Decoding Stranger Things 5’s Most Important Pop

From the start, Stranger Things has freely referenced elements of ’80s pop culture. Sometimes they’re simply used to establish where the series is in time. (If Mike’s singing Corey Hart’s “Never Surrender,” it must be 1985.) But sometimes they play a central role in the action, as with Max’s deep connection to Kate Bush , or they reflect and comment upon the events of the series. When the Hawkins boys dress up like little Ghostbusters, for instance, they may not realize they’re essentially playing similar roles in their own lives, but we do. And of course, Dungeons & Dragons has long served as a guiding force both for the characters and the show itself .

As the fifth and final season of Stranger Things kicks off, dark times have returned to Hawkins, Indiana. Darker than us