In Review: Stranger Things (S5 – EP 5, 6 & 7) Shock Jock, Escape from Camazotz & The Bridge

Synopsis: This second volume of season five includes the episodes Shock Jock, Escape from Camazotz, and The Bridge. The gang hatches an electrifying plan to reconnect Will to the hive mind, while tensions flare during a dangerous search of Hawkins Lab in the Upside Down. Escape from Camazotz centres on Max’s desperate bid to break free from the Upside Down, and The Bridge reunites most of the team as they formulate their ultimate plan to finally bring down Vecna.

The Story

This latest set of episodes does a strong job of knitting everything together. In Shock Jock, after learning that Will can tap into Vecna’s powers due to the psychic connection Vecna previously forged, the gang looks for a way to exploit that link in hopes of locating Max in the Upside Down. To that end, a risky plan is cooked up involving the local radio station’s power supply, which is used to shock the dead Demogorgons in the hope that reanimating them will allow Will to reconnect with the Upside Down and pinpoint the whereabouts of Max and the kidnapped children. However, the plan backfires when Vecna recognises the breach, shuts Will down, and once again uses him as a spy.

Meanwhile, in the Upside Down version of Hawkins Lab, Dustin uncovers unsettling evidence of what Vecna has been preparing for, revealing that his grand plan has roots in science rather than magic.

Escape from Camazotz shifts focus to Max, who finds herself trapped in a distorted and hostile pocket of the Upside Down. Drawing on her resilience and memories of her friends, Max, with help from Holly, fights to break free as Vecna attempts to reassert control over her mind. Her escape proves that Vecna’s grasp, while powerful, is not absolute.

In The Bridge, the team regroups, bringing together allies from across Hawkins and beyond. Armed with new knowledge gained from Will and Max’s ordeal, they begin constructing a final, coordinated plan to confront Vecna directly. As emotional reunions give way to grim determination, the stage is set for an all-or-nothing confrontation that will decide the fate of both Hawkins and the Upside Down. However, the plan may not be as straightforward as the group believes, as Kali argues that she and Eleven may need to remain in the Upside Down after Vecna’s defeat to avoid being hunted by the US military because of their powers.

The Acting

The acting throughout this series remains consistently strong. Gaten Matarazzo and Joe Keery both deliver standout performances, particularly as Dustin is forced to confront his grief when Steve lays out a series of uncomfortable home truths. What begins as a tense and emotionally raw argument ultimately feeds into Dustin’s discovery of Vecna’s larger plan, while also bringing the two friends back together. The fallout from this confrontation becomes one of the most affecting emotional beats across the three new episodes.

Millie Bobby Brown and Linnea Berthelsen also deliver strong performances. Berthelsen’s Kali integrates herself into the plot particularly well, positioning the character as both an ally and a source of tension. She remains deeply distrustful of Jim Hopper and his relationship with her sister, believing that El’s emotional ties to Hopper and the rest of the group will ultimately weaken her when difficult decisions have to be made in order to kill Vecna.

A standout moment comes late in The Bridge, during a charged scene between Eleven and Kali. Here, Kali argues that once Vecna is defeated, the sisters will need to remain in the Upside Down, convinced that they will never truly be safe in a version of Earth that includes El’s friends. The exchange highlights a fundamental ideological divide between the two characters and adds an unsettling moral complication to the plan moving forward.

Noah Schnapp once again truly gets the chance to shine throughout these episodes, culminating in a deeply affecting scene in which Will comes out to the group as gay. Will explains that he has long feared that revealing his sexuality would isolate him and turn his friends against him, a fear that Vecna deliberately seeded in his mind. It’s a moment of vulnerability and quiet bravery, and one that Schnapp plays with remarkable restraint. The result is a genuinely moving scene that stands as one of the emotional high points of the season.

Overall

These episodes do a fantastic job of setting the stage for the series finale, which arrives on Netflix on New Year’s Eve and, in my case, doubles as a pretty great birthday present. As such, don’t expect my full review of the finale until New Year’s Day, once I’ve had time to properly digest what promises to be an explosive conclusion.