6 Clues Stranger Things Season 5 Will Have A Time Jump

Stranger Things season 5 is expected to include a time jump, and there are six hints from various sources that back up this assertion. Stranger Things has become one of the world’s most popular TV shows, setting various streaming records and creating waves in pop-culture. All good things come to an end, however, and Stranger Things season 5’s cast is gearing up for the final season of what has been an incredible ride.

The end of Stranger Things season 4 left the characters in a precarious position as the Upside Down began spilling into Hawkins through giant fissures in the ground. This cliffhanger of an ending might fool viewers into expecting the show to pick up right where it left off, but that does not seem to be the case. It’s now commonly believed that Stranger Things season 5 will include a time jump, and six pieces of evidence lend strong support to that belief.

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Stranger Things Cast & Character Guide

Stranger Things features an ever-expanding cast who will the likes of Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven and Finn Wolfhard’s Mike.

6 A Key Detail From Stranger Things Season 5 Set Photos Suggests A Two-Year Time Jump

Co-creator Ross Duffer posted several Stranger Things season 5 set photos on Instagram

Stranger Things season 5’s expected time jump is hinted at in a small detail from one of the set photos posted on co-creator Russ Duffer’s Instagram account. The sixth photo in Duffer’s post features a Pink Floyd poster, and just below it sits what appears to be a 1988 copy of the book, Planing, Shaping, and Slotting. Considering Stranger Things season 4 took place in 1986, this set piece suggests there will be at least two-year time jump between seasons 4 and 5.

While this book being on-set may seem like a minor detail, Stranger Things has always been assiduous in its efforts to create a realistic 1980s setting. It therefore seems unlikely that the Duffer brothers would mistakenly include a copy of that particular book. With that in mind, the copy of Planing, Shaping, and Slotting suddenly seems like a subtle hint that at least two years will have passed when Stranger Things season 5 picks up.

5 Stranger Things Season 4’s Ending Makes A Time Jump Logical

The Upside Down began spilling into Hawkins at the end of Stranger Things season 4

Another reason the Stranger Things season 5 time jump makes sense is that season 4’s ending saw portions of the Upside Down spilling into Hawkins and Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) getting severely injured. Firstly, the fact that Vecna was hurt so badly suggests he will need to heal over an extended period of time before he risks striking at Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) again. This means he is probably content to recover in the Upside Down for a time while his minions either multiply or begin terrorizing Hawkins.

Secondly, the conclusion of Stranger Things season 4 left Eleven without an immediate solution to their problems. There’s no way she could close all the fissures that were opening between dimensions, and with Vecna disappearing into hiding, she has no immediate way of defeating him. With there being no obvious way to reverse the current situation, it makes the most sense to show the town of Hawkins several years into its struggle with the Upside Down because it would allow the show to skip the immediate fallout of the fissures opening and focus on the endgame.

David Harbour plays Stranger Things’ Jim Hopper

Strangers Things star David Harbour (Hopper) has also hinted at a time jump, stating that season 5 would pick up some time “after” season 4’s ending, and that by the time it does, “the world is a different place.” Harbour’s comments seem innocuous, but the insinuation is that enough time will have passed by the time Stranger Things season 5 comes out for people to have adjusted to the Upside Down invading the normal world. That would presumably require a year or two at least, which is roughly how long the Stranger Things time jump is expected to be.

Ross Duffer created Stranger Things with his brother Matt

Stranger Things co-creator, Ross Duffer, also suggested in comments he made to TVLine that a time jump would be necessary between seasons 4 and 5. Duffer’s main concern seems to be the actors outgrowing their characters and looking far too old for their roles. Additionally, Duffer suggests that he would have preferred to shoot seasons 4 and 5 back to back to avoid the actors outgrowing their characters, but that didn’t end up being possible. See Duffer’s full comment below.

“I’m sure we will do a time jump. Ideally, we’d have shot [Seasons 4 and 5] back to back, but there was just no feasible way to do that.”

These comments are the closest thing to confirmation that Stranger Things season 5 will include a time jump. It’s still difficult to determine exactly how much time the show will skip, but Duffer sounds fairly certain that a time jump is inevitable for them. It also sounds like using a time jump was not initially part of the plan, so it will be interesting to see how well Stranger Things will be able to pivot and apply the time skip.

2 Mike’s Haircut Hints That Time Has Passed Since Stranger Things Season 4

Mike’s hair appears shorter than it is in Stranger Things season 4

Another small detail that can be seen in the Stranger Things season 5 set photos is the haircut Mike actor, Finn Wolfhard, is sporting. His hair appears much shorter than it was in season 4, suggesting that he’s had time to get it cut since the Upside Down started spilling into the world. Getting a hair cut seems like something far too mundane to be doing if the Upside Down is actively taking over your world, which further suggests that enough time has passed for the world to stabilize at least somewhat.

Mike’s haircut also carries an unseen implication, which is that Stranger Things may be done trying to cover up the age gap between its characters and the cast. Mike looks significantly older with his hair cut, and if the show were still making a concerted effort to de-age the actors, it would almost definitely give him a more youthful hairstyle. This suggests that Stranger Things is giving up on hiding ages and resorting instead to a time jump that will catch the show’s characters up to its cast.

1 Erica Looking Older Forces Stranger Things To Make A Time Jump

Erica’s age gap is now too noticeable to cover up

Stranger Things’ issues with the cast outgrowing their characters began all the way back in season 2, but the discrepancy back then was no more than a few years. Now, however, Erica actor, Priah Ferguson, is 17 years old, while her character is 11 at the end of season 4. This gap is simply too large for the show to cover it up any longer. A 17-year-old can play a 14-year-old character, but it would be far too difficult to make a 17-year-old look 11. This means Stranger Things finally has a character whose age will force it to employ a time jump.

Stranger Things

Release Date

July 15, 2016

Cast

Finn Wolfhard , joe keery , Jamie Campbell Bower , Brett Gelman , Caleb McLaughlin , Maya Hawke , David Harbour , Matthew Modine , Priah Ferguson , Gaten Matarazzo , Winona Ryder , Charlie Heaton , Sadie Sink , Millie Bobby Brown , Joseph Quinn , Dacre Montgomery , Natalia Dyer , Noah Schnapp

Seasons

4

Showrunner

Matt Duffer , Ross Duffer