By 
In a streaming era full of “Chapters” and “Books,” the naming of TV episodes is a bit of a lost art. We know that as well as anyone. That’s why we’ve always appreciated Stranger Things‘ dedication to the episode-naming craft. Though each installment of Netflix‘s beloved sci-fi/horror does begin with the usual “Chapter #” prefix, they also receive traditional titles like “The Vanishing of Will Byers,” “The “Gate,” and our personal favorite “Suzie, Do You Copy?”
The folks at Netflix, bless them, have also been proactive about sharing those episode titles well ahead of time so that fans can parse their meaning. Identifying November 6 as “Stranger Things Day” i.e. the calendar date that Will Byers first slipped into the Upside Down, Netflix has often marked the occasion with the release of the upcoming season’s episodic monikers. November 6, 2024 is no different as the streamer has now unveiled the full slate of season 5 episode titles. Though we don’t know the precise release date of the show’s final season in 2025, we at least now know what each of its episodes will be called. Feast your eyes on the teaser video below.
Stranger Things season 5’s episode titles are:
Episode 1: The Crawl
Episode 2: The Vanishing Of [Redacted]
Episode 3: The Turnbow Trap
Episode 4: Sorcerer
Episode 5: Shock Jock
Episode 6: Escape from Camazotz
Episode 7: The Bridge
Episode 8: The Rightside Up
A few things immediately jump out from that lineup. For starters, one of the titles has been partially censored with “The Vanishing Of” not revealing who it is that vanishes. Given that the series’ first episode if called “The Vanishing Of Will Byers,” it seems safe to conclude that it’s not him. It also seems safe to conclude that whoever is vanishing will be vanishing off into The Upside Down per usual.
Meanwhile, “Sorcerer” could very well be referring to a magical wizard from a game of Dungeons & Dragons, but it could also be an homage to William Friedkin’s 1977 action classic of the same name. In that film, the name “Sorcerer” refers to a truck that has the name “Sorcerer” spray painted across the hood as its characters tear through the jungle on a mission. Perhaps the Hawkins kids will give their mode of transportation the same name. “Escape from Camazotz” is also interesting as “Camazotz” is not usually a location to escape from but a bat spirit serving the lord of the underworld in late Mayan mythology. It also holds a small place in Dungeons & Dragons‘ lore as a deity in the Greyhawk pantheon.
The most interesting title, however, is undoubtedly the name of the finale: “The Rightside Up.” It doesn’t take an advanced cartographer to tell you that “The Rightside Up” is the opposite of “The Upside Down.” Does that mean the dark pocket dimension haunting Hawkins, Indiana will close forever? Who knows, but it’s certainly a good sign that all might not be lost by the time Stranger Things wraps its final episode.
The post Stranger Things Season 5 Episode Titles Point to a Hopeful Ending appeared first on Den of Geek.
