Warning: Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1.

Although Robin and Will’s entire Stranger Things season 5 relationship is a great development, the sweetest moment in their interactions is a subtle one that many fans will miss. Stranger Things season 5, volume 1 is here, and the final chapter of Netflix’s sci-fi mega hit has lived up to the heightened expectations of fans worldwide.

While Stranger Things creators, the Duffer Brothers, broke their promise to introduce no new characters, the writers still found a way to ensure that most of the show’s main characters got a moment in the spotlight during the first four episodes of season 5. Jonathan Byers might still be relegated to the background, but there are four episodes to go.

Meanwhile, his little brother Will has his best character arc yet in season 5. When he befriends Robin, Will finally gets to talk frankly about her sexual orientation and, in doing so, process some of his own complicated feelings about himself. This pays off phenomenally at the end of episode 4, when his newfound confidence proves lethal for Vecna.

Robin Shares Will’s Interest In Alan Turing In Stranger Things Season 5

In a moment that decimates Vecna’s claims about Will’s innate weakness and vulnerability, the young hero of Stranger Things thinks back on his formative moments, summons up as much courage as he can muster, and proceeds to simultaneously kill three of Vecna’s Demogorgons with his mind. It’s a triumphant shock, but one that is well telegraphed beforehand.

Will and Robin share numerous conversations about self-acceptance throughout the preceding episodes, laying the groundwork for this big reveal. However, while Robin’s discussion of her relationship with Vickie is sweet, it’s an earlier, subtler nod to Robin and Will’s shared interest in LGBTQ+ history that really tugs on the heartstrings.

Robin claims that “The Enigma machine won the war!” while she is trying to convince Will to use himself as a human codebreaker for Vecna. She succeeds in her endeavors, with Will sneaking out behind Joyce’s back to try and work out where Derek went missing by using his psychic link to Vecna as a compass.

While Robin is arguably right about the historic impact of the codebreaking machine during WWII, there is another reason that this claim would be so compelling for Will. In season 4, one scene revealed that his high school history project was on Alan Turing and the Enigma machine.

Students were asked to write about a personal hero, and Eleven chose her adopted father, Hopper, prompting some truly vile bullying from her classmate, Angela. Although viewers don’t get to see Will’s presentation, the episode makes it clear that he selected the British mathematician and polymath, Alan Turing, as his hero.

Will’s Alan Turing Project Was One Of Stranger Things Season 4’s Subtlest Easter Eggs

Although Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 doesn’t bring up Turing by name again, the mention of the Enigma machine is an obvious nod to his legacy. Turing was a formative figure in the world of theoretical computer science and the creator of the earliest basic computer, the Turing machine.

Earlier in his career, he worked for the British government’s codebreaking center, and his research contributed to the invention of the Enigma machine, a codebreaker used to decode German naval ciphers. Turing’s long, varied career as a scientist saw him also make major breakthroughs in logic and theoretical biology, as well as the development of early computers.

Despite these varied and impressive achievements, Turing’s life was ruined by the UK government due to his homosexuality. He was prosecuted for homosexual acts in 1953 and underwent chemical castration as an alternative to prison, eventually resulting in Turing taking his own life. Due to the Official Secrets Act, much of his work wasn’t publicly recognized during his lifetime.

Stranger Things Season 5’s Turing Nod Helps Rewrite Tragic Real-Life History

Turing’s life story is one of many dark stains on the name of the British government, and attempts have been made to re-litigate his legacy and recognize his contributions in recent years. In 2021, Turing’s image appeared on a UK banknote to coincide with his birthday, while the “Alan Turing Law” retroactively pardons men convicted under historical legislation outlawing homosexuality.

Netflix’s hit sci-fi series has now contributed its part to this campaign of revisiting Turing’s life and work with season 4 and season 5’s references to his achievements. Although Stranger Things season 5’s story blends elements of horror and fantasy with its sci-fi, the show’s references to Turing and the Enigma machine are rooted in real-life history.

Turing’s work was never recognized during his life, and he was, in effect, killed by a government and legal system that denied him the ability to be his true self. An eccentric atheist, the genius was roundly rejected by his country during his lifetime, even though it was his work that helped defeat the Nazis.

As such, it’s fitting that the outcast hero and heroine of Stranger Things feel something of a kinship with the late pioneer. Both Robin and Will struggle to get by in the small-minded small town of Hawkins, but Will proves he’s still willing to save the town that failed to protect him in Stranger Things season 5, volume 1’s ending.