Killing off Erica (Priah Ferguson) wouldn't just be nonsensical — she's one of the youngest characters, often used for comedic relief, and rarely placed in immediate peril — it would be incredibly messed up. Fans wouldn't stand for it, and neither, I hope, would the Duffer brothers. She will live another day.

Risk level: Very Low

On one hand, Holly's promotion to core cast member could spell trouble. She's technically been around since season one, but she was aged up and recast with Nell Fisher for season five, meaning she'll actually have a role to play this time around. And historically, in "Stranger Things," newcomers are in the most danger.

On the other hand, introducing Nancy and Mike's baby sister into the narrative just to kill her seems callous. It's more likely that she'll follow an arc similar to Will's in season one — thrown into the thick of the action, maybe even victimized by the evils in the Upside Down, but ultimately saved by her family.

Risk level: Very Low

The showrunners are not going to kill the sweetest boy in Hawkins, especially not after Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) watched his idol, Eddie, slowly bleed out after getting stabbed to death. Let's be serious!

Risk level: Very Low

Max (Sadie Sink) already died in season four. In the finale, she fell to Vecna's curse, her bones broke, and her heart stopped. She was miraculously resurrected — likely thanks to Eleven's telekinesis, though it was left ambiguous — and she ended the season in a coma.

Max has been conspicuously absent from the fifth season's promotional materials (she didn't even get a character poster), and so far, she has only been shown as limp and unconscious in trailers.

All that may sound dire, but if the Duffer brothers wanted to kill Max, she'd already be dead. Her heroic arc in season four would've been that much more poignant if her life ended in Lucas' arms.

Sadie Sink is confirmed to reprise her role, and there's no way she got paid reportedly upward of $7 million for the season just to lie unconscious in a hospital bed. Most likely, Max's fate has been kept mysterious because when she wakes up, it'll play as a big emotional moment — not because Max is going to die all over again.

Risk level: Low

Like Max, Hopper (David Harbour) already kind of died in the show, vanishing in the season three finale — only to have his survival be revealed in a mid-credits scene.

Of course, while the audience knew that Hopper was alive, the other characters didn't. Their grief was thoroughly explored in season four, especially Eleven's. The duo's emotional reunion in the season four finale is a series highlight.

Hopper's fake-out death would dull the sting of watching him die again, so the Duffer brothers would be wise to avoid it.

Risk level: Low

As far as adults go, Joyce (Winona Ryder) is at slightly more risk than Hopper, but I doubt the show would leave Will, Jonathan, or Eleven motherless.

Risk level: Low

Mike (Finn Wolfhard) is the only character who's never been to the Upside Down. His death never truly seems like an option. Maybe that'll change in season five, but I doubt it.

Risk level: Low

Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is always at risk in some way; she's spent her entire life being tortured or hunted. Once Vecna is finally defeated, she deserves to live a normal life with her friends and family — at least, one that's as normal as someone with telekinetic powers can hope to have.

This could be wishful thinking, but I don't see Eleven's arc ending in death, even if it's a sacrifice. It would be too cruel. Plus, she already sacrificed herself to save her friends and kill the Demogorgon in season one, assuming the burst of energy would kill her too, so reusing that narrative technique would be a frustratingly predictable move.

Risk level: Medium-Low

Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) is the true neutral of "Stranger Things" risk assessments. He's neither likely nor unlikely to die at any given moment. Especially in season four, he was mostly there to move the plot along and lacked any big scenes that threatened his life. (Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Nancy, was in the Upside Down blasting Vecna with a sawed-off shotgun.)

That being said, Jonathan is essential to both Nancy and Will's character arcs. If either of them is placed in jeopardy in season five, expect Jonathan to be in jeopardy as well.

Risk level: Medium

Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is one of the few characters who's cool under pressure and handy with a gun. She's certainly been able to hold her own in combat thus far, but as the supernatural threats from Vecna grow ever more menacing, bullets may not be enough.

Nancy is also at a disadvantage for having two younger siblings. She has a natural protective instinct and can be bold to the point of recklessness — qualities that could make her extra vulnerable this season.

Risk level: Medium

Robin (Maya Hawke) is the newest character among all the teenagers, so if we're judging by the established "Stranger Things" pattern, she's in a significant amount of danger.

The last two teenagers who were added to the core cast, Billy and Eddie, both died expeditiously — not to mention the other teenagers who died in the same seasons they were introduced, including Barb, Heather, Chrissy, and Fred. Robin could be next.

Risk level: Medium-High

There was a popular theory during season four that Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) would sacrifice himself to save Max from Vecna, fueled by the lyrics of Max's favorite song, "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush. ("And if I only could / I'd make a deal with God / And I'd get him to swap our places.")

That hasn't happened yet, but it doesn't mean it can't still happen. More recently, panicked theories about Lucas were reignited when Caleb McLaughlin hinted that he might not appear in the series finale.

During an interview with Refresher, Finn Wolfhard said the finale was the most difficult episode to film. McLaughlin replied, "My finale was different, so I don't know."

It's certainly possible that McLaughlin was joking, but it's also possible that Lucas is headed for an ill-fated solo mission.

Risk level: High

Judging by the season five trailers, Will (Noah Schnapp) is in the most immediate danger — although that's not exactly new. Ever since he was kidnapped by the Demogorgon in season one, Will has had a direct connection to the Upside Down, and its evil has possessed his body more than once. Now, it looks like Vecna intends to use Will as a pawn in his final attempt to destroy Hawkins.

Unfortunately, because this connection flows both ways, Will is a liability. As long as he's still alive, Vecna will always have a connection to the Rightside Up.

In an interview with Time, the Duffer brothers said they conceptualized "Stranger Things" as "a show about Will." The very first episode is titled "The Vanishing of Will Byers."

Out of all the boys in the original quartet, it would make the most sense for Will's arc to end with some kind of climactic sacrifice. If he managed to save his family and friends, just as they saved him in season one, it would bring the series full circle.

Risk level: High

Steve (Joe Keery) was originally conceived as a side character who was supposed to die all the way back in season one.

Instead, the Duffer brothers fell in love with Keery's performance, and Steve was rewritten with a redemption arc.

"When he comes back and fights the Demogorgon, that was supposed to be Jonathan's dad," Matt said at Geeked Week 2022, per Rotten Tomatoes. "The cast is impacting where you take the narrative, the other writers and directors… It's this living thing."

Steve has been surviving by the skin of his teeth ever since, even as he's been attacked by Demodogs, stabbed by Demobats, and tortured by Soviet soldiers. He's become a fan favorite by throwing himself into the fray, doing everything in his power to shield Nancy, Robin, and the kids from harm. His friendship with Dustin makes him particularly lovable.

Alas, Steve's fan-favorite status may just be his downfall. His death would be devastating, which means it would make for great TV — especially as the show comes to an end, when the Duffer brothers won't have to worry about fans swearing off future Steve-less seasons.

Risk Level: Start preparing your eulogy

"Stranger Things" is a popular Netflix show inspired by '80s classics like "E.T.," "Ghostbusters," and "Star Wars." It's simply not going to end without good triumphing over evil.

Risk level: He's toast.

Although Martha Stewart's and Ina Garten's recipes are similar, the biggest difference between them is that Stewart calls for four different kinds of cheese and adds sautéed onion to the dish.

You can find the full recipe here.

I chose a midsize pot to make the cheese sauce in. 

The recipe calls for ¼ cup of diced yellow onion.

The recipe says to sauté the onions until they become translucent, which should take about five minutes. 

It took considerable effort to hand-grate the cheeses. It was also difficult to measure out each cheese exactly, so I ended up guestimating somewhat.

However, in the end, I had the right amount of each cheese to make the sauce, plus some cheese left over to sprinkle on top of the mac and cheese before baking it in the oven. 

It took about five minutes to cook the noodles, as they're supposed to be a little undercooked before going in the oven. 

It quickly thickened the onions and butter mixture. Per the recipe's instructions, I stirred the onions, flour, and butter together and left it for a few seconds until the mixture began to bubble in the pot.

After a few minutes, the mixture had begun to thicken. 

After stirring the cheese sauce until all the ingredients were completely melted and combined, it was time to add it to the macaroni.

However, the steps were easy to follow, and I was able to sit down once the mac and cheese was ready to be put in the oven.

After scooping my mac and cheese out of the pot and into the dish, I realized I had a lot left over. I could have easily filled another dish. 

You can use homemade breadcrumbs per the instructions from the slow-cooker version, or you can use store-bought in a pinch.

I didn't have a food processor available to make homemade breadcrumbs, but I found that the store-bought kind didn't negatively affect my end result. I was happy to cut out a step and save myself some dishes.

The top layer of mac and cheese had a delicious, lightly browned crust, while the mac and cheese underneath remained perfectly creamy. It was enough to feed about four people, though I could have fed more if I had more dishes to bake the rest of the leftover macaroni.

This mac and cheese was really flavorful, with a slightly smoky taste.

The recipe only uses two types of cheese — extra-sharp cheddar and Gruyere — making this recipe a little less time-consuming and expensive to make. Perhaps to make up for less cheese, the recipe uses more butter and milk than Martha Stewart's version.

You can find the full recipe here.

Two tablespoons are reserved for the end, so you start by melting 6 tablespoons in a pot on the stove. It's important to melt it at a low heat — you don't want the butter to burn or boil.

The recipe calls for a pound of macaroni or cavatappi pasta. The chef also recommends adding oil to the pot of boiling water, which prevents the pasta from sticking.

After the butter had melted, I added ½ cup of all-purpose flour. The key is to whisk the mixture until it is smooth and has no clumps.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, I began heating a quart of milk.

The next step was to whisk the ingredients until they were fully combined.

While the mixture was off the heat, I started grating my extra-sharp white cheddar cheese. The recipe calls for 8 ounces, which turned out to be the entire package. It took a while to grate, so I was thankful that I had bought pre-grated Gruyére cheese.

I seasoned the pot of cheese sauce with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Ina Garten's recipe uses similar seasonings to Stewart's, except for the addition of cayenne pepper, which Stewart does not use.

This was another slight difference between the two recipes.

After my noodles were cooked, I poured the cheese sauce over them and mixed everything with a wooden spoon.

I scooped the mixture into a baking dish and waited for the oven to finish pre-heating to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

I made one side of my dish with tomatoes and one without, so I could see which one I preferred.

The recipe calls for homemade breadcrumbs, but I opted to use the same store-bought ones I used in the Martha Stewart version for the sake of a fair comparison.

The tomatoes were slightly roasted.

The Ina Garten version tasted like an adult-friendly version of a childhood favorite, while the Martha Stewart version was more classic.

The tomatoes added tart flavor to the dish and a unique texture, but I was torn over which I preferred.

Both recipes have their high points, but I couldn't ignore the fact that Ina Garten's recipe was cheaper, as I only needed two kinds of cheese. It was also dramatically easier to make. With the Stewart version, I had to prep onions and grate four kinds of cheese, for not that much more flavor in the end.

If I were to choose which one to make again, I would opt for the Ina Garten mac and cheese recipe. I enjoyed the addition of the tomatoes and thought they'd pair well with other Thanksgiving foods.

However, if tomatoes and stuffing don't sound good together, you can always leave them out — the dish is still great without them.

Gemini 3 rolled out to the public last week with rave reviews. It outperforms its predecessor in coding, design, and analysis, and surpasses competing models in benchmark tests. As we at Business Insider discovered, it's highly adept at designing websites and basic video games, giving it broader use beyond coding.

The new model has allayed some fears that Google was too far behind rivals and that scaling laws — rules that say AI models improve with more data and compute — were slowing down. The company's stock price has increased by more than 12% since the rollout of Gemini 3 on November 18.

Google has spent over a decade developing its own chips for internal use. Known as Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), Google has used these chips to train its Gemini models. That's a great advertisement as Google hopes more companies will adopt the chips for their own models.

Google sells access to its TPUs through its cloud business and has made a significant internal push in recent months to attract more customers. That could pose a long-term threat to Nvidia's business. Google is currently in discussions for a blockbuster deal with Meta worth billions of dollars, which would potentially host some of Google's chips in one of Meta's own data centers, according to a person familiar with the discussions. The Information first reported on the arrangement, which sent the shares of chip companies like AMD and Nvidia tumbling on Tuesday.

In September, a federal judge handed down penalties for an antitrust lawsuit brought against Google's search business in 2020. Those penalties, which threatened to tear up Google's lucrative search empire, amounted to little more than a slap on the wrist. Google was told it could continue making payments to partners such as Apple for default status, but could not do so exclusively. It was also ordered to share some search data with rivals.

At one point, Google's Chrome browser was on the chopping block, which could have severed a crucial part of Google's search-advertising flywheel. Despite the judge ruling that Google had acted as a monopoly, the company came away relatively unscathed.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway built a $4.3 billion stake in Google parent company Alphabet last quarter, a regulatory filing revealed. That's notable for two reasons. Other than Apple, Buffett has tended to avoid tech stocks. He has also historically avoided expensive, high-growth companies.

As Buffett prepares to step back as CEO, the decision to finally bet on Google — something he said he wished he'd done long ago — suggests strong confidence in the search giant.

Google's core moneymaker is still search advertising, and one of the big investor fears has been how Google's self-disruption might hurt its cash cow. Not a lot, apparently: Search revenues jumped 15% in the third quarter, suggesting that even if AI is hurting some websites' traffic, it's not harming Google's business.

In fact, Google says generative AI is causing people to search more than ever. The company is currently testing ads in AI Mode, its chatbot-like version of search that is gradually feeling like less of an experiment and more like Google's vision for how search will eventually work.