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How old is Caroline Elle Abrams? All about the ‘Stranger Things’ diva who won fans over with that pie scene

A forgotten friend becomes a key threat as Erica Sinclair’s past comes crashing into the final season’s hilarious mission.

‘Stranger Things’ has always had a knack for spotlighting new faces, and Season 5 continues that tradition with the introduction of Caroline Elle Abrams. The young actress steps into the role of Tina Turnbow. She’s the once-loyal best friend of Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson), now a reluctant opponent. And despite only appearing briefly so far, Abrams has already become one of the season’s most buzzed-about additions. While the character of Tina Turnbow may be new to viewers, Abrams herself is no stranger to performing. According to IMDb, she began her career at just five years old, cutting her teeth in community theater productions and commercials across South Florida.

Those early performances paved the way for her transition into film and television. Though the actress keeps her personal details under wraps, including her real-life age, she portrays 13-year-old Tina in the series’ final season. Before landing her biggest role to date, Abrams appeared in the short film ‘Just Deal With It’ and lent her voice to Kylie in the 2023 animated feature ‘R.A.D.A.R.: The Adventures of the Bionic Dog.’ She also appeared as herself in an episode of the series ‘Me.’ Meanwhile, devoted fans may remember that Tina isn’t a completely new addition to the ‘Stranger Things’ universe.

Her name was first dropped back in Season 3 when Erica casually mentioned spending the night at her best friend Tina’s house before getting swept into the chaos of the Starcourt Mall. At the time, it was a throwaway detail. Now, two seasons later, that small reference has become a major payoff. Season 5 reveals that Erica and Tina’s friendship has since fallen apart, thanks to a classic middle-school rift involving a crush, as per Red94. But this seemingly simple drama takes a dramatic turn when the Hawkins kids discover that Tina’s younger brother, Derek Turnbow, is marked as Vecna’s next target.

Suddenly, Erica needs her ex-best friend’s help without letting Tina know that she’s actually part of a high-stakes mission. Episode 3, “The Turnbow Trap,” delivers one of the funniest scenes of the final season, driven entirely by Abrams’ pitch-perfect delivery and Ferguson’s impeccable comedic instincts. Erica shows up at the Turnbow home with a peace-offering pie, masking a risky plan: the dessert is spiked with hospital-grade sedatives provided by Robin. The goal? Get the entire Turnbow family to fall asleep so the group can keep Derek safe from Vecna. The plan goes sideways when Tina, ever the calorie-counting teen, refuses to take a single bite.

As her family collapses around her, Tina stands bewildered and untouched. That’s when Erica, losing patience, pulls out a syringe and knocks her out cold while delivering the now-iconic line, “I told you to eat your damn pie.” The moment has quickly become a fan-favorite gag from the final season’s early episodes. Netflix has structured ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 into three releases. Volume 1 arrived on November 26, with Volume 2 scheduled for December 25, and the series-ending finale landing on December 31. Whether Tina appears in the remaining episodes is still unclear, but her involvement in the Turnbow family arc suggests this won’t be the last time we see Abrams’ character.