“The Crawl” is the first episode of Stranger Things 5, and since the episode title was revealed on Nov. 6, 2024, one year before the final season premiered, fans have been wondering just what “the crawl” could be referring to.
I’m sure many fans thought it could have some monstrous meaning. We’ve some pretty nasty crawling things in Stranger Things so far, including the Demogorgons (young and old), exploding rats, melting people, and the mishmash of blood, guts, and chemicals in Stranger Things 3 known as the Spider Monster.
Well, it doesn’t have anything to do with that! In fact, it’s simply what the heroes of Hawkins call their missions to search for Vecna in the Upside Down, and we learn this very early in Stranger Things 5.
The missions to enter the Upside Down and search for Vecna are called “Crawls”
At the beginning of Stranger Things 5, Robin (Maya Hawke) reveals Hawkins in still under quarantine by the military after the events of season 4, which saw Vecna missing and Hawkins cracked open and connected to the Upside Down.
Did you think our heroes would stop looking for Vecna because the military is handling it? Of course not! Instead, they wait for the perfect opportunity, which is usually instigated by Murray (Brett Gelman) sharing news with Robin and Steve (Joe Keery) at The Squawk, the radio station, and the DJs use a secret code to reveal when the next crawl will be.
From there, everyone takes their various positions around Hawkins, communicates on the radios, and lets Hopper know when it’s safe to hitch a ride on the back of the military vehicle into Hawkins to drop off materials at the new military base where Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) is working in the Upside Down.
Inside, Hopper searches a predetermined area of the Upside Down to find Vecna and kill him once and for all. The only trouble is that they can’t actually find Vecna. He’s been missing for basically 18 months.
“The Crawl” is another D&D reference
One of the coolest aspects of Stranger Things is how these characters use popular culture to understand the world. Dungeons & Dragons is one way these characters relate o the monsters and things they are experiencing, and that is why, I believe, “The Crawl” is referring to a dungeon crawl from D&D.
Basically, in a dungeon crawl, the players move through various parts of an area while also searching for things, fighting off monsters, and other things similar to what Hopper is doing as he enters parts of the Upside Down and looks around.
It would have been nice to see one of these “successful” crawls in Stranger Things 5, but instead, things go from bad to worse very quickly.
As mentioned, the crew has been doing this for months and months before the events of the first episode of Stranger Things 5. And, after just watching the episode, we know just how impactful that Crawl was. While Hopper didn’t find Vecna, the Demogorgon almost found him, and it sets off a chain of events that no one could have predicted.
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is forced to enter the Upside Down to look for Holly Wheeler, who was taken by the Demogorgon as part of Vecna's big plan. But, hey, at least Hopper isn't stuck in there by himself.
It will be interesting to see if another crawl in necessary, or if the characters will continue to be spread out for the rest of the season. We'll just have to wait and see, but it’s definitely possible that we could see the whole group come back together for another hunt for Vecna soon.