Holly Wheeler becomes Stranger Things 5’s standout character

The one Netflix show that has been on everyone's radar finally premiered with its fifth and final season last month, and it's still the talk of the town. Yes, I'm talking about Stranger Things. A lot went down in the first batch of episodes of the fifth installment, and fans are looking forward to what the next batch will bring.

Stranger Things 5 part 1 saw the return of the Hawkins gang, who are determined more than ever to take down Vecna after a failed attempt last season. However, their plan gets thwarted when one of their own is captured by the big bad. That character is Holly Wheeler, played by Nell Fisher. Prior to watching the new season, some fans probably didn't even remember Holly. I'm not ashamed to admit that I did, too.

For one, she barely had much screen time in earlier seasons and was mostly in the background as one of the younger kids in Hawkins. But in Stranger Things 5, Holly steps into the spotlight like never before. That's all thanks to the Duffer Brothers, who made it a point to bring this character more into the fold. Her capture by Vecna is what really sets off this season's main storyline.

However, I'm going to be honest. I was initially hesitant to get invested in the Holly character. It’s the final season, and for a character who had barely appeared in previous seasons to suddenly play such a pivotal role felt risky. On top of that, the actress behind the character had been recast, which made me wonder if the transition would feel natural.

But from the moment Fisher appeared on screen, all my doubts vanished. She was the perfect fit, and I couldn't imagine anyone else bringing Holly to life. From just the first four episodes of the season, Holly's quickly become one of my favorite characters. I genuinely look forward to seeing her on my screen, which is surprising because I'm usually the type to gravitate toward the original core group of characters. I'm not saying I don't still love Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin, etc, but Stranger Things 5 has given Holly a chance to truly shine and even steal nearly every scene she's in.

She might just be a child, but she quickly shows us in the fifth season that she can hold her own in even the darkest and most terrifying situations. I mean, imagine if some tall and thin humanoid creature with elongated limbs appeared out of nowhere and not only brutally attacked your mom but then took you to some faraway place. I don't think I would've handled it even half as well as Holly did.

With how part 1 ended, I'm looking forward to seeing what escape plan Max and Holly will come up with in Stranger Things 5 part 2. The brand-new batch of episodes is set to premiere on Netflix on Dec. 25, at 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET.