The End Is Near For ‘Stranger Things’ But What Happened in Vol. 2?
Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 2 ended with the promise of an action-packed 2-hour finale, where the entire cast of our Hawkins heroes will square up against Vecna, aka Henry Creel, and his machinations one last time. But what happened in Vol. 2, and how does it set up the last act of Netflix’s most popular original series?
After eight years of confronting Demogorgons, interdimensional portals, and sitting through the resurgence of certain ‘80s sensations like Kate Bush, the show’s penultimate batch of episodes arrived on Christmas Day and expanded on the fictional world’s lore like never before, answering questions about the Upside Down, offering semi-resolutions to certain character arcs, and preparing the viewers for an emotional feature-length finale that will drop on December 31.
Vol. 2, comprising episodes 5 through 7 (and titled “Shock Jock,” Escape from Camazotz,” and “The Bridge,” respectively), rewrites everything we thought we knew about the Upside Down, so let’s get down to it. Here’s everything you need to know about Vol. 2’s ending.
The following paragraphs will contain spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2. Read on at your own discretion.
Max gets her moment, but Holly suffers
Perhaps the biggest emotional gut-punch of Vol. 2 was Max’s desperate attempt to escape Henry’s mind prison alongside Holly. The two navigate through Holly’s memories right to the moment where she was snatched by the Demogorgon, hoping to find an exit route, but Vecna intercepts and blocks their path. When Vecna tries to kill Max, Will—flexing his newfound hive mind powers—takes control of Vecna’s body and snaps his leg, allowing Max and Holly to escape back to the hideout. This time, they decide to search for a way out in the arid plains beyond the cave.
Holly stumbles upon one of Henry’s most traumatic memories, where a young version, just a terrified child really, kills a scientist carrying a silver briefcase, hinting at how Henry first became entangled in this supernatural nightmare. Max and Holly find another way through the twisted maze that is Henry’s mind, with Kate Bush on full blast in the background, recreating the iconic moment when Max outran Vecna’s curse in season 4.
Max gets a tearful reunion with Lucas, while Holly wakes up covered in tentacles, barfs some gnarly Upside Down matter, then plummets screaming from the sky in order to escape Vecna’s fortress. (The Duffer Brothers really said, “You know what this child needs? Even more trauma.”) Vecna manages to capture Holly again, but not before inadvertently revealing his whereabouts to the team. Volume 2 ends with Holly and the other kidnapped children sitting at the Creel family dinner table, their eyes ro the worlds—which takes us to the big revelation about the true nature of the Upside Down.
The Upside Down is not a parallel dimension
The biggest revelation in Vol. 2 completely recontextualizes the Upside Down and what we know about it. As Dustin explains it, thanks to the book of notes he finds in the Hawkins lab, the Upside Down is actually a bridge or a wormhole, depending on the way you look at it, connecting our world to another realm called the Abyss, where the Mind Flayer is also supposedly located.
Vecna didn’t create the Upside Down, but he intends to use his mind powers, amplified by the rest of the kidnapped children, to merge the two worlds and create a new one. What for we still don’t know, but his endgame seems to hinge entirely on successfully fusing the real world with the Abyss. Henry is hinting at “a last resort to save the world,” but whether there’s any truth to that claim is something we’re going to find out in the finale.
Will’s coming out moment and Eleven’s impossible choice
Amid all the apocalyptic chaos, Vol. 2 also delivers one of the series’ most emotionally resonant scenes when Will Byers finally comes out to his friends and family. The scene is handled with care and warmth, but it also ties into the larger conflict at play involving Vecna, who had apparently shown Will a dark future where coming out causes his loved ones to drift away. Having overcome those fears, Will has now joined the ultimate D&D party heading into the Upside Down and then towards the Abyss to kill Vecna.
As for Eleven, with the government still looking to create more telepathic children with powers, Kali’s return brings more than just nostalgia for season 2’s divisive Chicago episode. Kali reminds El that even if they defeat Vecna, her existence ensures that programs like Project Indigo will never end. Kali’s solution is that they both remain in the Upside Down when the exotic matter bridge explodes (which is part of the team’s plan to remove the threat once and for all), and considering those final moments, El is actually considering this sacrifice, unbeknownst to Hopper and Mike.
Where will the series finale pick up the story?
Volume 2 ends with Murray successfully leading the crew through the heavily guarded gate into the Upside Down. Their plan entails killing Vecna, rescuing Holly and the other children, blowing up the bridge, aka the Upside Down, and somehow making it back to the real world with all their parts intact. You know, just a casual Tuesday for the Hawkins crew.
Whatever happens, it’s almost certain the finale is going to be emotionally devastating and include at least a few character deaths, so stock up on tissues accordingly. “The Rightside Up” drops December 31 at 5 pm PT on Netflix.
(featured image: Netflix)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
