Nine years ago, a captivating series titled Stranger Things made its entrance on Netflix, quickly winning over audiences worldwide with its delightful ’80s throwback vibe, realistic action, and a lovable cast comprised mostly of fresh faces. Over time, Stranger Things has transformed into a cultural phenomenon, ready to make a lasting impact with its highly anticipated fifth and final season.

Part 1 of Stranger Things Season 5 is now available for streaming, offering viewers a spectacle filled with flashy special effects, complex lore, and wild plot twists. Despite the chaos, the series manages to enrapture its audience. The true magic of Stranger Things has always been rooted in the human element of its characters and the exceptional performances by its young ensemble cast, rather than the grandiose visuals or extended episode lengths.

**Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things Season 5, now streaming on Netflix**

The fifth season takes place about a year and a half after the tumultuous events of Season 4. Hawkins finds itself under military quarantine, forcing its residents to navigate life isolated from the outside world by barriers and armed forces. Robin (Maya Hawke) and Steve (Joe Keery) now operate the local radio station, which serves as a hub for our protagonists. Meanwhile, Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) have been secretly preparing Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) to become a real-life superhero, honing her psychic abilities and training her to evade threats. Max (Sadie Sink) remains in a coma, with Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) steadfastly by her side. Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), once full of innocence, has taken on a more hardened persona inspired by his fallen hero, Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn). The rest of the group — Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Will (Noah Schnapp), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) — are committed to locating and ultimately vanquishing Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), who continues to lurk within the Upside Down.

With the military’s control over Hawkins, the group must operate covertly to achieve their mission. The children and teenagers who captured our hearts in previous seasons have now matured into formidable fighters, capable of daring feats that could dazzle even the likes of James Bond. Their days are spent cracking codes and sneaking equipment to support Hopper’s ventures into the Upside Down in pursuit of Vecna. The season escalates dramatically when one of these missions goes disastrously wrong, coinciding with the abduction of Mike and Nancy’s younger sister, Holly (Nell Fisher).

If this all sounds like a far cry from the rather quaint, nostalgia-core show Stranger Things started out as, that’s because it is. Stranger Things creators Ross and Matt Duffer have now fully embraced the torpid maximalism of their long-time partner Shawn Levy (director of Deadpool & Wolverine, The Adam Project, Free Guy, and other visually-busy films). The irony is Stranger Things 5’s biggest faults are tied to this bloated scale. The Upside Down is no longer a liminal space pushing in through the walls, but a vast, murky landscape you can just drive your car through. The season’s biggest action sequences look like they’re set in overstuffed Hieronymous Bosch nightmare-scapes. And yet, Stranger Things Season 5 works because of the humanity still underpinning its increasingly absurd story.

You might not understand the logistics of the crawls or the new rules of Vecna’s hive mind, but you will be dazzled by the evolution of the show’s characters. The best moments in the new season are scenes where the original core group of kids get to put their newfound maturity on display. Eleven has finally assumed the mantle of a warrior, fearlessly hurling herself into battle and tenderly opening up to the people she loves. Mike is now a self-assured leader, physically shielding children from monsters and gifting his sister her own D&D character, “Holly the Heroic,” to lift her spirits. Lucas is the chivalric knight of the group, sage and capable in battle and steadfastly devoted to his sleeping beauty, Max. Will not only begins to better understand his own latent powers, but his sexuality through a newfound connection with Robin (sorry, Byler shippers). But it’s Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin, who is now at heartbreaking odds with former mentor Steve, who gets to display the most turmoil, pain, and pathos.

These were the moments that touched my heart and that prove that Stranger Things casting director Carmen Cuba pulled off a miracle when she cast the once pint-sized Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, and Gaten Matarazzo as series leads over ten years ago. All five of them have evolved into real stars, growing in talent in tandem with their characters’ epic journeys.

Stranger Things Season 5 also benefits from a few newcomers bringing some refreshing jolts of energy. Nell Fisher plays the new, “older,” version of Holly Wheeler. Now that she’s longer a toddler attached to Karen Wheeler’s (Cara Buono) hip, Holly gets to be part of the action. Fisher recaptures the wonder that defined the show’s early seasons through her wide eyes and innocence. Meanwhile, Frank Darabont (director of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist, and more tender, creepy films) hops into the director’s chair for Episode 3, delivering the show’s most crisply-lit, gorgeously-blocked shots of the entire final season so far. (It’s not all CGI slop!)

Netflix might be betting big that you’ll tune into Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 out of fear of missing out on the biggest pop culture spectacle in streaming history, but what makes the show worth watching is its tender emotional core. The best parts of Stranger Things have never been the monsters or the magic, but the small personal moments loaded with deep emotional realism. There’s more wonder in these quiet exchanges than in any of the CGI-laden fight sequences.

So, yes, when Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 ends on a character finally embracing who they are, who they’ve always been since the show began, I cheered. I cheered for the epic emotional journey Stranger Things‘s characters have been on and you will, too.

Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix.