The first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 dropped last week, and the storytelling has taken some unexpected and sometimes complicated turns. Characters we thought we understood are now trapped in places we never imagined, and the show is threading together storylines from the very beginning of the series… and even from the franchise’s stage play, The First Shadow.

Max’s Fractured Reality

One of the biggest reveals in Volume 1 centers on Max (Sadie Sink). Technically, she’s alive—but only just. In the real world, Max remains in a coma, with Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) faithfully playing “Running Up That Hill” on a cassette player, hoping the song keeps her tethered to life.

But Max is also living a second, much darker existence: she’s trapped inside the twisted landscape of Vecna’s mind. Within that psychic hellscape, she hides inside a cave—one that clearly unnerves Vecna/Henry Creel for reasons still not fully explained. And she’s not alone. Max meets Holly Wheeler, another of Vecna’s captives, and shares everything she’s endured since being pulled into his consciousness.

During these scenes, Max wanders through a series of fragmented memories—one of which reveals a high school hallway, a mysterious brunette handing out flyers for a school production of Oklahoma!, and several names fans will instantly recognize. But where does this bizarre memory come from, and how does it tie into the deeper mythology of Stranger Things?

The Mystery Behind the School Play Flyer

To understand that moment, we have to look beyond the show itself and into the franchise’s stage prequel, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which expands on Henry Creel’s childhood and the origins of his powers.

The play reveals that Henry’s transformation began in a Nevada cave, where he stumbled across experimental technology built by Dr. Brenner’s father—technology that ultimately pulled Henry into Dimension X. There, the Mind Flayer infected and reshaped him, even altering his blood type, setting him on the path toward becoming Vecna.

But before he massacred his family, Henry actually lived a fairly normal teenage life at Hawkins High. He had acquaintances, attended classes, and even formed a close bond with Patty Newby, the principal’s daughter. Patty genuinely believed Henry’s abilities could be used for good, and the two eventually started dating.

Meanwhile, Joyce Maldonado—yes, that Joyce—was preparing to direct the school’s amateur production of Oklahoma! So in the TV show, when Max is shown flashbacks in Henry’s mind, there’s one in which they are given a flyer for the am-dram production, which reads:

Hawkins Tiger Troupe presents:

Oklahoma!

Directed by Joyce Maldonado

Friday, November 6th 1959

For one night only

Starring:

James Hopper Jr.

Karen Childress

Patty Newby

Alan Munson

Ted Wheeler

And introducing Henry Creel as Curly McLain.

James Hopper is, of course, the Hopper we all know and love (David Harbour). Karen Childress is actually Karen Wheeler’s maiden name. Patty Newby hasn’t shown up in the show yet, though her brother Bob Newby appeared back in Season 2. Alan Munson is Eddie Munson’s dad (RIP, Hellfire Club fans). And Ted Wheeler? He’s the grumpy dad of Nancy, Mike, and Holly—who, as you know, is currently trapped by Vecna/Henry Creel. Yeah… it’s a lot to keep track of!

And, in a twist nobody saw coming: Henry Creel himself, starring as Curly McLain.

In other words, most of the major adult characters from Stranger Things actually knew each other as teenagers—and all of them shared a stage with the boy who would eventually become Vecna.

The Fallout of 1959

But the school musical never happened. Joyce secretly planned to stage a different production called Dark Side of the Moon, but neither play ever made it to opening night.

The teens of Hawkins in 1959 believed Henry’s father, Victor Creel, might be behind a series of disturbing animal killings, and they lured Henry out under the pretense of getting a witness statement. Patty even promised to run away with him.

Instead, Dr. Brenner arrived, abducted Henry, and began experimenting on him as Subject 001 at the Hawkins National Laboratory. The ripple effects were immediate.

Joyce lost out on a scholarship that could have taken her out of Hawkins. Hopper eventually found himself sent to Vietnam. And with Henry’s transformation into Vecna underway, the darkest chapter in Hawkins’ history began.

What Does All of This Mean for the Finale?

Many fans are now asking a very reasonable question: How have Joyce and Hopper not realized that the villain destroying their lives is the same guy they performed a high school musical with? To be fair, they spent much of last season stranded in Russia, so they’ve missed a lot. But still—it’s surprising neither has put the pieces together yet. Joyce, with her instincts, seems the most likely to figure it out first.

Henry’s decade-spanning revenge is also coming into sharper focus. If you think about it, his wrath has been aimed squarely at the people who once shared those hallways with him:

• He abducted and infected Joyce’s son Will—on November 6, the date of the canceled play.

• He attempted to kill Karen Wheeler.

• He kidnapped Karen and Ted’s daughter Holly.

• And he murdered Alan Munson’s son Eddie.

This isn’t random. It’s deliberate, personal, and rooted in unfinished business from 1959.

Could Patty Newby Be the Key to Stopping Vecna?

A growing theory online points to one overlooked character: Patty Newby. Many fans believe the flyer hints at her eventual return, possibly as the one person capable of reaching whatever humanity Henry still has left. As one TikTok creator noted, “Patty Newby is the only person Henry ever loved.”

Henry believed Patty died years ago—but she didn’t. She simply ran away. If the group can find her, they might finally have someone who can break Vecna’s hold on his own power.

And in a story defined by the tension between love and corruption, light and darkness, bringing back the one person who once represented hope for Henry could be the poetic, emotional ending the series has been building toward.