Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”

This review of Stranger Things season 5 is spoiler-free.

Labelling any episode of television “filler” feels wrong. I mean, even back when writers were penning seasons that lasted over 20 hours, most so-called “filler” episodes went at least some way to fleshing out character motivations and diving deeper into their psyches. Yet, somehow, Stranger Things’ latest batch of episodes does something surprising: as they grind on, they start feeling like filler – treading water before the grand finale.

The problems become apparent quickly. After 'Sorcerer' – an all-timer Stranger Things episode filled with masterfully choreographed action and multiple surprising reveals – the series takes the foot off the gas. Everything must be explained – how Will’s powers work, where Max and Holly are, why Eleven did not previously know where her “sister” was – and unfortunately, only some of it is compelling. Where the show previously excelled in making complicated sci-fi concepts accessible to everyone, these new episodes see characters repeat themselves, making sure we’re all caught up, just in case, for a moment there, you might have been on your phone.

The show’s at its worst during the planning scenes. In the first episode of the season, ‘The Crawl’, we were told about how our gang were doing “crawls” of the Upside Down in the hopes of discovering where Vecna was hiding. The setup was spearheaded from the Squawk Radio Tower and was directed with gusto, catching us up with what the gang has been doing for the last year in quarantined Hawkins.

Over episodes 5-7, two new plans are explained in the same location, giving you a sense of deja vu. Frankly, you can get away with characters hatching plans at the beginning of a season – you need that setup – but halfway through? Shouldn’t we be done planning by now? The writers seem to be resetting the field, putting their pieces in place for a grand finale, which unfortunately comes at the expense of the here and now.

There’s an argument to be made that these scenes both build our excitement towards the finale and, at this stage, are just part of the show’s DNA, especially as the final planning montage is littered with some familiar banter (though it would be better if they were talking to each other rather than explaining everything to one another). But considering each of these episodes lasts over an hour, and after this, there’s no more Stranger Things, you can’t help but feel like Eleven could have spent this time, well, getting on with it.

Turn it up to Eleven

There are, thankfully, some exciting new concepts that understandably require some exposition, and the discovery of a diary that contains answers to multiple long-standing questions lends itself to having characters exclaim, “I just learnt this really cool fact!”

Plus, when characters are actually doing stuff, the series delivers moments it has been building up to for years now. There are no major surprises – nothing remotely similar to what happened in the first volume – but emotional reunions and personal revelations are aplenty, while some character arcs are brought gently to their conclusions. Some scenes border on maudlin, yet it works: Stranger Things has always been sentimental, and these episodes fully embrace that. As a result, there’s a lot less action, but what's there makes for exhilarating watching.

The episodes also feature some powerful, horror-infused imagery that builds a sense of dread. One scene, an illusion created by Kali amidst one of the more intriguing exposition dumps, is particularly distressing, while diving more into Vecna’s world is exciting (the final shot of the three episodes is particularly haunting). It’s just unfortunate that we only spend a brief amount of time in a single new location, the writers holding back more than a few things for the finale.

Stage fright

Speaking of, there’s an issue that’s been nagging at me, though I’ve given the show the benefit of the doubt to prove me wrong. Vecna/Henry/One’s backstory has been explored on stage, in the play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which goes some way to explaining why Henry is the way he is. We’ve been told that the play adds context to the main series, but it isn’t necessary for this season. Yet, after these episodes, that only feels half true. Considering how much the show explicitly explains, it would make sense to go further into Henry’s backstory. However, we’re only offered glimpses, though what we see is some of the show’s most compelling stuff. Henry’s story may currently be on Broadway, but I’m hoping we see more in the finale.

Of course, having more Henry could have felt like cramming too much into this season. There are, after all, already so many main characters now. Will is given the most screentime, which puts a lot of weight on Noah Schnapp’s shoulders – sometimes too much, though his biggest moment is played well. Finn Wolfhard’s Mike is relegated to a side player, as is Maya Hawke’s Rockin’ Robin, while Winona Ryder’s Joyce is just there to look concerned. Gaten Matarazzo remains compelling as Dustin, and Natalia Dyer continues an excellent run as Nancy, who has one of the more interesting arcs across the season. Nell Fisher’s Holly was a surprising addition to the main cast, but her place is fully earned, unlike a few new (familiar) faces who are given weirdly important moments but still feel like extras.

Once again, I turn back to those 22-hour-long seasons of television from yesteryear, parcelled out weekly, each episode attempting to tell its own story. Volume Two does not; it feels incomplete – all set up for a finale that has so much to deliver. None of the show’s naysayers will be won over, but those who are all aboard the Stranger Things train, destination Upside Down, will find these episodes highly watchable, if somewhat repetitive. Now, we just have to wait to see how this all ends…

Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 is streaming now on Netflix. For more, dig into our spoiler-filled Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 ending explained.