Hope is Not Lost for Max, And Stranger Things S5 Title Proves It
When your favorite character is on the verge of dying, anything is a hint, right?
With memories of season 4 still fresh, the Stranger Things fandom lost it when the title for the first episode of season 5 was revealed.
The episode title, The Crawl, was shared by the Stranger Things writers official Twitter account. It has immediately sparked vigorous speculation as to what "the crawl" might mean and whether it is a hidden hint to some of the characters returning.
Some people quickly decided that the title teased Eddie Munson's return (because the word "crawling" is in the lyrics of Metallica's Puppet Master, Eddie's Stranger Things hymn). However, there is also another, more complex theory.
According to Redditor beastboi27, "the crawl" might refer to a roleplay games scenario type called "Dungeon Crawl", and it can be a direct hint at Max's future in the show.
Dungeon Crawl scenario envisages a character navigating itself through some kind of a labyrinth, fighting monsters and avoiding traps on their way. Given that Max is in a Vecna-induced coma, the first episode might as well be dedicated to her efforts to escape Vecna's trap and come back to life. Besides, Stranger Things is rich in homages to board games, so it makes the theory even more plausible.
Many other Redditors applauded the guess, but noted that it would be frustrating if Max gets "resurrected" in the very first episode.
"I do hope they don't bring Max back to life already in Episode 1 though, there should be a bit of more build up/tension for it. Of course there's also the question as to whether she's blind and when she can walk again so she might wake up in Episode 1 but be far from "okay" still," Redditor MsYagi90 suggested.
The episode might also just have the Hawkins gang brainstorming on how to save Max, and not the redhead Kate Bush fan herself trying to escape Vecna's lair. Perhaps other victims could also be saved as friends try to rescue Max.
The only way to find out is, of course, to be patient and wait until the fifth and final Stranger Things season premieres on Netflix. The release date remains to be scheduled. The shooting is also yet to kick off.