Stranger Things 5 has made several references to Madeleine L'Engle's novel A Wrinkle in Time, and the plot of the seminal novel may provide clues on how the rest of the season will play out. Stranger Things' period setting has often utilized classic references, such as Dungeons & Dragons, to make sense of its tricky sci-fi plot and world. One of these references in Season 5 has been A Wrinkle in Time, which Mike and Nancy's sister, Holly Wheeler, is obsessed with in the show.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5.
Holly's interest in L'Engle's novel first becomes clear after she describes her imaginary friend as Mr. Whatsit, a callback to the A Wrinkle in Time character, Mrs. Whatsit. In the book, Mrs Whatsit is one of three immortal beings capable of shapeshifting and materializing across space and time. This comparison makes sense when it's revealed that Holly's friend is none other than Henry Creel, also known as the big bad villain Vecna, whose supernatural powers enable him to cross dimensions and access memories telepathically.
A Wrinkle in Time is then brought up again by Holly when she enters the mysterious cave and finds Max. When Max reveals to Holly that they are trapped within a memory of Henry's, she describes it as a "nightmare prison world," which Holly likens to Camazotz from A Wrinkle in Time. Holly points out that Camazotz shares some similarities with the world they're currently in, revealing it to be a dark planet ruled by a disembodied brain named IT.
Max: "Only, I wasn’t actually there. Not really. I was just… an observer. And that’s when I understood. I was trapped inside Henry’s mind, his memories. Like a nightmare prison world ruled by an evil, psychopathic piece of sh*t."
Holly: "Like Camazotz."
Max: "What?"
Holly: "Camazotz. From 'A Wrinkle in Time'."
Max: "Never read it."
Holly: "You should. It’s amazing. Camazotz is like this dark planet that’s under the control of IT, which is this giant, disembodied, evil brain. Anyway, Meg’s dad, Meg’s the main character, he gets taken prisoner there. So, Henry’s kinda like IT, and you’re kinda like Meg’s dad."
With A Wrinkle in Time becoming a significant reference point for Season 5 of Stranger Things, it could be the case that the Netflix show will continue to draw from elements of the 1962 novel for the rest of its story.
This has been the case in past seasons of Stranger Things, particularly with the show's D&D references. In Season 1, Will doesn't roll a high enough number to beat the Demogorgon while the group is playing D&D together. Later, Will is abducted by the Demogorgon. Similarly, in the group's Season 4 D&D campaign, run by Eddie and the Hellfire Club, the story foreshadows the reveal of Vecna, which is how Henry Creel/One receives his villainous name later on in the show when it's revealed he is ruling the Upside Down.
'A Wrinkle in Time' Could Foreshadow Stranger Things 5’s Future
Seeing as no references are made by accident in Stranger Things, it seems a likely theory that the season could draw more parallels with A Wrinkle in Time's story in Season 5.
One prevalent element in A Wrinkle in Time is the novel's use of time travel. The supernatural characters in A Wrinkle in Time can use a process known as tessering to disappear and rematerialize across space and time, which is somewhat similar to Eleven's abilities in the sensory deprivation tank, which allow her to enter the minds and memories of other people in different places. This reference, along with the show's shout-out to the Flux Capacitor, suggests that time travel may play a key role in Stranger Things' final episodes.
A Wrinkle in Time's story may also hint at how Max's plot arc will play out. With Holly referring to Max as Meg's father from A Wrinkle in Time, aka the character trapped in Camazotz who needs rescuing, this could hint that one of the other Stranger Things characters will have to act as Meg, Charles, or Calvin, and purposely infiltrate Camazotz (aka Vecna's mind prison), to save her.
In the novel, Charles purposely allows himself to be hypnotized by the Man with Red Eyes (the mouthpiece of IT) to try to locate his father. If Stranger Things follows a similar strategy, it might mean that one of the characters will have to willingly succumb to Vecna to find and save Max and Holly - with the likeliest candidates being Eleven or Lucas.
However, with the reveal in Season 5 Vol. 1's finale that Will has a connection to Vecna's mind, it could be the Byers sibling who is the one to uncover the secret of saving Max and Holly.
Another way Stranger Things could draw upon A Wrinkle in Time's plot is through its finale. In L'Engle's novel, Meg saves Charles from IT's clutches through the power of her love for him. Love has already proven to be a powerful force in Stranger Things, such as in Season 4's finale when Mike told Eleven he loved her while she was mentally fighting Vecna in the Upside Down, which gave her the strength to break Vecna's control over Max.
If love is the key to overcoming Vecna's powers, as it is in A Wrinkle in Time with IT, then Lucas' love for Max, or the Wheeler family's love for Holly, could be the key to saving them from Vecna's mind prison.
