How Stranger Things 5 Brings Answers to the Mysteries of the Upside Down in Volume 2
SPOILER ALERT: This report contains details from Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2.
After nearly a decade of intrigue, Stranger Things fans are finally receiving revelations about the Upside Down and the supernatural elements haunting Hawkins since Will Byers’s (Noah Schnapp) disappearance on November 6, 1983. The final season’s second volume lifts the curtain on mysteries that creators Matt and Ross Duffer have kept under wraps since the show’s inception, notably the revelation that the Upside Down is essentially a wormhole connecting to another dimension.
As the story unfolds in the first two of three episodes, key characters including Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Steve (Joe Keery), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) investigate a colossal, flesh-like structure surrounding the Upside Down version of Hawkins. Their pursuit leads them to Hawkins Lab, where they encounter unexpected truths.
In Episode 5, titled "Shock Jock," Dustin finds one of Dr. Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) journals while Nancy and Jonathan reach the lab’s roof to confront a mysterious presence. Dustin’s realization comes too late; the wall they discover is pivotal to the wormhole’s stability. Just as Nancy fires her shotgun at the mass hovering above, it creates a rift in the wall, offering viewers a rare perspective of the Wormhole.
Ross Duffer elaborated, "We wanted it to have that hourglass shape to communicate such a significant idea to the audience," while Matt Duffer humorously remarked on the challenge, noting, "We’re very far [away]."
The decision to showcase the enormity of the situation required shifting perspectives momentarily away from the characters. After escaping the Upstate, Dustin illustrates their adversary’s nature at WSQK, detailing that the entity Nancy shot was exotic matter, crucial for maintaining the wormhole.
Shawn Levy, who directed Episodes 6 and 7, praised the visualization, commenting on the creative foresight from the Duffer brothers for including the conceptual diagram used during early pitch meetings. While the brothers initially downplayed their role in the scientific explanations, Matt acknowledged, "[One of our writers, Paul Dictor], his superpower is the harder sci-fi aspects of the show."
The melting lab that Nancy and Jonathan explore emerges not solely from scientific accuracy but rather as a mechanism to place characters in danger and spark important dialogue. As they ascend, the melting building exacerbates their perilous situation, prompting Jonathan to address the engagement ring he’s withheld, ultimately revealing his doubts about their relationship rather than proposing.
Reflecting on their writing process, Matt noted, "We knew we wanted them in a life-or-death situation," citing inspirations from Almost Famous and Titanic for crafting the scene. The practical effects required extensive collaboration among the production team, although Matt humorously acknowledged that "nobody liked the melting lab idea" due to its complexity.
While the final scene employs some visual effects, it was intended to be largely practical, with the team encountering unexpected challenges in material execution. The original concept of a “goo-like substance” ultimately did not meet expectations, leading to digital enhancements.
Dustin’s explanation of “The Abyss”—the alternative dimension connected to Hawkins—reveals it as the source of the series’ monstrous figures, including the demogorgons and Vecna, who is positioned many yards above Hawkins, absconding with missing children.
The presence of a barren and desolate world outside Vecna’s lair raises further inquiries, including its significance and the motivations driving Vecna to merge it with the human realm. Meanwhile, governmental experiments involving in utero subjects aim to replicate Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) powers, demonstrating the lengths to which officials will go to harness these abilities.
Despite the clarity afforded by this season, viewers are presented with new questions about this alternate dimension, especially regarding its implications for Eleven and her adversaries. The Duffers promise that the forthcoming two-hour finale will address lingering questions and provide closure on key storylines.
"The goal is to tie up the remaining loose ends and answer any questions that remain," Ross Duffer hinted, teasing significant revelations tied to characters like Henry and the implications for Eleven and Kali.
The final installment of Stranger Things is set to premiere on December 31.
