Ever since the finale of Stranger Things season 4, things have been a little quiet in Hawkins. Granted, some unusual occurrences have still taken place during this time, such as the military setting up a mysterious facility called MAC-Z right in the heart of the town. Still, there had been no sign of Demogorgons, Demobats, or, even worse, Vecna himself... that was until Stranger Things season 5 episode 2.
Last time we saw Mike and Nancy Wheeler, they uncovered a terrifying truth. See, their little sister, Holly, has been seeing and talking to a mysterious figure for quite some time now. Everyone thought it was just an imaginary friend, but it turned out to be none other than Henry Creel—better known as the terrifying Vecna. Worse yet is that the relentless villain has already kidnapped Holly and taken her somewhere very familiar, where she meets yet another iconic Stranger Things character.
That shocking ending explained and where it takes place
While there's a lot to unpack in Stranger Things season 5 episode 3, perhaps the biggest shock of "The Turnbow Trap" comes courtesy of Max Mayfield's return. After being in a coma for a long time, audiences finally get to see a glimpse of her standing on her feet and being able to talk to others. However, audiences had also just seen Max lying in the hospital back in the second episode, so what's really going on? How can she be in two places at the same time? Well, to answer this, we need to talk about the Creel house.
Despite being taken to the Upside Down by a Demogorgon at the end of episode 2, Holly suddenly appears in what would seem to be the real world, next to the Creel house. Now, we know Holly's sequences aren't taking place in the Upside Down because we've seen what the house looks like in the nightmarish dimension, and it's all decayed, torn, and broken, unlike the restored version Holly sees (besides, the house's surroundings look completely normal, devoid of the strange particles, dark skies, and red thunders that characterize the Upside Down). With that in mind, there are two possibilities as to where Holly could really be.
Henry could've taken Holly back in time to the early 1950s, where the iconic house was still as good as new, and the Creel family hadn't moved in yet. This arc could tie into the A Wrinkle in Time references that we've seen all across Stranger Things season 5. It could also explain why Max is in the hospital in 1987, while there's another version of her in the past talking to Holly. However, time travel doesn't quite seem like the answer here, which would lead us to our second option.
Maybe the Creel house setting takes place within the hive mind. We know Holly is physically in the Upside Down, and Max is back in Hawkins at the hospital. The only place where the two could meet while being in different locations is a place like the Void — that dark, endless place where Eleven sees herself whenever she's using her telepathic powers to connect with someone else.
Now, Holly and Max don't have psychic powers like Eleven to project their consciousness into the same "oneiric space". However, the two have been corrupted by Vecna, which is the key to this mystery. It's important to remember that, ever since Will was also corrupted by the relentless monster back in season 1, he was granted the ability to tap into the hive mind in many mysterious ways. Perhaps Max and Holly's minds can now connect to the hive mind as well, regardless of where their bodies are in the real world. Of course, this is just speculation on our part, but it truly feels like the two heroines are somewhere far away from the Upside Down for the time being.
How the Turnbow trap goes sideways
Stranger Things season 5 episode 2 was all about Vecna trying to kidnap Holly before the Wheelers could take her somewhere safe. Unfortunately, not only did the terrifying monster succeed in his mission, but he also hinted that the hunt is not over. See, Henry was very clear when he said he'd bring some of Holly's friends to the Creel house. Besides, Will was able to tap into the Hive Mind and look through Vecna's eyes, discovering that the villain has already picked his next target: Derek Turnbow.
Back in the WSQK station, Will, Dustin, Jonathan, Steve, Mike, Lucas, Nancy, and Joyce all come up with a plan to try to save Derek Turnbow while figuring out Holly's whereabouts along the way. If Derek were to fall asleep in his house, then Vecna would assume that's the kid's current location and send a Demogorgon there to kidnap him. That could give the entire squad an advantage, as they would be able to rig the place with traps beforehand—all in an effort to hurt the beast and insert a tracker on it.
As simple as that, the Demogorgon would retreat to its hideout, expose its location due to the tracker, and lead everyone back to Holly. There's only one problem: The entire Turnbow family would also need to be put to sleep and taken to a safe place far away from their home without being awakened. If Derek were to wake from his slumber, then Vecna would be able to see through the kid's eyes and discover that he is not really in his home.
To put this plan into motion, a fan-favorite character finally makes an appearance. Erica Sinclair was a classmate of Derek's sister, Tina. So, the whole Stranger Things gang convinces Erica to go to the Turnbow house, give everyone a slice of pie that's filled with sleeping pills, and make the entire family pass out. Don't worry, though, as they were later taken to a secure location in the form of the McCorkle farm.
Meanwhile, the Turnbow house was rigged with traps, and the Demogorgon eventually arrived. Mike and Lucas were able to hurt the beast, while Nancy shot a tracker into it. Everything was going according to plan as the creature retreated into the Upside Down, and Steve and Dustin were able to pick up its location and started to follow it. Unfortunately, the unthinkable happened, and Derek awoke. The moment Derek saw his surroundings, Vecna knew about the kid's whereabouts and sent the Demogorgon to kidnap him from the McCorkle farm. As simple as that, the whole plan went sideways.
Vecna's location seemingly revealed
While Holly Wheeler explored the Creel house in a strange oneiric space and the rest of the Stranger Things gang was setting up a trap for Vecna, Eleven and Hopper did a bit of exploration in the Upside Down. Granted, it wasn't without its complications, as the military found out Eleven was in the nightmarish dimension back in episode 2 and tried to kidnap her in episode 3. However, this attack eventually proved to be the military's undoing.
Eleven and Hopper managed to pull an Uno reverse card and kidnap one of the soldiers instead. While Hopper interrogated him about the strange wall that seems to surround the entire Upside Down, Eleven used her powers to dig into his mind, and what she found was... certainly unexpected. El saw a memory of the soldier inside the Gable Ridge Road Base set up in the Upside Down, and she noticed a very curious metal door, guarding an important room. While she wasn't able to discover what exactly is inside it, she did come up with a very interesting theory.
Eleven feels that there's "someone" locked up in the room, powerful just like her. So, it can be none other than the big bad of the series, Vecna. If that were to be the case, it would explain why he has simply been manifesting himself to his victims and sending the Demogorgons after them, instead of getting his own hands dirty. It would also add weight to the theory that the human versions of Victor Creel, Holly Wheeler, and Max Mayfield are all in the hive mind. However, we'll need to wait to get some concrete answers.
The first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 are streaming on Netflix.