Stranger Things 5 volume 2 review: Heavy on poignant moments, but where's the thrill?

‘’This copy contains mild spoilers''

“It will be all over soon,” Vecna says in the last episode of Volume 2, and like what he said, we also want the show to be over as soon as possible… but hold on.

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 is out, and it’s thrilling, not that much though. It perfectly connects the dots from past seasons, answers many questions, and introduces new twists and turns, all packed with emotionally charged moments. The sci-fi phenomenon largely lives up to expectations. But is it gripping enough to keep you glued? At some moments, yes, but not all the time.

In India, the new volume premiered at 6:30 AM, and like many others, I eagerly woke up to dive back into the world of the nerds, the adults, and their growing team as they fight against Vecna and the military in Hawkins.

Volume 2 feels like the Duffer Brothers had a lot to explain to give the audience a satisfactory ending with no unanswered questions left. While each episode lasts more than an hour, it eventually stretches to the point of becoming confusing. Multiple things are happening at once, demanding a lot of focus. At the same time, whenever your attention shifts here and there, it does not make you feel guilty enough to rewind, as there is a lot already to focus on.

That said, the Duffer Brothers know how to play the game, and they do. They win at some moments and lose at others.

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2: Plot explained

The new volume, comprising three episodes, starts exactly where Volume 1 ended. Will (Noah Schnapp) reconnects with his powers and saves his friends from the Demogorgons as they attempt to rescue the children from Vecna. The group, yet again, plans to reconnect Will to the hive mind with an electrifying plan, which once again allows Vecna to gain control over him.

Meanwhile, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Hopper (David Harbour) escape from the military base in the Upside Down along with Eight, another child from Hawkins whom Eleven met in season 2. Another group is Nancy’s (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Steve (Joe Keery), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and they are at Hawkins Lab, where they are on a mission to uncover the origin of Vecna’s world and to find the shield protecting him. This leads the group to divide into two, and Dustin discovers Dr Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) journal, which reveals what the Upside Down truly is and what lies behind the massive flesh wall. Meanwhile, Jonathan and Nancy do something they shouldn't, and it's life-threatening. But nothing happens to them

Then there’s Holly (Nell Fisher) and Max’s (Sadie Sink), who are travelling through Vecna's memories to find their way out. Across different worlds, multiple storylines unfold at the same time as everyone prepares for the final battle against Vecna. And at the last, when everyone comes togethert their last battle with Venca begins with the last crawl!

Stranger Things: The thrill is missing!

From Season 1, Stranger Things has hooked viewers with the biggest to the biggest and tiniest to the tiniest things. Every act of Vecna, to Eleven or any other cast member, each moment in the show can surprise you; if not that, it fills you up with excitement to wait and watch what comes next. But this passion was hard to feel in Volume 2 of the show, and several things were either dragged or explained with a complexity that I felt was very easy to overlook or pass.

Still from Stranger Things Photograph: (X/Netflix)

Starting with chapter 5, Shock Jock, the pace feels slow as the story lingers through different dimensions. However, it still holds your interest for a few moments, as it reveals things about Dr Kay (Linda Hamilton) and her real motives with Eleven, Will’s power to get into Vecna’s mind, and at last, Dustin’s revelation about the bridge formed between the two worlds. Chapter 6 is one of the most gripping among the three episodes. Chapter 7 is fine, as it shows the clan understand Vecna's plan. But what I felt was majorly missing throughout Volume 2 was the ‘’wow'' factor.

Eleven is in the backseat, throughout!

In Volume 1, the makers gave attention to Will, and it was a fantastic shift. But in this drill, they forget to focus on Eleven, who was the soul of the show so far. She and her powers did a few things to save her clan, but the energy around her character is way too silent. And even her chemistry with Kali, aka Eight, didn't work that much. More than her, the story that was unfolding at Hawkins Lab between Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Dustin hooked me.

Still from Stranger Things Photograph: (X/Netflix)

Heavy on emotions

Premiered in 2016, the Duffer Brothers created a show that made the audience live every frame of it with a great story, structured narration, and powerful characters. But to wrap up the story and give the characters a deserved send-off, they seemed to become overwhelmed as they made this sci-fi series more of an emotional saga, heavy on poignant moments. Even Will’s coming-out moment, which had been awaited for a long time, didn’t leave that impression.

What works

The three episodes work in moments; the Upside Down world is framed well, and the actors did their best with what they were asked to do. But what they can do when the story itself is stuck between two distinct worlds. Henry Creel and Vecna had the best moments in the show; one of the best scenes was when Will controlled Vecna's mind.

Nevertheless, despite how Volume 2 lacked at many points with no thrill at some points, fans will watch it, and this is what the Duffer Brothers had built in the past nine-years.

The countdown to the final has started, and hopes are high for it.