Stranger Things Season 5 finally introduces us to Tina Turnbow (Caroline Elle Abrams), aka Erica Sinclair’s (Priah Ferguson) best frenemy and Derek Turnbow’s (Jake Connelly) older sister. Although Tina only appears in one episode of the Netflix hit, she makes an immediate impression thanks to her classic “cool girl” aesthetic and the ways in which she almost ruins the gang’s complex “Turnbow Trap.”
**Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1, now streaming on Netflix**
In Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) debuts a new alter ego, Mr. Whatsit, to prey upon the impressionable kids of Hawkins. Mr. Whatsit initially appears to Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) as a dapper imaginary friend determined to save her from the monsters who would eat her. In fact, by the end of Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 1 “The Crawl,” Vecna has sent a Demogorgon after Holly to kidnap her and bring her to the Upside Down.
When Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) uses his connection to the hive mind to figure out what Vecna’s doing, he also discovers that Mr. Whatsit’s next victim is going to be “Dipshit” Derek Turnbow. The group realizes that they can use Derek as bait to lure a Demogorgon into a trap of their choosing, so they can attach a tracker to the monster, and finally follow it to wherever Vecna’s base is.
Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 3 is called “The Turnbow Trap” because it follows this daring scheme to drug the Turnbow family to spirit them to safety while their cushy house turns into the literal trap. The team’s key to getting into the house? Erica Sinclair, who has been talking about her best friend Tina since we really got to know her back in Season 3.
Apparently, the girls are on the outs now, so Erica has to be convinced that cozying up to Tina is actually a form of revenge. Erica arrives at the Turnbows’ house with a fake apology and a pie full of drugs. The only problem? Tina is worried about her caloric intake and never eats the pie, forcing Erica to literally stab her with a needle full of the sedatives.
Okay, so that’s what we know about the role Tina Turnbow plays in Stranger Things 5, but who plays her? Here’s what we know about Caroline Elle Abrams…
Photo: Netflix
Who Plays Tina Turnbow in Stranger Things? All About Caroline Elle Abrams: Age, Instagram, and Other Projects:
Florida-native Caroline Elle Abrams plays Tina Turnbow in Stranger Things 5.
According to her IMDB page, Caroline Elle Abrams started working in local theater and commercials in South Florida when she was five years old. You can see some of her early commercial work on her official Instagram page, dating back to 2020.
Since then, Abrams has appeared in the short film, Just Deal With It, and starred in 2023’s R.A.D.A.R.: The Adventures of the Bionic Dog.
It’s unclear how old Caroline Elle Abrams is exactly, but Tina Turnbow is supposed to be thirteen years old in Stranger Things 5.
You can follow Caroline Elle Abrams on Instagram @carolineelleabrams. She and Stranger Things star Priah Ferguson have been tagging each other in various photos and reels, showing that the two are friends in real life.
Stranger Things Season 5 Part 2 premieres on Thursday, December 25 at 8 PM EST/5 PM PST.
