Stranger Things 5, Volume 1 had so much plot—too much in this critic’s official opinion—it was reasonable to worry the show’s last few episodes might get bogged by having to address all of the new story elements. By adding a bunch of new mysteries and revelations on top of all the old ones, it felt like a lot to deal with without many episodes of Stranger Things left to do exactly that. Good news: it’s not a problem. Stranger Things, Volume 2 isn’t perfect, thanks to a slow start and one uninspired subplot, but it’s still really great. It provides (mostly) satisfying, easy-to-understand answers. More importantly, Stranger Things 5, Volume 2 absolutely nails its biggest character arcs and relationships. The result is a moving collection of episodes that put the pieces in place for a great series finale. Here’s our spoiler-free review of Stranger Things 5, Volume 2.
Stranger Things 5, Volume 2 has a couple of annoying problems to start. The first is that there is simply too much Kali/Eight, a character who appeared in a single episode through four seasons yet is now inexplicably a huge part of the show’s endgame. “Chapter 5,” the first of this three-episode batch, spends way too much time with her. Her presence is not pointless, just frustrating.
There are two plot-related reasons for Kali/Eight’s oversized appearance in Stranger Things 5, Volume 2. (Both are major spoilers.) The first is beyond frustrating, because it’s not just tedious, it makes another character far less interesting. The second at least serves a truly interesting purpose. It adds another significant wrinkle to the series finale that could have a huge emotional payoff. That will, hopefully, retroactively justify all this yawn-inducing time with Kali. But in the moment, every scene with Eleven’s sister feels like Poochie is keeping you from the fireworks factory.
Another problem is that, with more than a dozen characters still playing major roles in the main story, the show juggles too many balls as we head into its final stretch. The military is still here when it doesn’t need to be. It is still causing problems. Still never learning a single lesson. And while Stranger Things 5, Volume 2 provides a lot of necessary information (without removing all the mysteries) that is definitely important, it also provides a few answers to questions no one needed or cared about.
Again, the finale will likely justify the inclusion of certain facts, but there was already plenty of story to work with. Stranger Things 5, Volume 2 isn’t as bloated as Volume 1, but it’s still processing all the new season five plot introduced by its predecessor. And it’s doing so while answering long-standing questions about the very nature of the Upside Down and Vecna.
Stranger Things 5, Volume 2 doesn’t take long to get on track, though. It gets to the fireworks factory in its first episode. When it arrives, it puts on a capital “S” show. The end of Stranger Things 5, Volume 2’s “Chapter 5” is phenomenal. It’s as exciting and terrifying and exhilirating as Hawkins and the Upside Down get.
And the entirety of Stranger Things 5, Volume 2’s “Chapter 6” is even better. It’s one of the best, most emotional, most interesting episodes in series’ history. It features arguably the best single performances Stranger Things has ever delivered. It has multiple scenes that are powerful, emotional, and heartbreaking, beautiful moments where characters open their whole hearts. These moments are the kind of payoffs you can only get after coming to love and care about people after spending years with them. “Chapter 6” is everything I love about Stranger Things, and I can’t wait for everyone to see why.
“Chapter 7” is far less exciting, but no less emotional or engaging. It’s a really smart, effective penultimate episode. This last episode of Stranger Things 5, Volume 2, makes sure the audience understands what’s going on. Without being heavy-handed or condescending, it deftly explains how both sides plan to win, how they all ended up in this place, and what is actually at stake. The show is still holding some answers back for its final episode, but nothing that will leave you feeling frustrated. The fact that Stranger Things 5, Volume 2 can provide so much information without neglecting its character arcs is really impressive and satisfying.
Stranger Things 5, Volume 2, makes a few early missteps, but overall, it does exactly what I hoped it would. It begins pulling its many threads together to weave something that is starting to feel like a complete, unified work. More importantly, it delivers on its characters’ stories with some of the best, most emotional scenes we’ve ever seen in Hawkins. The more I watched these episodes, the more I liked them. And the more I got excited for what will follow.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist forever running up that hill. (Or…down that hill?) You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
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This articles is written by : Fady Askharoun Samy Askharoun
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