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Full spoilers follow for Stranger Things: Season 5, Vol. 2, which consists of three of Season 5’s eight episodes. Vol. 2 premieres December 25 on Netflix and the series finale debuts December 31. Read our <\/strong>review of Vol. 1 here<\/strong><\/u>.<\/strong><\/p>\nFear not, Stranger Things<\/u> watchers who are nervous creators Matt and Ross Duffer can\u2019t possibly answer all of their unsolved mysteries \u2013 Season 5, Vol. 2 is an answer-palooza for many<\/em> of the mythology mysteries that have plagued the residents of Hawkins going back to Season 1. There\u2019s so much going on in this trifecta of episodes, it\u2019s a little overwhelming to process just how much is revealed about the mythology \u2013 and between characters \u2013 in the three-and-a-half hours that span this volume.<\/p>\n\n\nMore From Hawkins<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/section>\nAnd that\u2019s not to mention that you might want to dig out your Texas Instruments scientific calculators, because Mr. Clark (Randy Havens), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Erica (Priah Ferguson) and even Murray (Brett Gelman) will be taking us all to school \u2014 in a very entertaining way \u2014 as we get the real 411 about the Upside Down, the Rightside Up and something called the exotic matter holding it all together.<\/p>\n
“Chapter Five: Shock Jock\u201d is the second episode this season directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist) and picks up from the cliffhanger where Noah Schnapp\u2019s Will the Sorcerer<\/em> went all Eleven on the Demogorgons. In the wake of his destruction, the heroes of Hawkins take stock of their losses\u2026 and realize that all 12 kids have been kidnapped into the Upside Down by Mr. Whatsit\/Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). He\u2019s plugged all of them into his hive, but they just think they\u2019re being protected in his faux-perfect Creel house. Having learned from Holly Wheeler\u2019s (Nell Fisher) wandering, he\u2019s got them locked down for safe-keeping until he needs to use his \u201cperfect vessels\u201d for his endgame plan.<\/p>\nIn the Rightside Up, Will and company figure out that he\u2019s able to siphon power from Vecna because of their connection. So, unlike Eleven\u2019s (Millie Bobby Brown) powers, proximity is required for Will to get juiced up to fight Vecna. And Lucas\u2019 (Caleb McLaughlin) theory that November 6 will be the day that Vecna\u2019s plans will become known triggers an implied countdown clock that fuels these episodes, and which unspool over one day. Darabont has a deft hand in keeping \u201cChapter Five\u201d light on its feet, shifting between multiple settings, some high-concept quantum physics chatter, and several much-needed character moments \u2014 hello, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton).<\/p>\n
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Stranger Things 5 – Volume 2 Trailer First Look Images<\/h3>\n<\/output><\/p>\n
All of that is set-up for the ultimate mythology deep dive in “Chapter Six: Escape from Camazotz,” directed by series executive producer Shawn Levy. Consider this the science class episode of the bunch, as Dustin downloads his big wormhole theory that connects Hawkins and Vecna\u2019s The Abyss. All the praise to writer Kate Trefry for packing a tremendous amount of science talk into this segment while parceling it out in ways that make it understandable for all the Steve Harringtons in the house. Does all of it need to be so layered and complex? Probably not, but it\u2019s handed off amongst several characters who excitedly share the details with one another like everyone is stupid (us included). They make the exposition medicine go down easy.<\/p>\n
Also tempering the heaviness of those theories is the parallel adventures of Max (Sadie Sink) and Holly working together to get out of Henry\u2019s head (aka Max\u2019s cave). If we\u2019re awarding MVPs for this volume, Fisher\u2019s Holly earns a gold star for being such a charming addition to the lineup so late in the game. She holds her own in every emotional scene with Sink, and does the character work needed to invest the audience in her plight. Not an easy feat when she could have easily come across as stealing precious time from more established characters.<\/p>\n
“Chapter Seven: The Bridge” is yet another grand convergence for the cast as all the various factions come back together at WSQK to figure out a plan strong enough to prevent Vecna from merging realities and wiping out their very existence. Everyone plays a part, including minor characters who share in the hero energy like Robin\u2019s girlfriend Vickie (Amybeth McNulty), Mr. Clark, and another feisty turn by Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono).<\/p>\n
Vol. 2 absolutely moves the needle when it comes to those all-important who, what, where, and when answers we’ve been waiting for. Now, we wait for the big one\u2026 why? <\/div>\n
Another positive is how Kali\/Eight (Linnea Berthelsen) is woven into these last hours in such a satisfying way. It\u2019s like the Duffers recognized how unfair it was that she became synonymous with the most maligned episode of the series \u2014 Season 2\u2019s “Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister,” \u2014 so they\u2019ve given her a gracious do-over. The show\u2019s leaning into her shared history with El means Hopper now has some competition in the familial overprotective department. Kali and Eleven\u2019s sisterly bond is entirely unique to their history, and putting them back together adds a new layer of complications when it comes to the decisions that El makes. They survived an immeasurable level of trauma together in Brenner\u2019s lab, so there\u2019s a lot of weight behind Kali\u2019s argument that it’s their duty to prevent it from happening again, even if that interferes with El\u2019s plans for a \u201chappy ending.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the checklist of things that don\u2019t work so well, Linda Hamilton\u2019s Dr. Kay is, so far, the Duffers\u2019 least developed of their roster of \u201880s-era actors cast in the series. Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2013 Hamilton hasn\u2019t lost her skills when it comes to throwing around dumb underlings, or snarling out orders. But as a well-defined character, Dr. Kay is but a pale shadow of Dr. Brenner. There\u2019s still no context for why she\u2019s all-in about bringing back the number program, which makes her disappointingly one-note. I would have loved to see Hamilton get Paul Reiser-quality material, but that seems unlikely with just two hours left to the series.<\/p>\n
Also, this isn\u2019t the best season for Winona Ryder\u2019s Joyce, as she\u2019s strictly been in mom mode. And while that\u2019s important for Will\u2019s character and their bond, it\u2019s limiting for a character who has grown so much up to this point. It\u2019s clear that the romance between Hopper and Joyce \u2014 which fueled all <\/em>of Season 4 \u2014 has reverted to best friend mode again. Sure, they\u2019re together, but where\u2019s the love? They don\u2019t need to make out but this season is robbing us of the kind of emotional scenes these two can rip our hearts out with.<\/p>\n<\/p>\nAside from those quibbles, Stranger Things Season 5, Vol. 2 absolutely moves the needle consequentially when it comes to those all-important who, what, where, and when answers to the questions the audience has been waiting for. Now, we wait for the big one\u2026 why? As Max reminds us, Vecna started out as a human and there\u2019s still some left in there. Will that be the key to his defeat? If they figure out his secrets, can they bring him back to the light and save Hawkins too?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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