Following the premiere of Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 on Friday, the internet did what it does best — it came up with memes that left many in splits.
Moments from the new episodes — regardless of how dark and anxiety-inducing they were — became fodder for online jokes in no time, thanks to unexpected crossovers and a dash of humour.
From Vecna being roasted like a Sunday snack to Hawkins teens once again surviving near-death experiences, fans mixed turned trauma, timelines and tentacles to generate premium meme content.
(disclaimer: spoilers ahead)
Will anyone even manage to stay alive by the end of Volume 3?
Hawkins hasn’t been forgiving to the brave. Be it Bob, Eddie or Bill, many fan-favourite characters had tragic end to their lives, without prior warning. Now with Steve Harrington or Dustin Henderson in the line of fire, fans keep preparing themselves for any mishap, since no one is ready to bid farewell to the characters they have rooted for all this time.
Here’s the good news: everyone stays alive in Volume 2. And the bad news: everyone is alive… yet.
Fans are taking this moment as a ‘bad sign’ and are anticipating a series of deaths, one after another, in the final volume. The irony is, even at these moments, memers know how to handle the stress and come to the rescue for others.
Internet finds a new villain: Kali
When Kali made her first appearance in Stranger Things Season 5, we all knew somehow that she wouldn’t bring any good to the Hawkins gang. After the premiere of Volume 2 on 26 December (IST), many are pointing fingers at her, declaring Kali the new vamp of the show. Fans are not happy with Kali consistently ‘manipulating’ Eleven. From calling her the ‘worst character ever’, ‘unnecessary’ to ‘Vecna’s sidekick’, the internet is leaving to chance to diss her
‘Stop talking, Max, and run for your life, please!’
After wandering around the mindscape of Vecna or Camazotz over and over again, Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) finally found her way to run up the hill and escape the hellhole for good. But wait, even though Kate Bush’s song ends, and she misses her chance (again), Max had to stop and give a long pep talk to Mike’s sister, Holly Wheeler. Fans threw a fit, wailed, cussed and screamed, begging Max not to wait a minute longer. Surely, the internet knew how to give the reactions a spin.
Jonathan and Nancy just broke up? Wait, is that true?
Amid the massacre of Upside Down and monsters, Jonathan thought of proposing to Nancy for marriage, which was not a good idea. So, after a heart-to-heart conversation, the two of them decided that since so much was already on their plates, Jonathan should ‘un-propose’ until the Duffer Brothers revealed it was a breakup scene! Fans were dumbfounded, rushed to Google, read the interview, and re-watched the scene. Of course, the chaos had to meet with memes.
Not so ‘Delightful’ Derek for Vecna
Fans cannot stop laughing over the nonchalant remark made by Derek, a teenage boy held captive in the mindscape of Vecna. When he tried to escape following a map to meet Max and Holly, Mr Whatsit, aka Vecna, caught him. Choking him against the ground, Vecna asked Derek who gave him the map, Derek promptly replied, “Your mom.”
This moment was met with raucous laughter, with fans sharing screenshots and short clips of the scene, and many hailing Derek for his confidence and unwavering courage in front of Vecna.