Picking up right where the premiere left off, Stranger Things season 5, episode 2 takes us right back into the Wheeler house as a Demogorgon comes through the ceiling of Holly’s bedroom. The Demogorgon tries pulling her into the Upside Down as she clings to the bed frame. Holly is able to get free and runs to the bathroom where Karen is about to get into the bath. Karen tries to calm her down, saying there’s nothing to be afraid of, as she notices blood on Holly and the lights begin to flicker.
The Demogorgon bursts into the door of the bathroom and Karen and Holly are in the tub hiding under the water. Just as the Demogorgon is about to enter the tub, Ted arrives and begins calling out for Karen distracting the Demogorgon as she and Holly come up for air.
Ted tries to fend off the Demogorgon off with a golf club and is thrown through the wall by the creature as Karen and Holly run past it. Downstairs, another portal opens as Karen and Holly attempt to flee. When Karen falls, Holly goes back to help her up as the Demogorgon enters the kitchen. Karen breaks the wine bottle and then stabs the Demogorgon in the face with the bottle as we cut to black.
Do Karen and Ted Wheeler die in Stranger Things 5?
As Nancy and Eleven arrive, we see a blood streak on the floor. We then see Karen lying bloody on the floor, having been attacked by the Demogorgon. Nancy applies pressure to the wound and Karen manages to utter “Holly” as we flash back to see the Demogorgon grabbing Holly and pulling her through the Upside Down after attacking Karen.
El follows the Demogorgon through the portal to the Upside Down, while Nancy calls 911 for help as Karen and Ted are raced to the hospital.
Nancy heads to the bathroom to wash her mom’s blood off her hands as she cries and guilt washes over her. Mike assures her they got there as fast as they could and Nancy says they waited too long and should have tried to get their parents out of Hawkins or told them the truth. Mike is shocked they came for Holly, but Nancy says it makes sense as Vecna showed her Holly and their parents dead in his vision. Now it’s all coming true; Vecna has come back to fulfill his vision, and he’s not going to stop until they’re drained of every last ounce of suffering.
That’s when Lucas interjects that he doesn’t think this is a punishment as Vecna doesn’t hold back. If this was about making Nancy suffer, he’d have killed her parents and Holly himself. Lucas notes that this is exactly what happened to Will at almost exactly the same time. He says it’s November 3, Will was taken on November 6 which means they’re three days away from the day that changed everything. He doesn’t believe in coincidences.
As the military begins investigating the attack, we see Eleven in the Upside Down tracking Holly. While walking through the woods, she hears a branch snap and hides behind a tree as she sees a figure walking up behind her. She uses her powers to throw the figure back and it turns out to be Hopper. Not wanting to lose the trail of where the Demogorgon is taking Holly, Eleven gives Hopper a quick explanation before continuing on her way.
Back at the Squawk, Joyce questions Will about his visions and he explains that these were more intense than any he’s felt before. It was like he was right there; it’s almost as if he was the Demogorgon and was seeing and thinking what it was seeing and thinking. Joyce questions why it would go after Holly and the Wheelers, but Will is struggling to produce answers. What he does know is that it seems he tapped into the hive mind and it feels that Vecna is closer than ever before.
When Robin enters the room, having overheard their conversation, she suggests that Will’s like a human receiver. Like he has an antenna on him and so when the signal is close the signal comes through. Will suggests that’s how they find Holly and suggests trying to spy on Vecna, but Joyce says it’s too dangerous. Will says he won’t just leave Holly there, as he knows what it’s like in the Upside Down.
As Steve and Jonathan wait for the Squawk van’s battery to recharge, we learn that Ted and Karen both survived the attack, but they’re not in good shape. Ted has been put in a medically induced coma, while Karen is in surgery. Steve suggests they should go to the hospital to be there for Nancy, but Jonathan tells him to give it a rest suggesting that Steve is overstepping and trying to show off for her.
Dustin reconnects with the group as Eleven and Hopper search for Holly in the Upside Down
As Steve and Jonathan continue to bicker in the van, Steve hears a bike rolling up outside and Dustin arrives looking incredibly beaten up. Rather than telling the truth, Dustin tells Steve he crashed his bike as Steve updates him on everything that has happened. Steve can clearly see through the lie and goes into mama bear mode telling Dustin he needs to admit he was wrong and screwed up, but Dustin instead hits him with the silence treatment.
