{"id":409592,"date":"2025-11-28T01:42:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T01:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/409592\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T01:42:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T01:42:20","slug":"duffers-cast-tease-whats-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/409592\/","title":{"rendered":"Duffers & Cast Tease What’s Ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tSPOILER ALERT: This piece contains major spoilers for the first four episodes of Stranger Things<\/a> Season 5, aka the entirety of Volume 1.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s the beginning of the end for Netflix<\/a>\u2018s Stranger Things, with the first of four episodes of the fifth and final season now streaming.<\/p>\n

\n\tVecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) still aims to bring a radical transformation to Hawkins in Stranger Things Season 5, though instead of targeting teenagers like in Season 4, he has moved to younger children between the ages of 9 and 11, which echoes his successful plot to take Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) when he was just 11 years old on November 6, 1983.<\/p>\n

\n\tHolly Wheeler exposes another layer of Vecna via his slightly more human alter ego Henry, who she calls Mr. Whatsit. Her kidnapping in Episode 502 also brings into question why Will was originally taken, setting up for an interesting exploration of Vecna\u2019s grand scheme with the help of Holly\u2019s favorite novel, A Wrinkle in Time.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThey should feel like what they\u2019re doing is holding onto their chairs going, \u2018No, no, no,\u2019 that\u2019s how I want them to feel, particularly with what I\u2019m up to,\u201d Bower told Deadline when asked how fans should feel going into Volume 2. \u201cI think Volume 1 is, it\u2019s funny, because it\u2019s like, I want to call it a setup, but it is an explosive setup to what continues to happen in Volume 2 and subsequently [the finale].\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRead below for what we can expect from Volume II \u2014 the next three episodes of Season 5 \u2014 when it launches Christmas Day 2025, and, eventually, the finale according to the Duffer brothers, Noah Schnapp and more cast:<\/p>\n

\n\tMore Clarity On Why Will Was Taken, What The Upside Down Actually Is And The Nov. 6, 1983 Time Freeze<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tHolly Wheeler\u2019s (Nell Fisher) bigger role this season will likely help with the answers to the questions we still have about The Upside Down, as well as the importance of Will\u2019s disappearance.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEspecially as we get into Volume 2, we start to answer more and more why Will was kidnapped and how it ties in with Holly and all of this. Everything sort of comes full circle,\u201d Matt Duffer told Deadline.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are a few connections that seem to be brewing but haven\u2019t quite been drawn yet, including between Dimension X, which was introduced in Stranger Things: The First Shadow directed by Stephen Daldry, and The Upside Down as well as Vecna and The Mind Flayer. Ross Duffer teased that \u201cpretty early on\u201d in Volume 2, we really start to understand everything about the Upside Down.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThat really is a Volume 2 thing, where we really get into the Upside Down, and we explain what it is,\u201d he said. \u201cAgain, this is something that has been planned for 10 years now, and it just now, obviously is the time to reveal it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"L-R:<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tL-R: Noah Schnapp as Will Byers and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in \u2018Stranger Things\u2019 Season 5<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Netflix<\/p>\n

\n\tA Different Manifestation of Will\u2019s Powers<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAs revealed in a major cliffhanger moment at the end of Volume I, Will the Wise is indeed a wizard, or sorcerer, if you go by the title of Episode 504. D&D debate about the source of his powers aside, viewers can expect more instances in which he displays them, though Noah Schnapp teased that it might look different.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt was originally supposed to work in the same way that Eleven\u2019s powers do because, as you read the scripts in Volume 2, it comes in a different way than hers,\u201d he told Deadline. \u201cSo making sure that the physicality of that shows, that it works different.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe actor spoke to the challenge of \u201cknowing how to let [the ability] evolve and change,\u201d especially because the upcoming moments in later episodes were his first time displaying Will\u2019s powers vs. the scene that we have now seen first.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis season was difficult because we filmed it out of order. So that Episode 4 one was the second time I did it. So then when I did it later in the season, it was the first time, and I was still not really sure how to do it,\u201d he added. \u201cThe Duffers weren\u2019t on set, so I was like, \u2018Oh I have to figure this out without them.\u2019 So I was like, FaceTiming. Like, \u2018Does this work?\u2019 I love everyone, but I trust the Duffers more than anyone ever and like I need their final stamp.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBoth Schnapp and Brown emphasized that Will\u2019s powers are different from Eleven\u2019s. Schnapp also specifically highlighted similarities regarding the connection between Will and Vecna and that of Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, which will become more apparent in Volume 2.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor Will, we start to learn the parallels between Will and Vecna, and it almost felt very\u00a0Harry Potter\u00a0to me that I had to go back and re-watch the movies, because the Harry Potter-Voldemort relationship felt very close to Will and Vecna,\u201d he said. \u201cSo just kind of exploring those parallels and what that means.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSTRANGER THINGS. Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler in STRANGER THINGS. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix \u00a9\u00a02025<\/p>\n

\n\tA Tipping Point Between Max And Vecna (and Very Likely Holly)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThe Duffer brothers remained tight-lipped when asked how Holly was lured to the Creel mansion after she was very horrifically kidnapped by a Demogorgon. They did assert that Holly\u2019s vanishing should remind viewers of that of Will.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe wanted to bring [the show] full circle. A lot of things are echoing what happened in Season 1. So that\u2019s another reason with Holly, some things are playing on repeat on purpose,\u201d Matt said. \u201cIn some ways, this season was always built as a true follow up to Season 1.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tJamie Campbell Bower, whose big bad Vecna certainly leveled up this season, hinted at a big moment for his character thanks to Max, who we now know is alive and trapped in his mindscape.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI can\u2019t say too much about how it frustrates him [that Max is there], because there is a huge moment that happens later on in the story, and she is 100% a catalyst for something,\u201d he told Deadline. \u201cIt\u2019s incredibly frustrating for him, considering also, given the fact that, he\u2019s trying to use Holly, and she\u2019s taking Holly away. That\u2019s a vexation for sure. So yes, to have Max doing what she\u2019s doing is \u2026 it\u2019s annoying.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tContext clues point to Episode 6, \u201cEscape From Camazotz,\u201d which was directed by Shawn Levy, as the potential segment that will contain some sort of showdown and\/or answer these questions.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"L-R:<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tL-R: Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in \u2018Stranger Things\u2019 Season 5<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNetflix<\/p>\n

