Stranger Things 5X1: Chapter One: The Crawl
Added 2026-01-24 00:00:08 +0000 UTCWhile hiding in the Upside Down in 1983, Will is caught by a Demogorgon and is brought to Vecna, who infects Will with a tentacle.
In 1987, 19 months after the Rifts incident, a contingent of the US military, led by Dr. Kay and Lt. Robert Akers, have placed Hawkins under quarantine and created a base camp within the Upside Down while still on the hunt for Eleven, who trains in hiding with Hopper and Joyce.
Will, Lucas, and Mike lay low, though Dustin provokes the school basketball team by continuing to honor Eddie.
Steve, Robin, Jonathan, and Nancy work at WSQK, a local radio station, where they relay coded messages to the group about opportunities to sneak Hopper into the Upside Down, which they call "crawls", to find Vecna's hideout.
Dustin is viciously beaten at Eddie's grave, causing him to miss the next crawl, which goes awry when a Demogorgon attacks a military caravan, forcing Hopper to take shelter within the Upside Down.
Will telepathically witnesses the attack and sees the Demogorgon head towards the Wheeler residence just as it tears open a gate in the bedroom of Mike and Nancy's younger sister Holly.
