Warning: Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2!While Stranger Things season 5’s first batch of episodes contained many major revelations, Volume 2 also features plenty of discussion-worthy moments. Highlights from Volume 1 included moments like Kali’s return, Will’s ability to replicate Vecna’s powers, and the fact that Max was stuck in Vecna’s mindscape.
Many of the biggest reveals occurred in Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1’s ending. Though it’s a similar case in terms of reveals during “The Bridge,” every episode in Volume 2 provides notable moments and revelations, setting the stage for the show’s series finale episode.
Dr. Kay Is Using Kali’s Blood To Experiment On Pregnant Women
In Stranger Things season 5, episode 5, Kali successfully escapes from the military’s Upside Down base with Eleven and Hopper. After admitting that she didn’t know Henry was still alive, she updates El on what has happened to her since they last saw one another. Once Kail’s friends were killed, she was taken to the base, where doctors continuously took her blood.
At one point, Kali fought back and attempted to escape from the base. It was then that she discovered that her blood was being transfused into pregnant women, confirming that Dr. Kay was trying to restart Dr. Brenner’s program in the hopes of replicating Henry through new children. Unfortunately, only Eleven’s blood would be successful, which is why Dr. Kay has been tracking her down for so long.
Will Has The Ability To Hurt Vecna Through The Hive Mind
Following the major revelation that Will had powers in Stranger Things season 5 through his connection to the hive mind, Volume 2 quickly shares more details about his abilities. With the help of an electrified Demogorgon, Will is able to tap back into the hive mind and learn that Holly is with Max. He then uses that intel to track down Vecna.
Stranger Things S5 Vol. 2 Review: Emotions Run High As More Truth Comes To Light
Volume 2 of Stranger Things season 5 packs an emotional punch with more revelations, but it runs into a trope common with big franchises.
While Holly and Max are looking for an exit to get back to their real world, Vecna finds them. He nearly kills Max again until Will is able to take control, breaking Vecna’s leg, allowing Max and Holly to run back to the cave. Though Will successfully helps Max and Holly, Vecna retakes control, forcing Will out of the hive mind, causing him to fall unconscious while trapped in Vecna’s mind. Vecna then declares how Will would serve as his spy again.
The Upside Down Is A Part Of A Wormhole
Since season 1, there has been a mystery about what the Upside Down actually is. Was it supposed to be a mirrored dimension, an alternate world, all of the above? Thankfully, Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2, reveals the truth about the Upside Down, confirming that it’s a wormhole. More specifically, the Upside Down is the bridge between worlds.
Upon discovering the exotic matter hovering above Hawkins Lab in the Upside Down and finding Dr. Brenner’s journal, Dustin impressively puts it all together. He later explains to the group that the Upside Down is serving as a bridge to the real world and the world Vecna ended up in after El defeated him following the Hawkins Lab massacre.
The mysteriously fleshy wall in the Upside Down is the barrier of the bridge, with the dark matter ball of energy holding it together. Still, the wormhole is dangerously unstable. Vecna’s plan, however, is to merge his world, which Dustin nicknames “the Abyss,” and the normal world, with the help of his newly-taken vessels.
Jonathan Doesn’t Propose To Nancy
While exploring Hawkins Lab in the Upside Down, Nancy and Jonathan find that the upper floors of the building had melted. This was caused by the exotic matter, but before Dustin can identify the danger, Nancy shoots at the mysterious ball in the sky, causing a red shockwave to spread across the Upside Down.
The shockwave knocks out Jonathan and Nancy, resulting in the duo becoming trapped in a melting room. Thinking that they would die, both characters decide to be honest about their relationship. Whereas Jonathan shares that he never applied to Emerson, Nancy reveals that she needed space from Jonathan during the events of season 4, but that it had nothing to do with Steve.
As they both admit that their relationship’s reliance on their shared trauma is “suffocating,” Jonathan decides to show Nancy the engagement ring. Rather than propose, Jonathan went through with an “unproposal,” asking Nancy not to marry him. Though both characters survive the events of Volume 2, it’s unclear if they intend to stay together.
Will Built The Tunnels From Season 2
One of the longer-running theories surrounding Stranger Things was that Will was responsible for the tunnels from season 2. Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2, confirms that theory to be true when Vecna calls Will his “builder” before the show reveals how Will was manipulated by the hive mind while also serving as the spy.
