Stranger Things is nearly over. The finale arrives December 31 on Netflix, and we’re in that weird limbo of being excited to see what happens—and also dreading being without any more to come, not to mention what choices the show might make as it reaches its end. But before we worry too much about the future, here’s what we liked, and didn’t like, about season five’s second volume.
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Liked: All things Will
Noah Schnapp as Will was, clearly, the MVP of volume two. After he became a sorcerer at the end of volume one, we got to see him explore those powers more, which was incredibly exciting. Plus, he finally had a beautiful, emotional, long-overdue coming-out scene, which was one of the best Stranger Things moments yet. The performance was perfect throughout, and we can’t wait to see where things end up for him.
Liked: Dustin and Steve
Things have been tense with Dustin and Steve, and it came to a head with a bit of a brawl in the Upside Down. But, eventually, the pair cleared the air, reconnected, and solidified something we’ve all known and loved. They’re best friends to the end.
Liked: The return of Max
It’s a moment we’ve been waiting years for. Finally, Max found her way out of Vecna’s mind and back to the real world. Lucas was waiting, and the reunion was lovely, hilarious, and perfect. And that it began with so many cool moments mentoring Holly about escape beforehand just elevated it.
Didn’t like: The emphasis on Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Stranger Things is surely going to reveal all of what happened to little Henry Creel in the cave, including the contents of that mysterious briefcase. And it’s admittedly impressive that a Netflix show got a spin-off stage play that’s having a popular run on Broadway. But for everyone who hasn’t gotten to watch the play, it’s kind of annoying—you can’t fight the urge to look up the play’s plot to find out what you’re missing, and then you discover a big ol’ spoiler once you do. It’ll be a moot point in a week, but still.
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Liked: The Vecna of it all
As we head to the end, we got a whole lot of good Vecna in volume two. Jamie Campbell Bower got to explore all facets of the character with some wonderful, divergent performance moments. Plus, the design of his actual lair in the Abyss, with all the huge teeth and stuff, left us wide-eyed.
Liked: The Jurassic Park moment
When three Demogorgons entered the basement of the hospital, jumping on countertops and stalking our heroes, it was pure Jurassic Park. But Stranger Things then took that Spielberg inspiration to another level, giving Mrs. Wheeler her hero moment, blowing up the creatures with the tank in the laundry dryer. A perfect cherry on top.
Didn’t like: All the spinning wheels
If you look at season five, volume two as the last stepping stone before the finale, it made sense that so much had to happen across multiple stories: arguments that went on too long, multiple instances of characters needing to be reassured (sometimes the same character more than once!) or getting a pep talk, and scene after scene of people formulating plans. We get it. It’s plot mechanics. But it got a little tiresome sitting through it all.
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Liked: Holly’s arc
Characters on Stranger Things can sometimes feel a bit… stagnant, despite aging several years with each new season. That has not been the case with Holly. A former background presence who’s now the age of the original Stranger Things kids in season one, she’s taken on huge importance as the endgame approaches. She’s still very young, but we see her learn, grow, and realize she’s braver than she ever realized, all while facing a truly terrifying situation.
Liked: Outsider characters finally learning the truth
We understand why the main Stranger Things characters have been keeping secrets—but it was a great and necessary relief when some of their biggest supporters, including Mr. Clarke, Mrs. Wheeler, and the long-suffering Vickie, finally, finally learned the truth about the Upside Down.
Liked: Getting the big reveals out in the open
We didn’t actually like either of the big reveals themselves—more on why below, but they’re the ones detailing Dr. Kay’s plan and the true purpose/function of the Upside Down. But we did like that Stranger Things stopped holding them back; deciding to explain them (sometimes more than once, just so we understood) and getting these secrets out in the open was important to helping the show move full-speed into the finale.
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Liked: The melting lab
Stranger Things has always been good at giving us gross. But volume two took things to a new level with a kind of Matthew Barney, Salvador Dali-inspired section of the Upside Down Hawkins lab. The walls and floor were melted. Humans were frozen in the goop. And as Jonathan and Nancy try to escape, it just gets grosser and more terrifying. We loved it.
Liked: The gang is all here
One problem with the middle episodes of Stranger Things 5 is that everyone was off on their own journeys. But, finally, by episode seven, “The Bridge,” almost everyone has been reunited (they’re coming, Holly!), and even if it’s way, way too many people for single scenes, we still thought it was fantastic. We love these characters, and seeing them interact, especially all at once, is always rewarding.
Liked: Robin being Robin
Robin has always been a standout character, but she’s been particularly valuable in season five. In the second batch of episodes, not only does she continue her way of figuring out important details (using records to illustrate how Holly, Max, and Will could all be physically separate but their minds could all be in the same place) and cracking jokes to break the tension—she also gives Will that much-needed confidence for his big scene at the end of episode seven.
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Liked: Kali as a counterpoint
Hopper’s here to protect Eleven. Mike’s here to fill her mind with thoughts of a happy ending—the possibility of that true fresh start she so desperately wants. But Kali is here to remind her, and everyone else, that Eleven can never be “normal” as long as the military-industrial complex is around, wanting to use her blood to create supersoldiers. Kali’s attempt to secure a “win, then die” pact out of her sister may be unpleasant, but her point of view is valid and brings a fascinating complexity to the final battle. (Will the show dare to go there, though?)
Didn’t like: WTF is up with Eleven?
For a character that has long been the center of Stranger Things, we haven’t loved Eleven’s arc this season. In volume two especially, she’s just projecting in water, not doing much, gets out of the Upside Down a little too easily, and is forced to wear the Body Glove wetsuit for hours. Thanks to the fact that we know she might have to sacrifice herself, we’re sure redemption is coming in the finale, but volume two oddly pushed Eleven to the background.
Liked: Pop culture explosion
The Butthole Surfers debate, the little kid’s “E.T. Phone Home” shirt, and the fact that director Frank Darabont, who co-wrote A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, put that movie in Holly’s memory. Just a few examples of how volume two was filled with lovely Easter eggs and pop culture references that made us smile.
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Didn’t like: Dr. Kay shouldn’t be this lame
Linda Hamilton is an icon, so to see her play this one-note character who is barely a blip in this season has been a letdown. Yes, she’ll have more to do in the finale thanks to the also not-that-exciting reveal of ANOTHER “numbers” program, but we were just really hoping for more.
Liked: The length
While each episode of season five, volume two, was over an hour, at least there were just three of them. You could watch, enjoy, and take a breath at the end within a reasonable time frame—and feel confident you could get to the end before spoilers started raining down from the sky.
Liked: Nancy and Jonathan’s heart-to-heart
Though Steve does have superior hair, it wasn’t really a love triangle causing tension between Nancy and Jonathan; it was the weight of everything they’d gone through together and feeling obligated to remain a couple because of it. Forced to share their deepest truths, Nancy and Jonathan agreed they’d break up—they love each other, they’re just not in love, and they certainly don’t want to get married—and move forward at last.
Didn’t like: IT WAS A WORMHOLE THIS WHOLE TIME?
The Duffer Brothers say they’ve had the true nature of the Upside Down in mind since the show started. We’re not sure if we entirely believe them, but that might be simply because it sounds like a giant retcon no matter how you spin it.
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