Volume 2 of Stranger Things' final season fails to reach the highs of the first four episodes. Read our review.

Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 gets by on the charms of its likable cast, but as the series nears its end it feels like it's spinning its wheels.

The play reveals that the cave system was where Henry first ventured to Dimension X — now dubbed "The Abyss" in Stranger Things. That's the alternate dimension where the Mind Flayer and Demogorgons are from, as opposed to the Upside Down, which Volume 2 reveals is a bridge connecting the Abyss to our world.

"I hope by the time people get to the end that it feels like there’s something inevitable about what happens," Matt Duffer tells The Hollywood Reporter in a conversation with brother Ross Duffer about the second part of the final season and how it sets up their endgame.

The wait is nearly over for fans of Stranger Things. Netflix has revealed release dates for the fifth and final season, promising one last showdown in Hawkins, Indiana, as the beloved characters prepare to face Vecna.

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 Volume 2 release time is set for December 25 on Netflix. Three episodes will stream worldwide with region-based timings. The final episode will arrive on December 31. The story follows Vecna,