This story contains spoilers from Season 5, Volume 2 of “Stranger Things, now streaming on Netflix. After four-and-a-half seasons of questions prompted by “Stranger Things,” in Volume 2 of the show’s fifth and final season,

Stranger Things fans are waiting in suspense until New Year’s Eve, when the final episode of the hit Netflix series will be released, bringing an end to the story of the unlikely heroes of Hawkins, Indiana. In a virtual roundtable Polygon attended, series star Noah Schnapp said he was just as anxious to read the final script.

The scene is one of several tear-jerkers in the second volume of episodes, released on Christmas Day. In addition to a whirlwind of emotional sequences, the back half of the season is finally beginning to provide some answers about the Upside Down and the evils that Hawkins has been facing this whole time.

Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 2 is less than a week away, and fans are scrambling for any possible insight into the upcoming episodes of the Netflix blockbuster.

So, season five picks up after an 18‑month time jump from the end of four and is set in fall 1987. The core five characters were born in 1971, bar Dustin in 1972, making the core five characters 16 years old. When you know the timeline, the character ages in Stranger Things 5 does line up, but it’s not immediately obvious.

These triumphant moments also demonstrate Schapp's growth as an actor over his 10 years playing Will. The coming out monologue is Schnapp's most emotionally intense and verbose in the series. The performance is further accented by Schapp's real-world relationship to the topic, having publicly come out as gay in 2023.

The global hit Stranger Things is nearing its end. Find out what to expect from the final episode of the final season.

A comment from 2022 has resurfaced as Stranger Things Season 5 faces growing scrutiny. As the series nears its end, old expectations are shaping new criticism.

Stranger Things fans are split over Kali’s fate in the Season 5 finale, with theories ranging from betrayal to a major sacrifice.

Stranger Things Volume 2 is here, and it was a frustrating return to Hawkins and the Upside Down. We are sprinting toward the finish, yet the pacing and editing are so jarring that the story often feels stuck in place or going too slowly,