Unraveling the Mysteries: Key Questions for the Stranger Things Season 5 Finale, Including the Mind Flayer’s Location and Vecna’s Abyss Plans
In just three episodes, the second volume of season 5 of Stranger Things finally unravels one of the series’ biggest enigmas, clarifying what the Upside Down truly is after all this time. However, it also raises a slew of new questions, leaving me anxious about whether we’ll get all the answers we need in the remaining 128 minutes set in Hawkins.
Before season 5 dropped in November, David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper, reassured fans that “the OG storylines” would be wrapped up in a satisfying manner. That’s no small feat considering the multitude of characters still in play and the mind-bending twists we’ve encountered. But hey, anything can happen!
Here’s a rundown of my burning questions following Vol. 2, from the whereabouts of the Mind Flayer to a long-overdue chat between Will and Mike. Spoilers are ahead, so if you haven’t caught up yet, now’s your chance to back out!
The Mind Flayer’s massive, spider-like form was defeated at the end of season 3, but it’s clear this isn’t the last we’ll see of it. While discussing the Upside Down’s ties to The Abyss with the rest of the Hawkins crew, Dustin hints that The Abyss is the original home of demogorgons, demobats, and the Mind Flayer. Given Henry’s previous encounters with it, it seems inevitable that the creature will make a comeback in the finale. (Is it just me, or does Vecna’s lair in The Abyss resemble the Mind Flayer’s spider-like exoskeleton?)
When it does return, I hope we get some clarity on where it’s been while Eleven, Will, and the gang have been battling Vecna—and whether it’s truly the one pulling the strings.
I know the Upside Down was created on November 6, 1983, when Dr. Brenner forced a telepathic link between Eleven and a demogorgon in his quest for Vecna. I’m not clueless, but I’m still curious about why the wormhole is stuck on that date. We might need a physicist to break this down for us if Dustin doesn’t tackle it in the finale…
After Nancy blasted the exotic matter with her shotgun, she and Jonathan found themselves unconscious in the Upside Down version of Hawkins Lab. Upon waking, they discovered they were lying in the same goo that covered the stairs they had climbed to reach the roof.
When their attempts to escape failed, they hopped onto the desk in the center of the room and began discussing their relationship. They ultimately realized they had been so caught up in the “save the world” mission that they hadn’t acknowledged their incompatibility. Jonathan un-proposed, and they expressed their love for each other, all while noticing that the goo had solidified at table height. I’m left wondering why it stopped there! It felt a bit too convenient!
The show hasn’t explained why Henry/Vecna is so afraid of the cave where Max has been hiding, although Vol. 2 hinted at a traumatic memory connected to it. In a flashback, a young Henry, dressed in a Boy Scout uniform, encounters a wounded man with a metallic briefcase in a mine shaft. When Henry approaches, the man, armed with a gun, shoots him in the hand after Henry admits he followed the man’s cries for help.
This sudden violence prompts Henry to retaliate, bashing the man’s head with a rock and stealing the briefcase, suggesting there’s much more to uncover here.
For those who have seen the stage show, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, some context is already available, but it’ll be exciting to see the TV series catch up those who haven’t experienced it yet.
At this point, I can’t quite grasp why Vecna wants to merge The Abyss with the real world, aside from wanting to wipe out nearly all of humanity. The big bad has previously expressed his belief that he, Eleven, and others like them are superior to those without powers, desiring a world free from binary control. Yet, he’s still human, and if he’s so terrified of a cave, it seems unlikely he’d want to live in a literal hellscape…
After he sprinted through the Upside Down with a bomb strapped to his chest and she tried to convince Eleven that they’d have a better chance of stopping Vecna by sacrificing themselves, I’m not sure I can trust Kali or Hopper to avoid reckless decisions in the series finale. I hope they both realize there are other ways to protect their loved ones in ‘The Rightside Up’, but only time will tell what’s going through their minds.
In episode 7, ‘The Bridge’, Will came out as gay to his closest friends (and a few others who happened to be around), and while he mentioned having an unrequited crush during that moment, he didn’t explicitly share his feelings for Mike.
“Once Will is talking about Tammy and all that and his experience, yeah, it’s Mike – and his friends – all realizing and understanding now for the first time, even if Mike has been somewhat oblivious over these years, what his friend is saying,” Ross later explained. “He’s clocking what Will felt over the years.” I hope we get more closure and a more intimate moment where the boys can address this together in the finale.
The creators have already assured fans that Stranger Things won’t follow in the footsteps of other series by killing off a bunch of main characters in its final episode, but the plot armor surrounding some of the originals is starting to feel a bit far-fetched. Several characters have faced life-threatening situations and emerged unscathed, and while I don’t want to say goodbye to any of them, I hope they don’t all survive just because the writers are worried about backlash.
Stranger Things season 5 Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are available for streaming now. Don’t miss the finale!
