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Stranger Things Creators Address Major “Plothole” Between the TV Show and Stage Play
Stranger Things finally pulled the curtain back on much of the mythology and lore of Vecna and the Upside Down throughout season 5, leading to an ultimate showdown between Henry Creel’s final form and the delightful Hawkins crew. Those who had ventured outside of the main Netflix series before season 5 had some additional insight into Vecna thanks to the recent play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which was worked into the show’s final season. Now the Stranger Things creators have addressed what some fans are calling a big “plothole” in the show, thanks to the additional lore from the play.
In The First Shadow play, it’s revealed that Hopper and Joyce actually went to school with Creel, adding another layer of connection to everything happening in Hawkins. The season finale does feature a confrontation between everyone and Vecna, but that particular fact isn’t addressed. When Ross and Matt Duffer were asked if there was ever a scene where Hopper and Joyce realized that, Ross told Variety, Yeah, I’m sure there was. We had a walk a fine line with the play — we don’t want to frustrate, because so much of our audience is unable to see it. To have them start talking about it would have been confusing in the context of someone who hasn’t seen the play. But I’m sure they did have that conversation.”
Matt Duffer said, “We really needed the final season to be exactly as it would have been without the play. The play is Henry’s backstory after he’s infected by the Mind Flayer. But this is how the season was going to play out regardless.”
Stranger Things: The First Shadow Reveals Major Details About Vecna That You Shouldn’t Miss
Many of the details revealed in The First Shadow are directly referenced in Season 5, but as the Duffer Brothers mentioned, they leave things vague so as not to throw people off who haven’t seen the play. One of the biggest scenes from the play is the sequence from the cave in the desert that Holly discovers in season 5. That memory reveals when Creel first gets his powers, and that the powers came from a stone from the Abyss that puts him under the influence of the Mind Flayer.
The First Shadow also reveals what happened after that confrontation, as Creel is trying to deal with the Mind Flayer’s influence while he goes to school, which involves him appearing in the school’s production of Dark of the Moon. You can even see this timeframe when Max and Holly find themselves stuck in Creel’s memories, specifically during the year 1959, when Joyce is seen talking about their musical Oklahoma, which stars Creel as well.
Having a scene that spelled out that connection between Joyce, Hopper, and Henry would have certainly confused some fans who hadn’t seen the play or caught up on what the play added to the series’ lore, and it was probably a good choice to leave it unsaid, though it seems in their internal canon, the realization of that major fact was made at some point in time.
Stranger Things Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix.
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