Before the final chapter of Stranger Things begins, the creators aren’t just teasing the end—they’re handing fans a roadmap. On November 26, 2025, Netflix drops Volume 1 of Season 5, the long-awaited conclusion to the eight-year sci-fi horror saga. But if you haven’t rewatched since Season 2, you might miss the threads that tie everything together. That’s why Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, the twin brothers behind the show and co-founders of Upside Down Pictures, dropped a bombshell: four episodes you absolutely must rewatch before the finale. Not all 35 hours. Just these four. About four hours total. And they’re the key to everything.
Why Season 2 Is the Foundation
"Season two is when we really started to build out the mythology," Matt Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter on the same day Volume 1 drops. It’s not just a throwaway line—it’s the thesis. Season 1 was a tight, nostalgic love letter to E.T. and Stand by Me. But Season 2? That’s when the Upside Down stopped being a spooky basement and became a living, breathing nightmare with rules, history, and consequences. "Will the Wise" (S2E4) is the turning point. That’s the episode where Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), still haunted by his time in the alternate dimension, starts drawing those thick, pulsing vines on his walls. He demands the house stay cold. He whispers about "them" watching. It’s the moment the show shifts from "what’s happening?" to "how deep does this go?"
And then there’s "The Spy" (S2E6). Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) get dragged into Hawkins National Laboratory, where they learn the truth: Barbara Holland’s death wasn’t an accident. It was covered up. The lab didn’t just fail to save her—they erased her. That cover-up? It echoes through every season after. And it’s the reason Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) trusts no one in authority. This episode isn’t just plot—it’s emotional DNA.
The Vecna Origin Story That Changes Everything
But if you think Season 2 is the heart, then "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab" (S4E7) is the brain. This episode doesn’t just explain Vecna—it rewrites the entire history of the show. Jamie Campbell Bower, as the chillingly calm Henry Creel (aka One, or 001), wasn’t just another test subject. He was the first. The most powerful. And the first to turn on the people who tried to control him. In a haunting sequence, Nancy, possessed by Creel’s consciousness, relives the 1970s massacre: Henry killing his own family, his psychic powers spiraling out of control, the lab’s desperate attempt to contain him. And then—Eleven, still a child, uses her powers not to fight him… but to trap him. She doesn’t just send him to the Upside Down. She creates it. That’s right. The dimension isn’t ancient. It’s her trauma made real. The Upside Down? It’s Eleven’s subconscious prison. Vecna? The monster she accidentally birthed.
"That episode starts unveiling some of the Upside Down mythology," Ross Duffer said. "And all the stuff with Henry and Eleven continues to resonate throughout season five. Those are some good ones to revisit."
The Quiet Endings That Echo Loudest
Then there’s "The Piggyback" (S4E9). On the surface, it’s just Eleven and Max (Sadie Sink) sharing a quiet moment as Eleven carries Max’s consciousness back from the brink. But beneath it? A devastating foreshadowing. Max’s fading heartbeat. Eleven’s desperate plea: "I’m not letting you go." It’s not just emotional—it’s structural. This episode sets up the stakes for Season 5’s final battle. If Eleven can’t save Max, what does that say about her power? And what happens when the person who created the Upside Down can’t save the one person she loves most?
These four episodes—"Will the Wise," "The Spy," "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab," and "The Piggyback"—aren’t just important. They’re the skeleton key to the entire series. The Duffer Brothers didn’t pick them randomly. They picked them because they’re the only episodes where the rules of the world are laid bare, where characters make irreversible choices, and where the past stops being backstory and starts being prophecy.
What Comes Next
Volume 2 of Season 5 arrives in 2026, wrapping up a journey that began on July 15, 2016. The Duffer Brothers, through Upside Down Pictures—a subsidiary of 21 Laps Entertainment in Los Angeles, California—have spent years planting seeds. Now, they’re asking fans to harvest them. The final season won’t just answer questions. It’ll force us to confront what we’ve ignored.
There’s a quiet moment in "The Piggyback" where Eleven whispers, "I’m sorry." Not to Max. Not to the team. To herself. That’s the heart of Season 5. It’s not about defeating Vecna. It’s about Eleven forgiving herself for creating him.
Behind the Scenes: The Production Machine
It’s easy to forget that Netflix, headquartered in Los Gatos, California, didn’t just fund this show—they bet their brand on it. And it paid off. Stranger Things became a cultural touchstone, a nostalgia engine, and a streaming juggernaut. The Duffer Brothers, who started as unknown writers, now control one of the most valuable IPs in television history. Their decision to release Season 5 in two volumes? It’s not just a marketing tactic. It’s a narrative one. Volume 1 will be the storm. Volume 2 will be the silence after.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are these four episodes specifically recommended over others?
The Duffer Brothers picked these episodes because they’re the only ones that directly connect the origin of the Upside Down, Vecna’s transformation, and Eleven’s emotional arc. "Will the Wise" introduces the dimension’s influence on humans, "The Spy" establishes the lab’s corruption, "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab" reveals Vecna’s true identity as Henry Creel, and "The Piggyback" sets up the emotional climax of Season 5. Skipping these means missing the core mythology.
What’s the significance of Hawkins National Laboratory in Season 5?
Hawkins Lab isn’t just a setting—it’s the source of the entire conflict. It’s where Eleven was experimented on, where Henry Creel was first studied, and where the first gate to the Upside Down was opened. Season 5 will likely reveal that the lab’s experiments didn’t end in the 1980s. New documents, hidden tunnels, and possibly even surviving scientists could resurface, tying the past directly to the final battle.
How does Vecna’s origin change how we see Eleven?
It flips everything. Eleven isn’t just a victim of the lab—she’s its unintended architect. She didn’t just fight Vecna; she gave him form. That means her power isn’t just a weapon—it’s a curse. Season 5’s central question becomes: Can someone who created a monster ever truly defeat it? Her final choice won’t be about strength. It’ll be about sacrifice.
Is there any chance Season 5 won’t be the final season?
The Duffer Brothers have repeatedly stated Season 5 is the end. Netflix has also confirmed it’s the final season. While spin-offs are possible—like the rumored Hawkins Lab prequel—the core story of Eleven, Mike, Will, and the gang concludes here. The final episode will likely mirror Season 1’s closing scene: kids riding bikes into the sunset, but this time, with scars, grief, and closure.
Why is "The Piggyback" more important than it seems?
"The Piggyback" is the emotional blueprint for Season 5’s climax. Max’s near-death experience proves that Eleven’s powers can reach beyond the Upside Down into the physical world—but at a cost. When Eleven pulls Max back, she nearly dies herself. That’s the pattern: her power saves lives, but drains her soul. In Season 5, she’ll have to make the ultimate sacrifice: using her full power to destroy Vecna, knowing it might erase her too.
What should viewers pay attention to during rewatching?
Watch for visual motifs: the vines in "Will the Wise," the red lights in Hawkins Lab, the flickering TV static when Henry speaks. These aren’t just effects—they’re clues. Also, listen to background dialogue. In "The Spy," a lab tech mentions "subject zero"—that’s Henry. In "The Piggyback," Max’s whispered "I’m still here" echoes in Season 5’s trailer. The show’s been whispering its ending all along.