(Credits: Netflix)

The first five minutes of Stranger Things have given us an unexpected glimpse of how the first episode is going to be, and it is insane.

When Netflix said that they’ll be releasing the initial five minutes of the final season, we all expected a glimpse of Hawkins after the tragedy, probably covered with soldiers and people trying to get back to normal. But no, we were hit with a flashback.

They didn’t even try to build it up slowly this time. The screen goes black, the static kicks in, and we are straight in the Upside Down. No Hawkins or normal day. Just Will, alone, breathing hard, singing “Should I stay or should I go”, and you instantly know this isn’t the same story we watched in season one.

It’s darker, tonewise. And this time the forest looks alive, and Will’s not screaming or running. He’s hiding in Castle Byers, shivering. And Vecna. Oh god, Vecna. When he finally appears on the screen, he looks like he has been here the whole time. The Demogorgon’s there too, but it’s not acting wild. It’s acting like it knows exactly what it’s doing.

So, if you haven’t watched it yet, remember this when you do: every second means something. Here are five moments that completely flipped my brain.

Five details you probably missed in the first five minutes

Vecna calling Will by name wasn’t random

This was the part that made us yell. Vecna says “Will” like he has known him forever. He doesn’t ask who he is, doesn’t even hesitate, just says it, calm as ever. That instantly changes everything we thought about season one. He didn’t find Will by chance; he was “looking” for him.

And it’s not the way villains usually talk. There is no anger or rush. It sounds almost familiar, like recognition. Which means this connection didn’t start that night. Vecna already knew who he wanted, and he wanted Will. That one line turns the whole first disappearance from random to personal.

The Demogorgon didn’t attack, it obeyed

Okay, so this bit was not shocking, yet shocking. You remember how the Demogorgon used to move: they were fast and messy and tearing through walls like a wild animal? Yeah, not anymore. In this scene, it’s too calm. It doesn’t charge at Will; it follows him. It’s like it’s tracking orders, not prey.

And the way it drags him… it doesn’t bite or claw; it just grabs him and pulls him straight toward Vecna’s lair. That’s the moment it hits you: the Demogorgon isn’t the monster here. It’s the messenger. Vecna’s using it like an extension of himself. The hierarchy is crystal clear now: Demogorgons follow orders, and Vecna gives them. Which means every attack we saw before might not have been instinct at all; it was strategy.

Will’s favourite song might be his shield

So this detail almost slips past you the first time. In the middle of all the noise and panic, you can actually hear Will humming, barely, but it’s there. It’s that same song he loved back in season one. At first, it feels like a habit, something to calm himself down. But the more you think about it, the more it makes sense: music is the one thing that breaks Vecna’s control.

It means Will’s not completely powerless in that moment. He’s scared, sure, but he’s fighting it the only way he knows how. The fact that he is humming instead of screaming says a lot, like he’s already learnt what music does inside the Upside Down. It also hints that he has been here longer than we think, long enough to know how it works. That single, quiet moment of him holding onto that tune might be the first sign that he’s not just surviving this time, he’s resisting

The Creel House isn’t done with us yet

When the Demogorgon drags Will through the forest, it doesn’t take him to some random corner of the Upside Down. It takes him to the Creel House. The second that place shows up, everything clicks. It’s the same house we saw haunting Vecna’s memories, the same one from the trailer, and it looks even worse now, like it’s rotting from the inside out. But technically, it was in ’83, so it’s better to say it looked worse then.

The fact that this is where Will ends up can’t be a coincidence. The Creel House has always been the centre of Vecna’s power, the heart of whatever the Upside Down really is. If Will’s being pulled there in the first scene, it means something’s hidden inside it. Something Vecna needs him for. And honestly, that one shot of the house surrounded by red lightning says everything: Hawkins might look normal from above, but underneath, the Creel House is still alive.

Vecna’s command proves who’s really in charge

The part that got us was how the Demogorgon stops when Vecna appears, like it’s waiting for permission. You can see it. It’s crouched there, head low, almost bowing. That’s not fear; that’s loyalty. And that tiny gesture changes everything we thought we knew about the Upside Down’s power chain. Vecna isn’t just another creature born from it; he’s controlling it (most probably).

We have spent four seasons wondering if there is someone bigger, something controlling both Vecna and the Mind Flayer. But in this scene, it looks clear: Vecna is the hierarchy. The Demogorgon isn’t a monster acting on instinct anymore; it’s a soldier following orders. The way Vecna moves, even the way the vines react – it’s all coordinated. The first five minutes don’t just reintroduce him; they crown him. He’s not another villain in the Upside Down… he is the Upside Down.