Stranger Things Season Five Volume Two Somehow Holds It Together
So here’s the thing about Stranger Things season five, volume two: by all logic, it really shouldn’t work anymore. This show has been around for almost a decade, the mythology has ballooned to absurd levels, the kids are very clearly not kids anymore, and the plot has become so tangled that explaining it can feel like a full-time job. And yet, against all odds, this latest batch of episodes is… not unbearable. In fact, at times, it’s still genuinely thrilling.
These episodes fall into three clear modes. First, there’s the action, which is exactly why most people are still watching. It’s loud, chaotic, emotional, and relentlessly high-energy. When Stranger Things is in motion, it absolutely slaps. The spectacle is huge, the nostalgia still hits hard, and the emotions are dialed up to near-operatic levels. On a moment-to-moment basis, it’s hard not to be swept along.
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Then there’s the dialogue, which is where things get shakier. Characters keep stopping to stare at each other and explain their feelings, even though the world is supposedly ending. And finally, there’s explanation. Lots of it. The show’s success forced layers upon layers of lore to be added over the years, and now the result is that a significant chunk of screen time is spent reminding everyone what on earth is going on. At one point, the plot becomes so confusing that it’s essentially paused so it can be explained slowly, with props, as if the audience might be completely lost.
The core threat this time revolves around the Upside Down not being what we thought it was. It turns out to be more like a gateway to something even worse, and Vecna is trying to collapse reality itself to take over the world. Our heroes are scattered everywhere: some in the real world, some in the Upside Down, some inside memories within the Upside Down, and, inexplicably, a couple of them trapped in a room filling up with yoghurt. Yes, really.
What makes all this remarkable is that it still mostly works. The action sequences are beautifully staged, the music remains powerful, and the show’s sense of scale hasn’t diminished. The problem comes when you have time to think between episodes. When you step back, the cracks become obvious. Characters suddenly become smarter or dumber depending on what the plot needs, many characters feel unnecessary, and the sidelining of figures like Winona Ryder feels unforgivable.
As the finale looms, there’s an overwhelming amount left to resolve. Vecna has to be defeated, the world needs saving, children must be rescued, evil scientists stopped, and emotional closure somehow found for a massive cast. It’s hard to imagine how it can all be wrapped up neatly. But then again, this show has always thrived on the impossible. Stranger things have happened.
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