Stranger Things season 5 episode 4: How a subtle 2020s reference went unnoticed
Stranger Things season 5 episode 4 subtly references the 2020s with the misuse of “literally,” despite its strong 80s nostalgia appeal. Picture: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Netflix/AFP
Image: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Netflix/AFP
Anyone who’s watched Stranger Things over the past decade (yes, it’s really been that long to get five seasons of the hit Netflix show) knows one of the main draws is its 80s nostalgia appeal.
From the synth-heavy intro music to all the old tech and board games brandished throughout the show, Stranger Things blends sci-fi, action, and a bit of horror to great effect.
Of course, the majority of the main characters in the show started out as young teenagers and are now supposed to still be in school despite the actors in real life being in their 20s now.
That’s besides the point though. Stranger Things is a cultural phenomenon as it’s always the top-rated show whenever a new season is released.
80s Nostalgia and Slow Pacing in the Final Season’s First Four Episodes
That’s the case again after the first four episodes of the final season came out last week.
This despite that most of the first four episodes seem to plod along with deliberately slow pacing to work up the anticipation for the final three episodes, which will be released later this month.
But back to the 80s nostalgia. Everything about the show pays homage to the 1980s, as it begins in 1983 and climaxes in 1987. The music in particular has rejuvenated some of the careers of 80s stars like Kate Bush, with her smash hit Running Up That Hill playing a major part in the storyline in season 4, and once again is prominent in this final season.
In fact, one of the most talked-about nods to the 80s this season has to be El’s (Millie Bobby Brown) outfit, which is an almost exact copy of the one Josh Brolin’s character wore in The Goonies— the 1985 mega hit teen adventure.
Anachronistic Language in Stranger Things: The Misuse of “Literally” in the 80s Setting
For all its hits in terms of 80s nostalgia though, one scene during episode four of season five felt rather jarring, for the use of one single word that wouldn’t have been used in that context back in 1987.
I am, of course, talking about the word “literally.” These days, and probably for the last decade or so, people have used it in a mostly redundant sense, or just to emphasise a point, which, at a stretch, is begrudgingly acceptable in my opinion.
But that simply wasn’t the case in the 1980s.
Here’s the line from Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) while speaking to Hopper (David Harbour) over a walkie-talkie in the ‘Upside Down’: “Long story short, we’re here to track a Demogorgon using our telemetry tracker, only to then hit a wall. Literally. Now, Steve’s beamer is stuck, so we need El to come and pry it loose using her powers so we can resume the search for said Demogorgon, which will, in theory, lead us to Holly. Does any of this make sense? Do you need additional details? Questions? Concerns? Over.”
For most, it will have gone unnoticed, but it’s a clear error from a show that prides itself on the 80s draw, and when I heard that one line, I was instantly transported back from 1987 to 2025 as I became aware that even a show like Stranger Things sometimes misses the mark.