\n\tMore About Dr. Kay\u2019s Motives For Tracking Down Eleven<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tThe mysterious Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) came about as a replacement for Matthew Modine\u2019s Dr. Martin Brenner, who is very much dead, according to the Duffers. Hamilton\u2019s formidable military scientist stands out from Dr. Brenner, though, in her disconnection from what Brenner knew due to his experiments. Thus, she thinks Eleven is responsible for all the horror happening in Hawkins.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhat\u2019s interesting about Dr. Kay and Linda\u2019s performance is that she\u2019s not trying to solve a mystery here. Unlike Brenner, she has no understanding of what really happened with Henry in all this. What she sees is Eleven as a weapon, and that\u2019s all she wants,\u201d Ross Duffer said. \u201cSo these events are happening, but she\u2019s not trying to figure it out, and I think that\u2019s what makes her so scary. She\u2019s just relentless in her pursuit of this one person in order to achieve her goal, which, as we move into Volume 2, we start to understand, really, what that goal is and why she wants Eleven so badly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMatt added that the cycle of someone coming in to harness Eleven\u2019s powers for potentially nefarious reasons will also be big for Eleven in the coming episodes.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBrenner has been replaced, right? There\u2019s always a replacement. So how do you ever stop this? How do you ever stop this cycle?\u201d Matt said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s a question that Eleven wrestles with in Volume 2.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKali\u2019s Return<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tKali (Linnea Berthelsen) returned to the show in the final episode of Volume 1 in a major moment for both her and Millie Bobby Brown\u2019s Eleven. Eleven\u2019s sister of sorts, whose numerical identity in the Hawkins Lab experiments was 008, has different abilities than 011 and 001 in that she can give people hallucinations and convince them of an alternate reality.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe didn\u2019t feel like we could end the story of Stranger Things without bringing her back into the fold. And I think as you get into the second volume, you really see how she fits into the narrative and Eleven\u2019s journey,\u201d Ross Duffer said. \u201cShe plays a really important role moving forward, and Linnea\u2019s awesome, so it\u2019s definitely a big swing for this season, but one we\u2019re excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKali was hooked up to some sort of machine with blood bag drips and wires, so viewers can at least expect an explanation of what Dr. Kay is doing with Kali and if it factors into Eleven\u2019s powers getting neutralized by those satellites.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tL-R: Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, and Noah Schnapp as Will Byers in \u2018Stranger Things\u2019 Season 5<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Netflix<\/p>\n

\n\tMore Musical Moments<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMatt hinted that music will play a big role in Volume 2, though not exactly in the way it did in Season 4 with what he described as the \u201clightning in a bottle\u201d moments for Kate Bush\u2019s \u201cRunning Up That Hill\u201d and Metallica\u2019s \u201cMaster of Puppets\u201d in Season 4.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe decided very early on, let\u2019s not chase that and try to do it again. This is just going to seem like a watered-down version of it or diminishing returns, but there are some really cool, but very different musical moments in Volume 2,\u201d Matt said. \u201cI guess I can say that. And in the finale.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Military\u2019s Response to Vecna<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tWill the military double down after being woefully unprepared for Vecna\u2019s arrival? They thought Eleven was responsible this whole time, but hopefully after Vecna\u2019s appearance in the MAC-Z, they realize there are bigger threats at hand.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThat\u2019s a good question. I guess you\u2019re gonna have to tune in to find out. Can you say \u2018tune in\u2019 with Netflix? That\u2019s actually not accurate,\u201d Matt Duffer teased. \u201cYou\u2019ll have to click on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Finale<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tStars Sadie Sink and Noah Schnapp both said separately that they are \u201csatisfied\u201d with their characters\u2019 endings as well as the conclusion for the whole cast.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI feel very satisfied and excited for all our characters and how the show wraps up,\u201d Schnapp said. \u201cI think it does a great job closing everyone\u2019s individual story and doing a service to all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSink similarly said \u201cI\u00a0was satisfied with the whole thing. I think everyone\u2019s really \u2014 the Duffers did an amazing job. I think we all got the closure that we wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tExecutive producer and director Shawn Levy, whose two episodes are still to come in Volume 2, paraphrased star Finn Wolfhard\u2019s enthusiasm about the Season 5 finale, which will be screened in theaters and land on Netflix on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019ll say something that I think Finn said, but I\u2019ll say it with even more fervor having watched the finale episode recently. It\u2019s one of the best finale episodes of any show that I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d Levy said. \u201cAnd I am so knocked out by the mastery that the Duffers show in the finale episode. I can\u2019t wait for the world to see it. I can\u2019t wait for them to see it on the biggest, loudest screen possible, because that\u2019s what it deserves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAdded Wolfhard, \u201cCouldn\u2019t have said it better myself, something that I\u2019ve said myself.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SPOILER ALERT: This piece contains major spoilers for the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5, aka…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":409593,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[171,4659,35496,173682,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-409592","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-netflix","10":"tag-stranger-things","11":"tag-stranger-things-5","12":"tag-united-states","13":"tag-unitedstates","14":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115624788942649248","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/409593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}