Stranger Things Fans are waiting in suspense until New Year's Eve, when the final episode of the hit Netflix series airs, ending the story of the unlikely heroes of Hawkins, Indiana. At a virtual roundtable attended by Polygon, series star Noah Schnapp said he was also excited to read the final script.
“They didn’t send it to anyone,” Schnapp said. “We actually read it all together for the first time at the reading table. It was scary to turn the page. I just want to get to the end and see This is good?? As the table read, the emotions became stronger and stronger, and by the end everyone was crying. If reading this was so emotional, I can't even imagine what it must be like to watch this episode.”
[Ed. note: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 5, volume 2]
Stranger Things Season five includes many important moments for Noah's character, Will Byers. The season premiere opens with a flashback that provides new insight into Will's kidnapping and reveals that it was the start of Vecna's (Jamie Campbell Bower) plan to influence Hawkins. Although Will has been the victim for most of the series, this season he proves that he's just as good at fighting monsters as Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown).
“Millie was so excited and supportive,” Schnapp said. “It's funny how we're both like twin superheroes now.”
After using his new powers to protect Max (Sadie Sink) and Holly (Nell Fisher) from Vecna in Season 5 Episode 5, “Shock-Jock,” Will finds himself at Vecna's mercy again in Episode 6. But while Vecna keeps Will in a trance to gain information on Max's whereabouts, Will now has the strength to fight back. Schnapp enjoyed filming a scene in which he was tied to a wall with a lot of blood flowing from his eyes and ears.
“It was fun to meet Vecna face to face and talk to him,” Schnapp said. “He always talks to me, and I just sit there and take it, scared. But this time I really had to stand on my own two feet and speak to him with confidence. It felt like it was a very full circle. This is where I was in the first season. I like to go back to those moments and show how far we have come and how long this journey took.”
Vecna tormented Will with his fears about how his friends and family would react to his revelation. This made Will realize even more a lesson Robin (Maya Hawke) taught him about self-love and forced him to prepare for the final confrontation with Vecna, sharing his secret with everyone so that nothing would hold him back.
“I just hope [that scene] can touch real people and help empower a lot of kids who are struggling with this same identity journey to come to terms with themselves and accept themselves, and outside of the queer community, help a lot of people who are just struggling to believe in themselves and are afraid to be who they are, to feel empowered and that that's okay,” Schnapp said. “When you see everyone embrace Will and hug him like that, it’s just so powerful.
First seven episodes Stranger Things Season five is available to stream now on Netflix, with the finale airing on New Year's Eve.
