When watching the final two episodes of Stranger Things Vol 2, it’s hard to understate the scale of ambition that has gone into making them.
You want a finale, the screenwriters seem to be asking, we’ll give you the finale to end all finales.
To put it succinctly: I haven’t sat through anything quite so mind-meltingly, stonkingly epic in quite some time.
Caution: Spoilers
We start these blockbuster episodes (the first is an hour long; the second, a whopping two and a quarter) in quite the predicament.
Vecna (Jamie Campbell-Bower) has been revealed as Number One, Eleven’s erstwhile lab-mate; Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) herself is cloistered in a secret facility with Dr Brenner to bring her powers back; Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) are stuck in Siberia and the rest of the gang are trying to escape the Upside-Down. Press play.
Yes, there are explosions, and CGI galore (though they never detract from the action). The special effects are incredible – Vecna’s prosthetics, which you get to see up close on multiple occasions – are chilling, and the Duffer brothers dial the horror up to 10in; Some scenes genuinely had me reaching for my sofa cushions.
Yes, there’s Kate Bush, because of course there is. Those gorgeous synth notes underpin some of the episodes’ most exciting and tender moments.
And yes, we do get what we want. These episodes are about nothing but fan service, but they hit the sweet spot every time.
Steve and Nancy’s not-relationship continues to flourish; Eddie gets his moment in the spotlight, playing Metallica as a flock of hell-bats swarms around him (so cool!); Eleven trades super-powered blows with Vecna in a twisted version of a school prom – though her body is actually floating in the repurposed freezer of a pizza restaurant. The kids also get some agency for what feels like the first time in a while (who needs adults, right?), concocting a detailed plan to take the fight to Vecna using guns and Molotov cocktails.
I also didn’t know I wanted to see Hopper facing off against a Demogorgon with a sword, but you live and learn.
Action aside, the Duffers wisely give the finale episodes time to breathe, setting aside spaces for the character moments that are the show’s beating heart.
Though the relationship between Eleven and Mike is rather cloying (hearing Mike profess his love for Eleven made me cringe rather than melt), all the others ring true – especially Will, who gets his long-overdue moment in the spotlight, coming to terms with his feelings (though disappointingly, it’s never said aloud). Max and Lucas; Eddie and Dustin: watching their arcs over the season have been heart-warming, and they pay off, giving real stakes to the action that’s about to unfold. I won’t spoil anything, but my throat choked up multiple times towards the end.
There’s a lot of sitting around in episode eight – the equivalent of the showrunners setting up all their chess pieces on the playing board ahead of the endgame. There’s a lot of convoluted explaining around how Eleven and Hopper can help defeat Vecna from halfway across the world (Arizona and Siberia respectively). The jock storyline featuring Chrissy’s wounded boyfriend Jason doesn’t quite pay off.
But honestly, who cares when the end result is this good? Give us more.
