Heres how Stranger Things connects to A Wrinkle in Time
In the much-anticipated Season 5 of *Stranger Things*, the beloved characters continue to navigate the eerie and supernatural landscape of Hawkins, drawing inspiration from classic literature. While the series has previously utilized the lore of *Dungeons & Dragons* to frame its otherworldly challenges—introducing iconic creatures like the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer—this season takes a fresh approach by incorporating elements from Madeleine L’Engle’s celebrated novel, *A Wrinkle in Time*. First published in 1962, the story follows 13-year-old Meg Murry, her gifted brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O’Keefe as they embark on a cosmic journey to rescue Meg’s father. This literary connection is particularly fitting for *Stranger Things*, a show steeped in nostalgia for 1980s pop culture, where fantasy and science fiction play pivotal roles in the characters’ lives.
In Season 5, viewers are introduced to Holly Wheeler, the younger sister of Mike and Nancy, who becomes enamored with *A Wrinkle in Time*. Her imaginary friend, Mr. Whatsit, serves as a clever nod to the book’s character, Mrs. Whatsit—a powerful, benevolent being who assists the protagonists in their quest. However, Holly’s Mr. Whatsit is revealed to be none other than Vecna (portrayed by Jamie Campbell Bower), the series’ primary antagonist. This twist not only deepens the connection between the two narratives but also highlights the deceptive nature of appearances in both *Stranger Things* and *A Wrinkle in Time*. While Mrs. Whatsit embodies kindness and support, Vecna uses his guise to lure children into his sinister schemes, mirroring the dark undercurrents of L’Engle’s universe.
As the plot unfolds, Holly’s encounter with Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) leads to a pivotal revelation about their current predicament: they are trapped in Vecna’s memory world, a prison of his own making. Max draws a parallel to Camazotz, the ominous planet in *A Wrinkle in Time* where conformity and control reign supreme under the influence of the malevolent entity known as IT. This connection enriches the narrative, as both settings—Camazotz and Vecna’s memory realm—appear idyllic yet conceal a malevolent truth. With the title of an upcoming episode, “Escape From Camazotz,” hinting at a daring attempt to break free from this psychological prison, fans are left eagerly anticipating how Holly and Max will confront Vecna’s dark machinations. As *Stranger Things* continues to weave together threads of classic literature with its own unique storytelling, the series promises to deliver thrilling twists and emotional depth in its final episodes, streaming now on Netflix with the conclusion set for December 31.
Over its five seasons,
Stranger Things
‘ protagonists have drawn from the lore of
Dungeons & Dragons
to make sense of the supernatural happenings in Hawkins. The monsters they face become Demogorgons and the Mind Flayer, while their greatest foe takes on the name of
Dungeons & Dragons
‘ formidable lich Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
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But Season 5 introduces a new fictional lens through which
Stranger Things
‘ characters process their bizarre circumstances: Madeleine L’Engle’s classic science fiction and fantasy novel
A Wrinkle in Time
. Published in 1962,
A Wrinkle in Time
tells the story of 13-year-old Meg; her brilliant younger brother, Charles Wallace; and her kind classmate Calvin. The trio embarks on an epic adventure to different planets in hope of finding Meg and Charles Wallace’s vanished father.
Given that L’Engle’s novel is a beloved work of young adult genre fiction, it makes sense that it would eventually wind up in
Stranger Things
, a series whose characters love all things fantasy and sci-fi (and are constantly traveling to a different dimension). As we learn in Season 5, Mike and Nancy Wheeler’s (Finn Wolfhard and Natalia Dyer) younger sister Holly (Nell Fisher) loves
A Wrinkle in Time
, and it winds up being a key element of how she understands the reality-bending adventure she winds up on. Let’s break it down.
Stranger Things
turns Mrs. Whatsit into Mr. Whatsit.
Nell Fisher in “Stranger Things.”
Credit: Netflix
The first connection between
Stranger Things
and
A Wrinkle in Time
is the appearance of Holly’s new imaginary friend, Mr. Whatsit. The name comes from Mrs. Whatsit, one of Meg and Charles Wallace’s three mysterious neighbors. (The other two are Mrs. Which and Mrs. Who.) In the novel, Mrs. Whatsit is a kindly, eccentric old woman who
loves
a good scarf. But she’s also a supernatural being of immense power: She was once a star who blew herself up in the fight against the forces of evil. Now, her true form is that of a winged centaur.
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Similarly, Holly’s Mr. Whatsit is not what he seems. He’s not just a dapperly dressed young man. He’s actually Henry Creel, aka Vecna. I don’t know about you, but I’d take a flying pegasus over a tentacle monster any day!
As a malicious being, Vecna couldn’t be farther from
A Wrinkle of Time
‘s Mrs. Whatsit. Yet the two do still have a few things in common. Both live in a mysterious old house — shout out to the Creel House! — and end up transporting children to different realities. In Mrs. Whatsit’s case, that means using a tesseract, or a folding of space-time, to send Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin across the universe. In Vecna’s case, that means using Demogorgons to kidnap children to the Upside Down, then keep them hostage in his own, seemingly idyllic memories of Creel House. Again, I know which one I’d rather choose!
Mr. Whatsit is just a kindly mask that Vecna puts on in order to entice the children of Hawkins into his frightening schemes. Once Holly learns the truth, courtesy of Max (Sadie Sink), she not only drops the connection to her beloved Mrs. Whatsit, she also thinks up a new
Wrinkle in Time
connection to better comprehend what’s happening to her.
What is Camazotz, and how does it tie to
Stranger Things
?
Sadie Sink and Caleb McLaughlin in “Stranger Things.”
Credit: Netflix
When Holly runs into Max in the woods outside Creel House, Max reveals that the two of them are in Vecna’s memory world, which is where her consciousness has been living since she entered a coma at the end of Season 4.
“[We’re] in a memory, which exists within a world of 1,000 memories,” Max tells Holly. “I know it may look nice, but it’s not. This place, this world, it’s a prison. Henry’s prison.”
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Holly immediately draws a connection to Camazotz, the “dark planet” where
A Wrinkle in Time
‘s climax takes place. When Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin arrive on Camazotz, they discover that it’s perfectly ordered: Houses are cookie-cutter replicas, and everyone acts the same as one another.
Beneath this eerie veneer of perfection lurks a sinister truth. Everyone on Camazotz is under the control of IT, a giant brain with enormous telepathic powers. IT’s powers recall those of Vecna, while the plight of everyone on Camazotz is similar to Vecna’s hive mind of the creatures within the Upside Down. His memory world is also the same as Camazotz: seemingly perfect, but actually evil.
Now that Holly and Max are a team, could the two manage to fight their way out of Vecna’s memory world? Given that one of Season 5, Volume 2’s episodes is called “Escape From Camazotz,” it’s clear they’re going to make an attempt. Expect more Camazotz chaos (and more
A Wrinkle in Time
references) in the episodes to come.
Volume 1 of
Stranger Things
Season
5
is now streaming on Netflix. Volume 2 premieres Dec. 25, and the series finale premieres Dec. 31, both at 8 p.m. ET.
