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We know, we know, everybody's talking about the Stranger Things season 5 release dates. And don't get us wrong, we are thrilled that they're finally out there. But in all the promoing Netflix has done regarding the upcoming series finale, we couldn't help but catch this little tidbit of info, highlighted here from Netflix's official Stranger things season 5 countdown article: 

"There’s plenty more to look forward to, including intel about the mysterious Upside Down. Back in Season 1, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer wrote a 25-page document for Netflix that delves into the mythology of the cryptic alternate dimension. While some of that lore has already been unveiled, expect even more details to emerge in the final season."

I'm sorry - what?? There's a secret document with the truth of the Upside Down just sitting somewhere in a Netflix office? Naturally, we had to dig into that, and this is what we found.

Right from the beginning of creating Stranger Things season 1, the suits at Netflix wanted answers to the questions they were planning on slowing dripping out across the length of their story. In a Virgin Radio UK article published in 2022, Stranger Things co-creator Matt Duffer explained that "Halfway through writing season one, Netflix said, 'Can you just explain the mythology to us?' [...] So we sat down with our writers and wrote this 25-page document and ever since we’ve been peeling back the layers of that."

If Duffer isn't lying (and why would he?), this means that the entire truth of the Upside Down has been in circulation since mid-2015, when the Brothers started creating the scripts that would eventually make up the Stranger Things story. This brings up a host of questions about who has and hasn't seen the Upside Down Files in the decade since - remember Stranger Things: The First Shadow star Louis McCartney's reveal that playwright Kate Trefry showed him "something" that revealed the ending of Stranger Things? Was this the "something?"

But though we may never have those answers to questions like that, we at least know that what's in the Upside Down Files will be revealed come Stranger Things season 5. Speaking about the legendary packet with Netflix in a 2022 discussion, Duffer Brother Ross explained that "The last remaining questions that are answered in that document, we’ve punted a couple of those to have some big reveals in Season 5. And that’s really going to affect what Season 5 is about."

Stranger Things season 5 will come to Netflix in three parts - four episodes drop November 26, three more drop December 25, and the finale, wrapping up Stranger Things for good (?), comes to the streamer December 31.

As we all collectively wait for Stranger Things season 5, here's the keys to getting ready:

• How to watch Stranger Things in chronological or release order
• Getting to know the Stranger Things season 5 cast
• There needs to be more death in Stranger Things, says co-star Gaten Matarazzo
• The Stranger Things time jump between season 4 and 5 has been confirmed by Netflix - and it raises some serious questions
• "They land the plane," David Harbour describes the Stranger Things finale, which he calls its "best episode"