Netflix has released the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5, and while there was some criticism, fans still love what the new season has to offer. Hawkins has changed after Vecna broke the barrier between the real world and the Upside Down. The military has taken charge of everything, but Hopper and the gang continue to carry out their own investigations to find Vecna.
Of course, there's a huge time-jump between Season 4 and Season 5, so a lot must've happened during this time period. We know that the military now has a base of operations in the Upside Down, but other than that, we know very little about what happened during this period. Well, the upcoming Stranger Things spin-off, One Way or Another, will bridge this gap between the two seasons.
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Stranger Things: One Way Or Another Will Be Set Between Season 4 and Season 5
Nancy Wheeler And Robin Buckley Will Take The Lead In This One
After the release of Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1, Netflix announced the Stranger Things: One Way Or Another novel, which will hit the shelves on December 2. It comes from TV writer and novelist Caitlin Schneiderhan, and yes, it will be centered around Nancy and Robin. The announcement from Netflix confirms that the events of the novel will be set two months after the Season 4 finale. There's destruction everywhere, and while everyone is focused on the wretched parallel dimension, Nancy and Robin will look within Hawkins to find some clues about Vecna.
The official description of the novel also confirms that some events in One Way Or Another might not be related to Vecna:
“Hawkins, Indiana, is in recovery. It’s been two months since Vecna’s earthquake tore through the town, and its residents are still reeling from the devastation,” the official synopsis reads. “Nancy Wheeler has spent every waking minute on the hunt for Vecna, but he’s continued to elude her. How can she head to Emerson for college in the fall if Hawkins is still under the influence of the Upside Down?
“When fellow classmate Joey Taft starts acting shifty at graduation, Nancy is convinced Vecna’s found his newest victim. Joined by fellow amateur sleuth Robin Buckley, Nancy doesn’t waste any time questioning Joey. What the girls discover leads them down the path of a bigger story than The Hawkins Post could ever have assigned Nancy. Why are people around town suddenly getting sick? Why is there a strange man tailing Nancy as she investigates? And, most important, does this even have anything to do with the Upside Down?
“Together with Robin, Nancy embarks on a dangerous quest for the truth. The deeper the two dig, the further Nancy finds herself drawn into a web of intrigue that threatens to trap her in Hawkins … forever.”
In the fourth season, we have seen Nancy and Robin team up to find a way to evade Vecna's curse in Season 4. Max was Vecna's next victim, so Nancy and Robin got in touch with Victor Creel, Henry's father, and the info they gathered helped save Max. It was surely a great team-up, and fans absolutely loved their chemistry on screen. Well, the upcoming novel will expand on Nancy and Robin's friendship as they investigate some mysterious events in Hawkins.
Nancy's investigation in the novel begins after she notices the unusual behavior of Joey Taft, her classmate. She had seen this happening with Chrissy, who also exhibited strange behavioral patterns after she was marked by Vecna. Nancy thinks that investigating Joey will not only help her classmate but could also lead them to Vecna, who they all know is very much alive.
Hopper, Eleven, and other members of the gang have already been carrying out Crawls in the Upside Down. They intend to find Vecna before the military so they can kill him. So, this investigation becomes much more important for Nancy. But she can't do it alone, and that's where Robin comes in with her flamboyant personality. In the fifth season, we have seen that Robin has now become a Radio Jockey, and Steve has been helping her in this gig. We know she worked at the ice-cream parlour in the fourth season, so the novel will also see her transitioning into a new career.
Overall, Stranger Things: One Way or Another will answer a lot of questions, but more than that, it will add more depth to Season 5. Witnessing what actually happened with all the characters during this time will help fans get more invested in the characters. What's the equation between Jonathan and Nancy? When did Robin get into a relationship? And most importantly, what has happened in Hawkins all this time? We all know that a lot has happened between the fourth and the fifth season, and some new developments are thrown at our faces without proper explanation. Fortunately, all that will be answered in Stranger Things: One Way or Another. So, it's actually wise of Netflix to release the spin-off novel before the release of Season 5 Volume 2, so fans who read the novel are better prepared for what's coming.
Stranger Things: One Way or Another releases on December 2nd, and you can order it on Penguin Random House.
- Release Date
- 2016 - 2025-00-00
- Network
- Netflix
- Showrunner
- Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
Cast
-
Millie Bobby BrownJane 'Eleven' Hopper -
Finn WolfhardMike Wheeler
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz
- Writers
- Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
- Main Genre
- Drama
- Seasons
- 5
- Franchise
- Stranger Things
- Producers
- Rand Geiger, Justin Doble, Lampton Enochs
- Story By
- The Duffer Brothers
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
- Creator(s)
- Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
- Executive Producer(s)
- Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, Curtis Gwinn, Cindy Holland, Karl Gajdusek, Iain Paterson, Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
