The Episode Titles in the Final Season of 'Stranger Things' Paint a Picture of What's To Come

If you aren't currently humming Running Up That Hill in preparation for Stranger Things Season 5, are you really even a fan? OK, that might be a little harsh. But the fifth and final season is set to be emotional, monumental, and game-changing for everyone who is still left in the Netflix series. So you'd better believe that the Stranger Things Season 5 episode titles reflect that.

The titles were released well ahead of the premiere date for the last season, which comes out in 2025. Each of the final eight episodes feature a title that likely has to do with what happens to one or more characters. And while we can't see the show being all one big dream at the end, there are sure to be some shocking moments that make viewers re-think what they thought they already knew.

On Nov. 6, Netflix released a teaser for Stranger Things Season 5. The streaming platform also released the names of those final episodes, in order. They are: "The Crawl," "The Vanishing of _____," "The Turnbow Trap," "Sorcerer," "Shock Jock," "Escape From Camazotz," "The Bridge," and "The Rightside Up." Of course that finale title has lots of fans in a tizzy. Does it mean the Upside Down will be destroyed? Will the Rightside Up merge with the Upside Down and create Hell on earth as we know it?

While the meanings behind each episode title are up for debate, and have been discussed at length among fans, what many really care about is how long these episodes are. Maya Hawke, who plays Robin, shared on the Podcrushed podcast that the final eight episodes in Season 5 are all "basically eight movies." And the season culminates with a finale that is reportedly feature-length as well, and around two hours.

As to be expected, there are tons of theories about what the episode titles for Stranger Things mean. Sometimes episode titles for a TV show are just vague enough to have multiple meanings behind them. Other times, there is more blatant wordplay to work with. One fan on Reddit who believes they figured things out shared a post where they explained what they believe each episode title means in Season 5.

For the episode called "Shock Jock," they theorized that it could be in reference to a radio disc jockey who spreads misinformation in Hawkins about what's going on. Or, they added, it could refer to an entity, like Vecna, who is on their way to manipulate some of the kids. There's also "The Vanishing" episode, which might mean another kid, like Holly Wheeler, goes missing like Will did in Season 1.

For now, fans will have to continually come up with theories about the final season of Stranger Things and try to figure out what those episode titles actually mean. Because what else are they supposed to do until the season drops on Netflix and breaks the internet?