Spoiler warning: This article will cover key points of Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2.
As Stranger Things approaches its end, Season 5, Volume 2 of the series makes one aspect crystal clear: survival is no longer a sure thing. Matt and Ross Duffer, the masterminds behind the show, have always prided themselves on not killing off characters for the sake of shocking the audience, but the latest episodes make it seem as if “death” is the price that must be paid in exchange for closing the gates of the Upside Down.
As the Duffers have stated in previous interviews, deaths need to have meaning within the narrative and not just satisfy market demand. It appears that this is also true with “Stranger Things” Volume 2. The deaths are not random; they are purposeful and relate to themes of power and exploitation.
Eleven, Kali, and the cost of breaking the cycle
The most obvious example relates to Eleven and Kali. After being rescued from an experimental government facility hidden deep within the Upside Down, Kali discusses the full extent of the government’s testing that continues to this day. Kali’s blood has been used to make other kids just like her, and Eleven—a new generation of Henry Creels. It is a very nerve-wracking message, demonstrating that taking down a facility or killing a villain is only a temporary solution to a much larger problem.
Kali’s logic is brutal but necessary in the world of the show. So long as she and Eleven are alive, they will be pursued and used. She proposes they stay behind while the Upside Down collapses. This is a reinterpretation of sacrifice as the only available solution. The abrupt halting of the conversation does not offer a conclusion to it. There is no alternative plan in Volume 2 of the show promising freedom.
Steve, Dustin, and Will: Loyalty as foreshadowing
While Eleven and Kali are presented with an existential decision, Volume 2 operates in the background with an extension of danger to others, including Steve, Dustin, and Will. Though it’s a short dialogue between Steve and Dustin—”You die, I die“—it’s much more significant than a boastful statement would be. This dynamic between Steve and Dustin has always portrayed the emotional core of this series—protection, development, and chosen family. This time, with a clear statement of sacrifice for each other, it’s made clear that loyalty would result in loss.
Thus far, Steve’s trajectory has been that of a protector who will put himself into the line of fire, while Dustin tends to be spared the worst that might happen. Reuniting these two raises the level of risk for these two. Then there is the relationship between the Upside Down and the developing powers that Will now possesses. To have such abilities is to have the same problems and include the potential for self-sacrifice. Volume 2 does not threaten death but sets it all up. Through characters rather than spectacle, Stranger Things bases its conclusion on choice rather than shock. As it leads to the last episode, it is no longer who will be killed but rather what each person is prepared to sacrifice to finally lock the door on the Upside Down.