It turned out that Will would tap into the hive mind while asleep during the events of Stranger Things season 2. He then used the vines to dig out the tunnel system, which negatively affected Hawkins, as was the case with the pumpkin patches. It also gave the Demodogs an easier way to get to their targets more quickly, seeing as Will essentially made them intricate passageways to travel through.
Henry Killed A Man As A Kid (According To His Cave Memory)
Based on what was uncovered regarding Henry’s past in Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1, one of the lingering mysteries was what happened to Henry and the cave. There are still plenty of questions regarding the memory, but Volume 2 unearths a few more intriguing details through Holly and Max’s discovery.
While stuck in the cave after nearly making their escape, Holly figures they should look for an exit in Henry’s cave memory, leading them to the desert. Realizing that the shape of the spyglass view matches the shape of the cave, Holly is hoping to find a clue when she falls into a mine shaft.
It’s there that Holly and Max witness a young Henry encountering a man holding a briefcase. Henry wants to help the man in distress, but instead, he shoots Henry in the hand. Henry then retaliates by killing the man with a large rock before opening the briefcase. The scene doesn’t reveal what is in there, but surely the series finale will uncover the truth.
Max Officially Wakes Up (After Another Impressive Karen Moment)
After 18 months, Max finally wakes up after finding a portal out of Vecna’s mindscape. However, the show explains that she was never in a coma; Max’s real body in the hospital is stuck in a trance. Shortly before waking up, Vecna sends his Demodogs to the hospital to kill her, but Robin, Lucas, and Vickie are able to protect her.
Technically, it’s Karen who saves Max and the group, since she blows up the Demodogs in the hospital basement. Despite her condition following Vecna’s curse, Max isn’t paralyzed or blind when she wakes up, though she is still very weak from being stuck in a hospital bed since Stranger Things season 4’s ending. While she can’t partake in the mission to thwart Vecna’s plan, her intel on Holly and Vecna’s mindscape will prove vital in the series finale.
Will Comes Out As Gay To His Family & Friends
Stranger Things has already confirmed that Will was gay, but it wasn’t directly said until season 5’s “The Bridge.” Before the big mission, Will tells Joyce that Vecna is using him as a spy again, and in doing so, Vecna messed with Will’s mind. He even showed Will a potential future where he came out as gay to his friends and family, causing them all to drift apart as time went on.
Worried something like that could come true, Will bravely decides to share the truth with the entire group before setting out on their final mission. All fully support Will and reassure him that the truth doesn’t change anything, calming any fears he had regarding Vecna’s visions. The decision also means that Will can help Eleven during the mission since he’s no longer afraid of what Vecna would do if he tapped back into the hive mind.
Dustin & Steve Repair Their Friendship
The status of Dustin and Steve’s friend was an interesting aspect in Volume 1. It was clear that Dustin had changed leading into Stranger Things season 5 due to Eddie’s death. At the same time, his friendship with Steve was clearly strained, leading to constant arguing. That tension boils over in season 5’s “Shock Jock,” when Dustin and Steve get into a physical altercation involving Eddie’s fate.
In Stranger Things season 5, episode 7, Steve notably comes up with the bulk of the plan to stop Vecna and rescue Holly. He is also able to have a heart-to-heart with Dustin, admitting that Eddie did indeed save them. Steve also refers to Dustin as his “best friend” before revealing how much he missed their friendship. Equipping themselves with the weapons Dustin and Eddie used against the Demobats, Steve and Dustin make a pact, saying “You die, I die.”
Vecna Recaptures Holly & Takes Her Back To The “Abyss”
By the end of Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2, Vecna sets in motion his plan to merge the two worlds. Unfortunately, Holly is still under his control. Not only does Vecna drag her back to his lair in the Abyss, but the other kids stop her from leaving the Creel House again once Henry convinces them that Max is the real monster, not him.
In fact, the kids, who are acting like they are in some kind of cult, attack Holly, and not even Derek stands up for her. While Holly’s mind remains trapped in the Creel House, her physical body will also need to be rescued before the group blows up the wormhole, destroying the Upside Down and Vecna’s chance at merging the worlds in Stranger Things‘ final episode.
Volumes 1 and 2 of Stranger Things season 5 are now available on Netflix. The series finale releases on December 31, 2025!
- Release Date
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November 26, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Episodes
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8
