Stranger Things: Volume 2 tees up the grand finale (spoiler-free review)

Stranger Things: Season 5 - Courtesy of Netflix

Stranger Things: Volume 2 moves at a breakneck pace just like Season 5's first volume. The three episodes do deepen the show's lore and resolve a few long-running narrative threads, but largely they establish the high stakes and terms of the final battle between Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and Hawkins' good guys. By the volume's final minutes, everyone works in tandem to confront Vecna head on and end things once and for all. While the entirety of the volume does feel a bit too rushed, it certainly establishes that the finale will be a must-see event for anyone who's been following the show for about a decade now.

Season 5's latest installment works quickly to bring everyone together to formulate a plan to destroy Vecna. Before they arrive at that point, however, they need to resolve major plot threads from Volume 1. Episode 5, "Shock Jock," features about half of the good guys wandering around the Upside Down, convinced there's an energy shield that's protecting and powering up Vecna. However, during this process, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) learns that everything they thought about the Upside Down is wrong. Leave it to the Duffer Brothers to wait until the show's near conclusion to reveal the truth about the Upside Down and Vecna's grand plan.

What's revealed is essentially world-ending stuff, and Stranger Things takes on a larger-than-life feel in this final season that sometimes sacrifices what made the show so special in the first place, that being the friendship established among outcasts. That aspect has always been the show's core strength. The final season has very much felt like a blockbuster movie, with its massive budget, explosions, shootouts, and chase sequences, and this continues throughout most of Volume 2.

That said, there are some tender moments in this latest string of episodes, especially between Dustin and Steve (Joe Keery) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). Again, Stranger Things works best when it focuses on the power of friendship. There's an especially powerful sequence when the full extent of Dustin's trauma over losing Eddie (Joseph Quinn) last season is given its proper due, along with the strained friendship between Dustin and Steve and Dustin's need for a positive male role model in his life, which Steve has long filled. It's nice to see him resume that role again post-Eddie. Volume 2 also gives some closure to the Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve love triangle (thank god).

There's an especially heart wrenching sequence between Nancy and Jonathan when they're stuck in the Upside Down briefly and reflect upon their relationship, including what they love about each other. Since Dyer and Heaton are a real-life couple, you can feel the chemistry between the two during this sequence, and it's nice to see some resolution to a plot thread that's overstayed its welcome at this point.

Stranger Things: Season 5- Courtesy of Netflix

Episode 6, "Escape from Camazotz," largely focuses on Max (Sadie Sink) and Holly's (Nell Fisher) planned break from their imprisonment inside of Vecna's mind. It's my favorite episode in Volume 2 simply because it slightly scales down the end-of-the-world business and largely focuses on two characters, allowing for some strong writing and character development to shine through. The episode contains some really great scenes between Max and Holly, especially the closer they get to their escape. The episode also explores Vecna's backstory more and some of his own trauma, including why he's so afraid of that cave where Max and Holly have been hiding out. The episode's somewhat smaller scale allows for a stronger character-driven narrative where the focus isn't on the entire cast trying to save the world.

Volume 2's third episode, "The Bridge," is largely a set-up for the finale, set to drop on New Year's Eve. My only gripe about the entirety of Season 5 thus far is the pacing and the constant action. This is especially true of "The Bridge." There's hardly a moment to breathe, especially by the last 20 minutes. That said, Noah Schnapp's Will Byers is again given a really powerful scene where he learns to embrace and accept himself, all while receiving the love and support of his friends and mom (Winona Ryder). It's one of Volume 2's best sequences and again, pushes Will to the front of the overall narrative, harkening back to Season 1.

Because Volume 2 features basically the entire cast and eventually reunites all of Hawkins' good guys to take on Vecna, that means some characters are sidelined more than others. I would have liked more from Mike (Finn Wolfhard), for instance, who resumed his leader role in Volume 1, but saw that largely reduced in Volume 2. I also felt that Ryder was terribly underused. But again, with so many cast members together heading into the final episode, it's impossible to shine a spotlight on everyone.

All of that said, it's unlikely everyone will make it out of Season 5 unscathed. There's been plenty of foreshadowing already about sacrifice for the greater good, though who may die is anyone's guess. It's unlikely the finale will contain a bloodbath, but it's also unlikely everyone survives, especially when it's been noted more than once that Vecna is more powerful than ever. There's even a point where Will doubts they can defeat Vecna, though that's before he finds true acceptance and love among his peers and family.

Speaking of Vecna, the casting of Bower as the show's villain remains one of the best decisions in the series' history. Bower gives the character more depth in these latest three episodes, both as Henry and Vecna. He's able to charm and brainwash the kids he captured, while showcasing a new level of strength and evil. I'm eager to see what life looks like for some of these cast members after the series concludes. This includes Bower, but also Keery, Dyer, and Matarazzo. I hope they land big roles after this, the likes of which David Harbour, Wolfhard, and Sink have already achieved.

For the most part, Stranger Things: Volume 2 is a non-stop thrill ride that concludes just as the good guys launch their grand plan and charge into battle against Vecna. Like Volume 1, the pacing is too rapid and sometimes sacrifices those quieter character moments that made the series so good in the first place. That said, there are emotional high notes, answers to long-running questions, and some standout performances. Bring on the finale.

The Stranger Things finale will release in theaters and stream on Netflix at 8 p.m. ET on December 31.