a piece of our childhood. The characters are also now grown up and there feels a special connection as they are the same age as us.

As for predictions, many fans are debunking everything from past seasons to premier fashion and using that for evidence of which characters will die this season. Lots of eyes are on Max this season as we still did not see her wake up at the end of season 4. However, Steve Harrington also seems to be a popular guess for the next death in the show. He acts as a big brother or father figure to most of the other kids and this could set him up for a heroic sacrifice in the end. 

With so much suspense and so many emotions attached, this season appears to be set up to be the most intense season yet. Whether it’s a happy ending or not, fans prepare to say goodbye to a show that’s been trending for almost 10 years.