Stranger Things Midseason-Premiere Recap: Plugged In

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Season 5 of Stranger Things feels like it’s built on a series of plans that are only partially successful, leading to more problems that require even more plans. It’s a pattern that’s always been present in the show, but it feels more noticeable now. Perhaps I’m still caught up in the excitement of the first part of the final season, making this episode feel slower and more focused on the characters repeatedly brainstorming solutions.

Last time we saw our group of quirky heroes – including Will Byers and Steve Harrington – Will had a breakthrough moment of self-acceptance. This gave him the power to connect with the hive mind and defeat three Demogorgons, mirroring how Henry Creel fought. It’s a sweet message: embracing who you are can make you incredibly strong, and it’s especially fitting during the holidays! Sadly, Will realizes this a little too late. While he manages to save Mike, Lucas, and Robin, he can’t stop Vecna from pulling 11 other children into the Upside Down, joining Holly. These 12 kids are now trapped and connected to spires, with vines pumping them full of Upside Down energy. Will feels responsible for the loss, and the remaining team back in Hawkins needs to come up with a new plan.

Will’s ability to draw power from Vecna and the hive mind is a huge advantage, though it’s not without limitations. He needs to be physically near something connected to the hive mind to use his powers, unlike Eleven who can summon them at will. While this presents a challenge, it doesn’t mean they should abandon this new ability. Mike and Lucas are thrilled Will is now essentially a sorcerer, but it’s Joyce who strongly encourages him to reconnect with the hive mind. She tells Will she’s underestimated him, and so has Vecna. She vows to never make that mistake again, but knowing Vecna, he likely will. It would be ideal if Joyce appreciated Will for who he is, not just his powers, but that’s something he can explore in therapy later. Right now, they’re running out of time – and Vecna seems obsessed with deadlines. Joyce believes Will needs to reconnect to the hive mind, but this time, instead of controlling the creatures, he needs to go straight into Vecna’s mind and destroy him completely.

After a lot of discussion (and some snacks!), the Sinclair siblings come up with two possible plans. First, they could try to locate Vecna, hoping someone still in the Upside Down might know where he is. Second, Erica suggests asking Dustin Henderson, who’s really good with technology, to fix their broken communication system. While a good idea, fixing the system would take time. Lucas proposes a more immediate solution: use the radio tower to shock one of the Demogorgons Will previously defeated. The idea is to reactivate the Mind Flayer particles within it, similar to how they activated them when they trapped Billy in the sauna. If the experiment goes wrong, they can increase the power, force the particles out (like they did with Will before), and pull Will out of Vecna’s control. It’s risky, but they can start right away. Joyce suggests they try both plans simultaneously – pursue both options and see which one works.

In “Shock Jock,” Lucas’s plan takes center stage, meaning Mr. Clarke’s important scene will have to wait. After Joyce passionately shouts, “Kill the bastard!”, they send electricity into the deceased Demogorgon, causing particles to illuminate. This allows Will to connect with the hive mind and quickly find himself inside the mind of Derek – or, as Will calls him, “Delightful” Derek.

Okay, so after those creepy Demos took all the other kids to the Upside Down and connected them to those weird spires, they ended up inside Henry’s mind with Holly and Max. And honestly? These kids seem to be loving it! I mean, who wouldn’t? All the candy and TV you can handle, and no parents telling you what to do? Henry’s really laying it on thick, telling them they’re going to be heroes, that they have hidden powers to help him get rid of all the monsters and build a perfect, monster-free world. He’s making it sound like they’re going to save everyone. Holly’s acting like she buys it, but the second she could, she ran off to find Max and warn her that whatever Henry’s planning, it’s happening tomorrow. They have to find a way out of this mind prison, and fast!

After Max and Holly realize Derek overheard their conversation – he’s seen enough to know Henry’s lies aren’t true, unlike the other kids – they decide to use him to create a diversion. If Derek distracts Henry, Max and Holly can search for a way out. The plan initially works, but when Henry sees Derek fleeing toward the caves with the map, he understands Max and Holly are working together and goes after them.

Just then, Will enters Derek’s mind. While still connected to the hive mind, he tells the group that Derek has spotted Max. Lucas reacts with a powerful combination of happiness, relief, and intense fear. But that fear quickly becomes overwhelming when Will discovers Henry is already searching for Max and Holly. Knowing the danger, Will immediately starts his own search.

Max and Holly are once again journeying through memories, hoping to find a way out of their current nightmare. Max thinks the key lies in the moment Henry first trapped Holly’s mind, which means revisiting the terrifying night the Demogorgon attacked her. Holly is forced to relive the horror of watching her mother die, and her own helplessness to stop it. Just as they spot the red, smoky portal that could lead them to escape, it suddenly closes. Henry, now fully revealed as Vecna, has found them. He immediately attacks Max, choking her and putting her life in danger. Things are looking extremely grim.

