Stranger Things, a show nearly ten years in the making, is finally coming to an end. But before audiences tune in to watch the explosive finale, all the pieces needed to be set for what's to come. Well, that's exactly what Episode 7 looked to accomplish.
Stranger Things Volume 2 didn't end things on an explosive note, much like Volume 1. But while there might not have been a big cliffhanger to keep us at the edge of our seats, the plan to stop Vecna and all the terrors that lie in the Abyss was finally unveiled. After years of being terrorized by creatures from an alternate dimension, Hawkins is getting ready to leave the nightmare behind once and for all. The only question remaining is: Will the good guys win, and what sacrifices will be needed to achieve so?
The plan to stop Vecna once and for all
Back in Stranger Things Episode 6, the true nature of the Upside Down was finally revealed. While everyone assumed it was an alternate reality of sorts, those theories were dead wrong. Dustin uncovered Dr. Martin Brenner's journal and pieced together the truth: The Upside Down is really a wormhole, connecting Hawkins with a mysterious realm that Dustin coins The Abyss. It is revealed that every monster we've seen in the series so far, including the Demogorgons and the Mind Flayer, really comes from the Abyss and has been traversing into our world via the wormhole that Eleven mistakenly opened the night that Will Byers went missing.
Unfortunately, Vecna kidnapped the 12 kids he needed to merge the Abyss and Earth into one. So, with their backs against the wall, the entire Stranger Things group comes up with a plan to end things once and for all. While everyone started to think about different ways in which they could reach the Upside Down's ceiling and traverse into the Abyss to save the kids, Steve came up with one crazy idea.
See, Harrington proposed to let Vecna initiate the ritual to bring the two worlds closer—at least close enough so that the antenna located in the WSQK on the Upside Down pierces through The Abyss. At that very moment, they would be able to climb the tower and go into the Demogorgons' homeworld. Meanwhile, Eleven could use the sensory deprivation tank located in the Hawkins Lab on the Upside Down to invade Henry's mind and halt the ritual, giving everyone else time to save the 12 missing kids. Additionally, Max could help Eleven navigate Vecna's mind since she already knows the layout of the oneiric place.
Will also offers his help once Max reveals that Henry Creel himself has a memory he's terrified of. Will proposes to use the villain's fear against him, while Eight also joins in on the fight. But the icing on the cake? Dustin proposes that they leave a time bomb next to the exotic matter located on the Upside Down before everyone comes back to Earth (along with the 12 missing kids). After all, the exotic matter is a key component in stabilizing the wormhole between Hawkins and the Abyss. Without it, the bridge would simply collapse, and the nightmare would finally be over.
Will reveals his big secret
Just as the plan is set and everyone is getting ready to charge into war, Will decides that it is time for everyone to know his secret. Remember how Vecna invaded Will's mind to look for Max's location? Well, the villain also showed Will a terrifying vision of the future where the group learns that he's gay, and they all slowly start to drift away. Vecna used this fear tactic as a means of obtaining what he wanted, and it unfortunately paid off. So, determined not to be exploited by Henry once again, Will comes out to the whole group.
Will mentions that he's like his friends in almost every way. They all like the same things, the same movies, the same games... except he doesn't like girls. At least, not like his friends do. But even if he knew the vision Vecna showed him of everyone drifting apart because of this wasn't real, it felt that way. And since he didn't want to be scared anymore, the best thing to do seemed like finally getting that weight off of him.
At that moment, Joyce comforts her son and says she would never leave him alone. Jonathan then echoes the sentiment, followed closely by Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Max, and Robin. The group then shares one big hug, in what's one of the most emotional moments of the series as a whole. Without that weight over him, Will is now ready to go to war and use his newfound abilities on Vecna once more (except, this time, he might really finish the job).
How the group managed to get to the Upside Down once again
Getting into the Upside Down can sometimes be a very tricky thing to do, especially if you're not a Demogorgon capable of ripping a portal through any surface. Unfortunately, the plan of our heroes depended exclusively on them being in the Upside Down by the time Vecna's spell begins, and the Abyss starts to draw closer to Earth. So, you know what they say: desperate times call for desperate measures.
Professor Clarke managed to crack the code behind the gates that allow vehicles to enter or exit the Military Access Control Zone (or MAC-Z, for short). With the entrance doors wide open, Murray storms through the facility in his truck, while everyone else is hiding in the truck's shipping container. Of course, the military doesn't simply accept an unauthorized vehicle moving freely through their base, so they start shooting it. But just when nobody is paying attention, Hopper comes out from one of the tunnels located in the MAC-Z and starts shooting soldiers. Simultaneously, Nancy pops through the truck's roof and adds to the firepower, too.
Once the bullets stop flying around, Murray drives his truck into the portal leading to the Upside Down, located directly in the heart of MAC-Z. Just like that, our heroes obtained what they wanted, and now the pieces are set for a big finale that's set to pull no punches. The only question remaining is: Who will make it out alive? Fortunately, we won't have to wait long to find out.