Stranger Things is back with its fifth season, and the first batch of episodes confirms a major change. Stranger Things now ranks among the best TV shows of all time, and after four successful seasons, it’s ending with its fifth season – and Netflix chose to split it into three parts.

The first part was released on November 26, 2025, and it takes place over a year after the events of season 4. In it, Hawkins is under quarantine, with the military taking over, while Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the crew keep planning how to find and defeat Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).

Stranger Things season 5 part 1 ended with a major twist related to Will’s connection to Vecna, making way for many theories for part 2. As fun as part 1 was, it, unfortunately, confirms a major change regarding a beloved character.

Stranger Things Season 5 Continues To Sideline Joyce

The Hawkins crew has grown a lot since season 1, with additions like Max, Murray, Robin, and Erica, and all the teams working together in season 5. Every character serves a purpose as part of the team, but Stranger Things has gradually sidelined Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), despite having a key role in the event that started everything.

Stranger Things kicked off with the disappearance of Will Byers after Eleven came into contact with a Demogorgon and left a gate open, which allowed the monster to cross into the human world. Back then, Hopper was Hawkins’ sheriff, and he was very different from the calm yet fiercely protective father we all now know (and love).

Hopper didn’t really care about Will’s disappearance at first, prompting Joyce to investigate on her own to find Will, who she was sure was alive, somewhere. In season 2, Joyce stayed by Will’s side as he struggled with the Mind Flayer taking over his mind, and, along with Jonathan and Mike, seemingly broke Will free from his connection to the shadow monster.

In season 3, Joyce and Hopper went into the Russian lab, and she saw Hopper seemingly die when she closed the gate, but in season 4, she and Murray traveled to Russia to rescue Hopper. Joyce has been a key member of the Hawkins party, and yet, Stranger Things season 5 part 1 decided to mostly set her aside.

Joyce Was Arguably The Main Character In Stranger Things Season 1

Credit: Netflix via MovieStillsDB

While the big hook of Stranger Things season 1 was Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Eleven teaming up to find Will, it has to be said that Joyce was also the main character. Joyce didn’t rest until she brought Will back from the Upside Down, and despite others believing she had lost her mind, she was convinced Will was alive and trying to contact her.

It was Joyce who came up with the Christmas lights and alphabet on the wall method to communicate with Will, which became the image most associated with the show. It’s in large part thanks to Joyce that Will was rescued, as her actions eventually convinced Hopper that there was something sinister behind Will’s disappearance.

Despite season 1 focusing heavily on the kids, Joyce is one of its most important characters, and she also serves as the audience’s point of view character. Joyce took the center stage once again in season 4, but with the characters divided into teams, the attention went, once again, to the kids.

The Kids Have Become The Protagonists Of Stranger Things

Stranger Things season 1 divided its time to focus on the kids, Joyce, Hopper, and the teens (Nancy, Jonathan, and Nancy), but with time, the first group became the leads of the show. This was bound to happen as Eleven is the same age as Mike and the rest, and there were many questions about her.

Season 2 continued its focus on them, but now with the addition of Steve, with Nancy, Jonathan, Robin, and Erica joining in season 3. With Vecna targeting Hawkins’ teenagers in season 4 and Max being one of them, season 4 heavily focused on the kids once again, despite Hopper’s rescue being a main story.

While it’s not bad that the kids have become the lead characters of Stranger Things, and it was expected to happen, the show has unfairly forgotten about how important Joyce Byers has been. Stranger Things season 5 has more episodes left, and, hopefully, Joyce will get the recognition she deserves.

How Will Joyce’s Story End?

©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

At this point, anything can happen in Stranger Things season 5, and given the show’s track record, most viewers are expecting a major tragedy. The biggest contenders for the potential big tragedy in Stranger Things season 5 are Steve and Hopper, and so far, there’s nothing that could suggest Joyce won’t make it to the end of the series.

However, that doesn’t mean that the rest of her story in season 5 will be easy or even happy. At the end of season 5 part 1, it’s confirmed that Will has powers, and he’s now expected to use these to fight Vecna and even team up with Eleven (and, possibly, Kali too).

This won’t be easy for Joyce, who was called out in part 1 for overprotecting Will, and she might want to help her son in some way. It’s unlikely Joyce Byers will die in Stranger Things season 5, but she might go through more emotionally heavy or even tragic moments in the show’s final episodes.

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