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Cathal Gunning
Published 44 minutes ago
Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.
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Warning: Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1.
While Stranger Things might not explicitly explain A Wrinkle in Time’s connection to season 5’s storyline, the links are pretty clear upon closer inspection. Stranger Things season 5, volume 1 has finally arrived. After over three years of waiting, Netflix’s iconic sci-fi franchise is back for its biggest and most ambitious chapter yet.
The final outing of Stranger Things is, as promised, a fond farewell to the heroes that viewers have come to know and love over the years. However, despite what Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers promised, season 5 also makes room for a few new characters amid the old faces that return.
While Derek Turnbow and Dr. Kay have never been seen before, season 5’s most pivotal new character is not technically a new character at all. Holly Wheeler has been a background presence in Stranger Things since the show began, but the series aged up and recast Mike and Nancy’s little sister so she could play a bigger, more central role in season 5.
Holly Reads Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time In Stranger Things Season 5
Since Stranger Things season 5 messes with the cast’s ages a lot, Holly’s sudden aging is hardly more noticeable than the rest of the cast’s inconsistent ages. Fortunately, this story change also facilitates one of season 5’s best storylines. Holly is abducted by her imaginary friend, Mr. Whatsit, at the end of episode 1 of season 5.
The name Mr. Whatsit comes from Madeleine L’Engle’s book A Wrinkle in Time, a YA sci-fi fantasy novel originally published in 1962. Adapted to the screen in 2018, A Wrinkle in Time tells the story of Meg Murry, a 13-year-old girl who must enlist the help of three astral beings when her little brother goes missing.
Meg’s adventures take her through various dimensions in pursuit of It, a villainous monster entity that attempts to enforce conformity across the astral plane. While this might not sound too familiar to fans of Netflix’s sci-fi series, Vecna’s Stranger Things plan does have some interesting crossover with the book’s story.
A Wrinkle in Time’s Story Inverts The Plot of Stranger Things Season 5
Max in the cave in Stranger Things 5 looking fearful
On a surface level, the plot of Stranger Things season 5 inverts the story of A Wrinkle in Time. In the book, a brave young girl enlists the help of astral travelers to find her missing brother, whereas in the series, Holly’s brother Mike gets the help of the astral traveler Eleven to find his missing sister, Holly.
However, the confirmation that Will also has psychokinetic powers means that Mike is really reliant on two different astral travelers, which already brings Stranger Things season 5’s story closer to A Wrinkle in Time’s plot. Not only that, but Holly also vows to help Max escape Henry Creel’s memories in episode 4, meaning she also fulfills Meg’s heroic novel role.
Why Holly Calls Henry Creel "Mr. Whatsit”
Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel in Stranger Things
To make things even more complicated, the Stranger Things tie-in play The First Shadow proves that there is another link between the show and A Wrinkle in Time. Holly calls Henry Creel “Mr. Whatsit” because he can travel between dimensions like Mrs. Whatsit, which is also the reason that she looks like she’s talking to herself when she speaks to him.
Holly also calls Henry Mr. Whatsit because he presents himself as a hero saving her from monsters, just like Mrs. Whatsit in the novel. This could be a straightforward lie from Henry, but there is also another possibility.
Holly seeing the good in Vecna may foreshadow some kind of last-minute redemption for Henry Creel, since, judging by The First Shadow, there is potential for the show to reveal that the Henry living in his memory world isn't necessarily the same unambiguous, complete monster as Vecna. It is still unclear whether Holly’s vision of Henry and Vecna are the same entity.
How A Wrinkle In Time's Camazotz Plays Into Max's Stranger Things Season 5 Story
Max and Holly in Stranger Things season 5Image via Netflix
In A Wrinkle in Time, Camazotz is the name of the evil entity It's home planet. So malevolent that the heroic astral travelers are unable to even stay there temporarily, Camazotz is animated by an innate evil that Meg must defeat to save the day and her brother.
Similarly, Holly compares Henry’s memory palace to Camazotz, as Max is trapped there and confined to a set of caves that Vecna is afraid to enter. However, the story of Stranger Things season 5 complicates this, since the show treats Vecna’s mind palace like Camazotz for Max, but the caves also serve as a Camazotz equivalent for Henry.
What A Wrinkle in Time’s Story Foreshadows About Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2
Vecna in Stranger Things season 5 episode 4
A Wrinkle in Time’s aforementioned antagonist, IT, is an evil entity that thrives on dead-eyed conformity. It manipulates people by spreading negativity, much like Vecna is brainwashing the kids of Hawkins. Vecna even tells Will that he selected children as victims because they are weak-willed and compliant, something Will brutally disproves when he kills three of Vecna's Demogorgons with his mind.
Currently, the final face-off of Stranger Things season 5, volume 2, seems like it will be between Will and Eleven, as both are known to have psychokinetic powers now. However, if the show’s nods to A Wrinkle in Time are any hint, Stranger Things fans shouldn’t be shocked to see Holly and Max get involved in the showdown, too.
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10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-14 Drama Mystery Horror Science Fiction Release Date 2016 - 2025-00-00 Network Netflix Showrunner Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer Directors Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz Writers Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
7 Images
Eleven looking into an opening of the Upside Down with pink light in Stranger Things season 1
Jim Hopper (David Harbour) grabbing Jonathan's (Charlie Heaton) shoulders in Stranger Things season 1©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
Eleven with cables all over her head in Stranger Things season 4
Vecna looking towards Will in the trailer for Stranger Things season 5 (2025)
Max and Eleven in Stranger ThingsNetflix
Stranger Things season 2, episode 2 "Trick or Treat, Freak".MovieStillsDB
The Upside Down in Stranger Things season 5Courtesy of Netflix Close
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Millie Bobby Brown
Jane 'Eleven' Hopper
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What do you think the inclusion of A Wrinkle in Time references foreshadows about the final showdown in Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2?
Cathal
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44 minutes ago
The nods to A Wrinkle in Time could suggest that the battle against Vecna will involve a mix of psychological and physical confrontations, similar to Meg's journey in the novel. Some viewers might predict that Holly and Max will play crucial roles in the fight, drawing strength from their personal connections to the Upside Down. Others may believe that the references hint at a potential redemption arc for Henry Creel, complicating the traditional good vs. evil dynamic.
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