Let’s admit it, Stranger Things has plot holes that are bigger than — in Nancy Wheeler’s words – a Mac truck. For starters, it’s ridiculous how the demogorgons as well as dogs – monsters from the netherworld manage to take out military personnel but get tripped up by kids and even nearly comatose women.
But it is also undeniable that the pulp-science-fiction-meets-creatures-meets-coming-of-age-drama on Netflix has managed to keep millions of people across the globe hooked to its (dark) magic for four-and-two-third seasons.
Volume 2 of Season 5, which dropped early on December 26 India time, is also no exception. Some have found it abysmal – no pun or spoilers intended – while others can’t stop raving about it.
Here are five reasons why the fans of the super-duper-hit Netflix series – and we must confess we count ourselves among them – are still hooked on the Duffer Brothers’ creation.
Big emotions amid end-of-the-world vibes
The second volume of Stranger Things Season 5 sheds light on the people of Hawkins embracing their past wounds and accepting their true selves as they prepare to destroy Vecna. Noah Schnapp, who played Will Byers in the series, recently said in an interview with TV Insider that Stranger Things is more than just a show about monsters and science, emphasising that its core themes are about love, growing up, friendship, and identity. So, rather than only focusing on gore, horror and massacre, the series offers moments of warmth and relief, like Dustin and Steve’s heart-to-heart conversation. The series also shows how Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship bore the brunt of their pent‑up emotions. And after struggling all alone, Will finally decides to come out and embrace his true identity.
Plot yet to be fully revealed
Even though several internet users found Volume 2 underwhelming, packed with too many explanations and heading to no conclusive direction, the series still manages to leave the world wondering about several unresolved stories. The second volume, though not a ‘red wedding’ as said by Matt Duffer in an interview, surely left multiple open ends. For the first time, fans might get to see a vulnerable side of Vecna, with a past that even the monster is afraid of. Hidden in the cave of Henry aka Vecna’s mindscape, Holly and Max saw a childhood memory of the monster which shows the latter killing a mysterious man for a suitcase — what was in the suitcase is still a mystery.
Questions over who will live and die are still hanging
What kept fans glued to their screens for over three hours was the nerve‑racking stress and anxiety over their favourite character’s fate. With no one yet thrown off the cliff, panic has reached a new height. Whether it’s Eleven, Will, Steve or Dustin, fans aren’t ready to say goodbye to any of them. What sparked the most curiosity, however, was Eleven’s fate. The final episode left a lingering anxiety as a rescued Kali tried to manipulate her into taking matters into her own hands and staying back in the Upside Down forever to end the madness. Meanwhile, Hopper and Steve’s desperate attempts to save the gang — by risking their lives over and over again — keep fans on their toes.
Despite the zillion fan theories — some of which have been proven right in bits – it manages to surprise
Stranger Things fan theories are almost as popular as the series. Yet, the core storyline rules every time. From Will rising as a sorcerer to Dustin discovering a new dimension connected to the real world through Upside Down, several plot twists leave fans hooked.
When was the last time millions were so excited about a show to be discussing particle physics?
Stranger Things is among those rarest shows that explore concepts from real-world quantum physics on a greater length as metaphors for the Upside Down's mysterious elements. From the ash-like floating particles in Upside Down to the psychic link of Vecna, fans keep engaging in conversation as new theories emerge, particularly the true power structure of the parallel universe and the Upside Down endgame in the series finale.