We’re officially seven episodes into the eight-episode final season of Stranger Things After watching episodes 5, 6 and 7, I love the season, the story, and these great characters, but I can’t help but feel like there’s something – or better yet, someone – missing.
Much of the season has revolved around what Vecna is planning, where he has taken Holly and the other children, and how Hawkins’ heroes can finally stop him. We spent seven episodes learning something that a key character knew all along, before Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) disappeared.
He likes it when people call him “Dad”. The character I’m talking about isn’t Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) or Argyle (Eduardo Franco); it’s Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine).
Dr. Brenner knew the mysteries of the Upside Down world all this time.
Stranger Things 5 desperately needed Dr. Brenner to team up with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Hopper (David Harbour), and the rest of the gang to help them figure out what Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) is doing, where Holly (Nell Fisher) really is, and how they can stop her.
Dr. Brenner died, we believe, after helping restore Eleven’s powers after the military attacked the secret base in Nevada.
If he had lived comfortably, he could have explained the wormhole, exotic matter, and the story of his father’s journey to the Abyss during Project Rainbow. This information is crucial to what Eleven, Kali, and the rest of the gang will try to do to stop Vecna in the finale.
Stranger Things 5 has so many characters, plots, and loose ends to tie up in such a short time. I understand why we can’t just include another character or bring Dr. Brenner back from the dead to explain some things that Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) was able to figure out. It really feels like this big mystery about what the Upside Down really is could have been explained in a scene with Dr. Brenner, and then we could have had a little more fun with these characters than they currently have.
Would it have been too convenient for Brenner to appear with some answers to key questions? Sure, but it’s better, to me, than Dustin flipping through some notes and literally Steve “The Hair” Harrington (Joe Keery) hatching the plan to save the world by taking the fight to Vecna in the Upside Down.
There’s a lot of science going on that I don’t fully understand, but the Duffers had a chance to explain it all very quickly. Instead, they killed Brenner, or so we think, and they managed to end it quietly.
Plus, the inclusion of Brenner could have given us an incredible Brenner-Henry Creel showdown that we’ve been waiting for since the Hawkins National Lab days.
Could Dr. Brenner still be alive? If so, he will be in the final
Dr. Brenner looked very dead Stranger Things 4, but perhaps he was rescued and resuscitated by the military. This could explain why Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) apparently knows as much as she does and why she’s so determined to find Eleven. What if they have Brenner somewhere in Hawkins?
Then, when Kay learns that Eleven is going to the Upside Down, Brenner could be released to help fix this gigantic mess that could destroy the world.
Jamie Campbell Bower teased some returnees for the Stranger Things final. While I think many fans would love to see Dacre Montgomery, who played Billy, or Quinn, who played Eddie Munson, it’s much more likely that we’ll see Modine or even Paul Reiser, who played Dr. Owens, return in the finale.
Stranger Things 5 needs more Dr. Brenner, and while I don’t like his character, I think fans will agree with that assessment. He has all the secrets; let him share them.
Look at it Stranger Things 5 final on December 31!