Suddenly, Vecna is in trouble. He injures his leg and is forced to release Max. It’s Will who’s managed to enter Vecna’s mind and is battling for control. While inside, Will makes Vecna yell at Max to run – it’s a really cool moment. However, Vecna is much more powerful than the Demogorgons and fights back. He gets rid of Max and Holly, then forcefully ejects Will from his mind. Vecna goes after Max and Holly, but back in the real world, Will collapses and remains unconscious even after they try to revive him with electricity and remove the remaining particles. This is a serious problem!

Things aren’t looking great for our groups stuck in the Upside Down either, but honestly, it’s less about the monsters and more about all the drama. Steve, Dustin, Nancy, and Jonathan have left the church, waiting for any news from Hopper and Eleven about Dustin’s idea that Hawkins Lab is somehow powering everything. That lab… so much bad stuff has happened there, but it almost feels familiar, you know? I have a feeling this whole situation is going to end badly, and I’m bracing for it. It’s not even really about whether Dustin’s theory is right – if they can find and destroy whatever’s powering this place, it would open a way to get to Holly and Vecna. It’s these four together that worry me. They seriously can’t be left to deal with this on their own – they need someone to keep the peace. But there’s no one here to do that, just a whole lot of tension building up.

When the group splits up—much to everyone’s annoyance—Steve and Dustin end up in the Rainbow Room. The room feels heavy with past events, so it’s fitting that their frustrations finally explode there. What begins as a tense exchange quickly escalates into a fight about Eddie Munson. Dustin insists Eddie was his only true friend, while Steve accuses Dustin of being angry that Eddie died trying to be a hero. Their words become surprisingly harsh, and Dustin eventually attacks Steve, landing a few hits. Steve briefly fights back, but quickly stops, not wanting to hurt Dustin. He shouts for Dustin to stop, and both end up in tears as Steve storms out. While this falling out is upsetting, it feels like a necessary step for their friendship—a way to rebuild on a stronger foundation. And while they’re dealing with this, Dustin notices an open door to Dr. Brenner’s office. Inside, he finds old journals filled with notes and drawings, some of which seem to depict strange energy—possibly related to the energy generator.

It’s complicated. Whatever Dustin is reading in the journal is terrifying him. He realizes he misunderstood something important and desperately tries to warn Nancy and Jonathan not to interact with it, believing their actions could be fatal. Unfortunately, the walkie-talkie was broken in the fight between Dustin and Steve, so he can’t get in touch with them. He races upstairs to the roof, but he doesn’t make it in time.

As the two men argued with their fists, Nancy and Jonathan searched the upper level of the lab for the generator. They were also dealing with awkward feelings, though their situation wasn’t as dramatic. Both were unhappy in their relationship, hiding their true feelings, and weren’t very good at it. Surprisingly, they found some relief in discovering the frozen bodies of soldiers – stuck in the melted lab. It gave them something else to focus on besides their own problems. They followed the melted hallways and stairs to the roof, where they spotted a large, glowing ball of energy. While Dustin desperately tried to reach them on a broken walkie-talkie, Nancy carried out their plan and shot at the energy ball.

Even if Dustin is incorrect about the energy ball destroying everything, the team will still face a new problem. While Hopper, Eleven, and Kali try to reach the Hawkins Lab group, Eleven and Kali reconnect and Kali shares her story. She reveals how the military kidnapped her and experimented on her, explaining Dr. Kay’s motives. Dr. Kay wasn’t just using Kali to power the sonic weapon; she initially wanted her blood. It turns out Eleven, Kali, and all the other children with powers were created because their mothers received transfusions of Henry’s blood during pregnancy. Henry’s blood is the source of their abilities. Dr. Kay wants to restart the program and create more superpowered children to use as weapons. Kali discovered dozens of pregnant women receiving transfusions of her blood during an escape attempt, but the transfusions were killing the mothers, so it wasn’t working. This is why Dr. Kay is so determined to capture Eleven; she believes Eleven’s blood is the closest match to Henry’s and will finally work. Dr. Brenner and Dr. Kay are both part of this cycle, which won’t stop as long as they can find blood to create more children with powers. Kali doesn’t need to say much more for Eleven to understand the grim reality. “There’s no hope for a happy ending for us, Jane.”

More Strange Things!

It’ll be fascinating to see how Eleven reacts to this news, especially since Kali suggested she and others might need to sacrifice themselves to prevent further trouble. The episode begins with Eleven deeply upset after learning Hopper had secretly prepared to give his life to protect her and defeat Vecna. She was heartbroken to discover his backup plan, and now it seems she might be facing a similar choice.

Lucas has always believed Vecna’s plan will come to a head on November 6th – the anniversary of Will’s disappearance. That timing aligns with what Vecna told his prisoners. We have less than a day to act.

Despite knowing Henry is dangerous and capable of killing him, Derek responds to Henry’s aggressive questioning – demanding to know who provided the map – with a childish insult: “Your mom.” What a brave (or maybe reckless!) kid.

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2025-12-26 06:56