'Stranger Things' S05 review: Volume 02 is worth the wait!
What's the story
Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2 arrived on Netflix India on Friday morning, a month after the first volume. Extremely binge-worthy and emotional, yet somewhat hard to follow, the three episodes pave the way for the final showdown. Matt and Ross Duffer tie up some loose ends, answer some questions, raise some more, and now, our heroes' fate hangs in the balance. Spoilers ahead.
Plot
Picks up right from where the first volume left off
The three episodes are titled Shock Jock (68 minutes), Escape from Camazotz (75 minutes), and The Bridge (66 minutes). The Duffer Brothers address several questions in these episodes: What can Will (Noah Schnapp) do with his superpowers? Why is Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) back? Can the gang find Holly (Nell Fisher)? And, will Max (Sadie Sink) finally return from the Upside Down?
#1
Positives: Always stunning to look at
Stranger Things was always a gorgeous, lavish project, but it has really taken it to the next level in the final two seasons. This time, too, the episodes boast some jaw-dropping sets and production design, ones that rival massive Hollywood productions. There's nothing like the screen turning a frightening shade of red and the characters being sucked into the Upside Down, right?
#2
The emotional scenes remain truly top-tier
The show's ability to balance its emotional aspects with the action-heavy ones is remarkable. A lot is happening; the characters are stranded in different places, and yet, the emotional arcs don't suffer. Take, for instance, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan's (Charlie Heaton) heart-to-heart when they're at death's door (or are they?) or Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max's emotional reunion, which will leave you sobbing.
#3
Watch out for Holly this time
If the first volume belonged to Max and Will, the second volume shifts its attention toward Holly. She comes into her own in this installment, and even though we have properly known her for only seven episodes, it feels like forever. She leads, challenges herself, and guides others, and, in some ways, her journey reminds me of El's initial days in the show.
#4
Did the makers just tease the ending?
Though the finale is a week away and the makers have remained tight-lipped about the characters' fates, they might have dropped a major hint. Kali—who continues to puzzle everyone and is especially loathed by Hopper (David Harbour)—tells El, "There are no happy endings." Is that a message for us? Are we heading toward a bittersweet finale that'll leave us both content and heartbroken?
#5
Negatives: Why does the gang find solutions so quickly?
A recurring problem has been the epiphanies characters have every few minutes. The world is ending, everyone is on the precipice of death, and Hawkins is not the quaint little town it once was. But we don't always feel as engulfed by terror as we should because it takes the characters merely minutes to find solutions to life-and-death problems.
#6
It struggles to balance so many characters at once
Initially, the show primarily focused on Lucas, Will, Dustin, El, Mike, and Max. Now, the character list has grown significantly, with additions including Holly, Karen Wheeler, Vecna, Robin, Murray, Erica, and many others. In this volume, the show struggles more than once to accord sufficient screentime to everyone, and shockingly, El (Millie Bobby Brown) remains on the sidelines for the majority of this volume.
Verdict
Leaves you pumped up for the finale; 3.5/5 stars
The scientific explanations are overwhelming and make things tough to fathom, but the show keeps winning you over through its emotional arcs. While I wish the Duffer Brothers took some courageous risks (if you know, you know), I am keeping my hopes extremely high for the finale. The show that has given us so much must bow out on a high. 3.5/5 stars.