Ahead of the megahit’s fifth and final season, TIME spent months inside the world of Stranger Things for a cover story. I shadowed the Duffer brothers as they directed an epic action scene on set in Atlanta in the spring of 2024 and then visited them in their Los Angeles edit bay for an extended interview the following summer. During our conversations about how they’re wrapping up their story we discussed, among other things, the character deaths that meant so much to the fans.