Stranger Things made a huge splash over Thanksgiving with the first four episodes of its fifth season. It’ll be ramping up again as volume two drops soon—and since the hit Netflix series has so far left fans with tons of unanswered questions, we’re hoping the rest of its final season is packed with answers.
Season five of the Duffer Brothers’ series has been action-forward so far, throwing us into the aftermath of the Upside Down ripping its way into Hawkins. The military is part of the landscape now—not to help, but with hopes of weaponizing the mysterious energy centered in the town—while Stranger Things‘ misfit heroes prepare for a last stand. Kids are missing, new powers have emerged, and relationships are forming and fracturing. The stakes are higher than ever before.
So with that, let’s discuss the burning questions we hope we finally get answers to when Stranger Things 5 returns on December 25, though it may keep us dangling until the grand finale on December 31.
13. What’s with the cave?
The cave, as explained by the Stranger Things stage play, is where a young Henry Creel stumbled upon Dr. Brenner’s equipment that exposed him to Dimension X (the first known version of the Upside Down). The show hasn’t gotten that far; all we know is that it’s a place where Henry, aka Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), fears going, which makes it the perfect hiding place for Max (Sadie Sink). Is that because this version of Henry has one last bit of the human trying to break away from the Mind Flayer’s influence? Or is Vecna just pretending to be his former self when we see him here?
12. Will has powers, but can the Mind Flayer sway him or Eleven?
If Henry can be enticed by the Upside Down, what is stopping the Mind Flayer from dropping Vecna’s husk for a younger model? Was the last moment of volume one really a victory for Will (Noah Schnapp) or something the Mind Flayer allowed to test a new conduit for its plans?
11. Will Nancy say yes to Jonathan?
My good sis Nancy (Natalia Dyer), please say no. Volume one let it slip that Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) has an engagement ring on standby, representing his last-ditch effort to get her to settle for his burnout pothead self. The reveal was such a cringe moment, but even more importantly, Nancy doesn’t need him or Steve (Joe Keery)—though if she has to choose one of them, we’d rather see a rekindling of their on-and-off-again high-school romance.
10. Will Steve live?
Steve Harrington. The man that you are. We just want him to live. He could end up with Nancy in an RV full of kids, sleuthing around the country with Aunt Robin (Maya Hawke), or get Daryl Dixon’d with a solo venture past this show. We’re nervous for all the characters as Stranger Things enters its endgame, but the affable Steve just seems especially in peril.
9. Where will the kids be taken, and what’s their purpose?
It really seems like Henry is assembling a new Rainbow Room by collecting the “weak” that—like himself as a child and Will—have the potential to harness great power. I hope these kids take a stand against the Mind Flayer in Vecna’s lair; if Will can turn the tables, strangth in numbers could prevail.
8. What has been Eight’s purpose?
Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) and the government have not been able to find Henry or Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), though they had Eight (Linnea Berthelsen) in their clutches until the very end of season five. Her powers are of projection; she shows people what they want to see. Perhaps she’s behind that chase scene that opens season five, where we saw the military goons chasing after the wrong girl. Could the girl they caught have been a hallucination Eight created to protect Eleven?
7. Will we get a mom team-up?
Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Karen (Cara Buono) are a team-up we want to see so badly; heck, throw Dustin and the Sinclair kids’ moms in there, too.
6. Will Max wake up?
Since anyone who’s been exposed to the Upside Down can take on some sort of power, we hope Mad Max will get to do more than wander through memories. Her consciousness has acquired the knowledge to fill us in on Henry’s youth in Hawkins and time travel, in a sense. So here’s hoping she finds a way back to her comatose body. This is also the reason why we hope and think Eddie might somehow return.
5. What is the flesh wall all about?
The muscle of the Upside Down got really swole. Kidding aside, it’s concerning to see the rise of another wall to hide the secrets that keep unleashing the evils upon Hawkins. Is this the Mind Flayer’s new form, and more importantly, what horrors await on the other side?
4. Will Lucas, Dustin, Robin, and Erica join forces?
The gang’s Home Alone-style Demogorgon attack was such a fun way to see each Hawkins hero get their moment. This later scene, as they stand looking at Will’s artistic take on Vecna’s lair, makes me wonder if they’ll assemble there during the last stand.
3. Why does Hopper have a death wish?
Truly, this man just won’t die, and in volume one, he basically built in so many ways to sacrifice himself for Eleven. It’s truly wild; Hopper (David Harbour) really thought that simply blowing himself and Vecna up would end it all? Thankfully, he realized the government didn’t have Vecna; they had El’s sister, Eight, whom we hope he also adopts and lives for.
2. What is the endgame for the government?
The government clearly wants to harness the powers of the Mind Flayer and the Upside Down through Eight, Eleven, and One to weaponize it in some way. They may be looking for Henry through Eight and haven’t been able to, which is why they have been hunting Eleven all season long. It’s a mystery how much Dr. Kay knows about Dr. Brenner’s research and work with the experiments.
1. What does Vecna want?
Notably absent as a presence in season five was the Mind Flayer itself. Does Vecna still align with its influence and strive to make the world a twisted wonderland of pain and torture, feeding off fear? Or is Henry trying to break free from it by assembling a team of kids to overpower it?
Stranger Things season five is now streaming on Netflix. Two more episodes drop on Christmas, and the finale arrives on New Year’s Eve.
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