Throughout Season 5 of Stranger Things there’s been a bubbling sense of finality. Any scheme could be the last one, any battle with Vecna could be the one where he’s conquered. However, in the first “volume” of episodes released on November 26, it was very clear that nothing was going to be the last time, as there were still four more episodes to fill. So while the story continued with the characters we know and love, it did little more than set up the next episodes.
Unfortunately, Volume 2, now streaming on Netflix, suffers from a similar problem. While there are some concrete answers given about the Upside Down itself, everything feels like a buildup for a battle that won’t happen until the finale on New Year’s Eve. It’s a natural consequence of this stuttering release structure, though the show still finds moments to shine (along with some that just feel downright painful).
