Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer has confirmed the runtimes for all Season 5 Volume 2 episodes, including the finale.
In a post on Instagram, Duffer confirmed the final runtimes for episodes 5-8, which takes us to the end of the decade-long Netflix series.
Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 episode runtimes:
- Episode 5, Shock Jock: 1h 8m
- Episode 6, Escape from Camazotz: 1h 15m
- Episode 7, The Bridge: 1h 6m
- Episode 8, The Rightside Up: 2h 8m
That means there’s only five hours and 37 minutes of Stranger Things left and it’s all over.
Ross Duffer has already outlined what to expect from Vol. 2. Episode 5 picks up moments after the end of Sorcerer. Frank Darabont directed this one, although Duffer said Shock Jock is “far darker, and far scarier” than Darabont’s previous episode, Turnbow Trap.
Episode 6 was directed by Shawn Levy. “It’s the biggest episode of the three,” Duffer said, “and the performances make us cry every time we watch it.” It sounds like we might get a character death in this one, and based on the name, the episode will revolve around Holly and Max’s attempt to break free from the mind prison created by Vecna.
And finally, Episode 7 is called The Bridge, which the Duffer brothers co-directed with Levy. “Don’t want to say too much, but aside from the finale, it’s probably the most emotional chapter of the season,” Ross Duffer teased. More character deaths, perhaps?
As for the final episode, it will be screened in theaters nationwide at the same time it is shown on Netflix. Ross Duffer has told fans they should only see it in theaters if they’re cool with crying in a crowded room.
“The finale. Theaters. New Year’s Eve,” Duffer wrote in a social media post alongside a photo of the drawing Lucas and Max used to ask each other on a date in Season 4. “This is something my brother and I have dreamed about for years. If you don’t mind crying in front of strangers, GO. And if you’re in LA… maybe we’ll see you there.”
Earlier this month, the first trailer for Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 teased shock reveals and answers to questions fans have been asking for years.
Warning! Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 follow:
The trailer picks up in the aftermath of the catastrophic events of Vol. 1 and the awakening of Will’s powers. Will (Noah Schnapp) and his mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), have a heart to heart in which she reassures him the battle against Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) isn’t over. Meanwhile, Holly (Nell Fisher) and Max (Sadie Sink) are trying to escape Vecna’s 1950s fantasy world, and they’re walking through strange doors to do it. Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), warns: “this whole time, everything we’ve ever assumed about the Upside Down has been dead wrong.”
Dustin and Steve (Joe Keery) are then seen looking at some sort of red, potentially interdimensional mass that is whirling around above them. Whatever this is, it seems key to understanding the true nature of the Upside Down, which Stranger Things co-creators Ross and Matt Duffer have promised to finally explain this season.
Elsewhere, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) calls on Kali/Eight (Linnea Berthelsen), who she rescued from captivity in Vol. 1, to help her find and kill Vecna. We see shots of Vecna / Henry Creel in various states as the central characters become increasingly distressed. Briefly, we see Will use his new powers again, as evidenced by his eyes turning all white as they did at the end of Vol. 1.
Stranger Things Season 5 release dates:
- VOL 1 – November 26, 5pm PT
- VOL 2 – Christmas, 5pm PT
- THE FINALE – New Year’s Eve, 5pm PT
We’ve got plenty more on Stranger Things, including Ross Duffer’s call to arms for fans to turn off “garbage” TV settings before watching Season 5. And be sure to check out our Stranger Things: Season 5, Vol. 1 spoiler review.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