Dustin and Steve’s reunion isn’t the only one that results in a fight. In the Upside Down, Hopper is furious to see Eleven in there and yells at her for being reckless in not using the tunnels. Hopper warns her that the military will be coming for her, but Eleven doesn’t care as her goal is to save Holly and her hope is Holly will lead her to Vecna. Hopper questions the theory and her acting on impulse as Eleven spots more blood from the Demogorgon which suggests it’s slowing down.
Hopper’s concerns were correct as the military has photos of Eleven in the car with Nancy as the sergeant informs Dr. Kay that she’s in the Upside Down. As Eleven and Hopper continue to follow the blood trail, we discover that Hopper was injured in the car crash, and Eleven uses the skills Max taught her to clean and dress the wound. As she does so, Hopper admits that Eleven reminds him a lot of how he was when he was younger. He admits that she can be impulsive, and his fear is that it will lead to something bad happening to her.
The pair eventually continue to follow the blood trail, but their journey ends when they reach a large wall that seems to be an extension of the Upside Down. Outside the wall, Eleven finds one of Holly’s shoes as she realizes that the Demogorgon seems to have taken her through the wall.
Stranger Things 5 episode 2 ending explained: Who is Mr. Whatsit?
Back in the Rightside Up, Lucas sits with Max and tells her about everything that has happened. With the final battle starting, he tells her that they need her to win this and begs her to come back to them. He asked for a sign to show she’s still in there as tears stream down his face.
Elsewhere in the hospital, Mike walks back from getting some coffee and notices A Wrinkle in Time on the table in the kids room. As he returns, he asks Nancy if Holly mentioned Mr. Whatsit to her. He says that Holly had told him Mr. Whatsit warned her monsters were coming to get her on the same day she was taken which can’t be a coincidence. Mike ponders the question of whether Mr. Whatsit isn’t a figment of Holly’s imagination, but is actually real.
Nancy questions the theory as Mike doesn’t have any answers, but she doesn’t want to sit on a potential lead. If Mike’s theory is correct, Mr. Whatsit might know why and where Holly was taken. Unfortunately, the one person who can tell them more about Mr. Whatsit is Karen, whose larynx has been damaged and whose doctor refuses to let her have any visitors.
As Mike and Nancy come up with a plan to speak with their mom, Robin creates a diversion back at the Squawk station that allows her to pull Will aside to test their theory that Will is an antenna to Vecna. Will and Robin head to the place in the woods where Will had his vision earlier in the day, but he’s not feeling anything this time so they wander further into the woods.
Will theorizes that perhaps the Demogorgon was passing through on its way to its monster lair when he picked up the signal. As they walk, Robin asks if he was at the hospital the other day as she swore she saw him. Robin says Vickie is her good friend, but some people might not understand their friendship. She says it would be good if no one knew and he assures her he didn’t see anything. They come up to a mandala in the woods and Will sees a vision and hears kids laughing and playing. Before he explains, he runs off with Robin following after him.
Back at the hospital, Mike and Nancy make it to their mom’s room. Karen is awake, but unable to speak as her throat needs time to heal. Nancy asks if she can write and Karen nods her head yes. They hand her a pen and hold up a clipboard. She writes down Holly’s name and Nancy tells Karen Holly is missing. Mike assures her they’re going to get her back and tells her they think there is someone that can help; they just don’t know where he is: Mr. Whatsit.
As Karen begins to tell Nancy and Mike about Holly’s teacher seeing her talking to Mr. Whatsit outside the school only for there to be no one present, Will and Robin reach Holly’s school. Will spots the merry-go-round and realizes he wasn’t seeing through the eyes of the Demogorgon; he was seeing what Holly was seeing and essentially seeing through the eyes of Vecna.
Back at the hospital, Karen begins to describe Mr. Whatsit to Nancy and Mike as a taller man with a pocket watch, wearing a hat and vest, who Holly described as being gentle and kind. We then see Holly asking Mr. Whatsit if the others are here yet, as he reassures her he’ll save her friends. Karen begins to write Mr. Whatsit’s first name down, spelling Henry as we then cut to Henry Creel (aka Vecna aka One) arriving with Holly at Creel House in his human form.
Henry assures Holly he’ll save her friends and family too as he has room for everyone there as the pair enter Creel House before the door comes to a close as the episode ends.