Get the Tissues Ready: Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 Promises Devastating Farewells, Creators Tease

Stranger Things hype was already at a fever pitch, and the first four episodes just sent fandom into overdrive. Then Ross Duffer hit social media with a finale tease, previewing the next volume and dropping episode-by-episode hints fans won’t want to miss.

Stranger Things season 5 has barely settled in and the fandom is already in meltdown mode. The first four episodes landed, and then Ross Duffer hopped on Instagram to tease Volume 2 and, well, it sounds like we are not making it through this stretch emotionally intact.

What Ross Duffer just revealed

Duffer laid out the three episodes coming in Volume 2 and sprinkled in a few eyebrow-raising details. The big one: Shawn Levy is back in the director chair for episode 6, and Duffer says it is the heavy hitter.

"It is the biggest episode of the three - and the performances make us cry every time we watch it."

Fans on X immediately started pre-ordering tears. Think variations on: time to grab tissues, if the writers are crying we are doomed, etc. Not subtle, but not wrong either.

Duffer also said episode 5, 'Shock Jock', picks up right after the end of 'Sorcerer' - so no downtime between volumes. And in a twist nobody had on their 2025 bingo card, he name-checked Frank Darabont as returning and doing something very different from his work on a previous episode called 'Turnbow Trap'. According to Duffer, this new one is darker and scarier. That is a surprising name to hear in the Stranger Things ecosystem, and if true, it is quite a swing.

As for episode 7, 'The Bridge', the Duffers co-directed it with Shawn Levy and are calling it the season's most emotional chapter aside from the finale. So yes, more emotional damage incoming.

The Volume 2 and finale rundown

• Chapter Five - 'Shock Jock' - picks up moments after 'Sorcerer'. Duffer says Frank Darabont is back and leaning darker and scarier than his work on 'Turnbow Trap'. Expected runtime: reportedly 1 hour 17 minutes (per Radio Times).
• Chapter Six - 'Escape From Camazotz' - directed by Shawn Levy, who returns to the Upside Down. Duffer calls it the biggest of the three and says the performances make them cry every time. Expected runtime: reportedly 58 minutes (per Radio Times).
• Chapter Seven - 'The Bridge' - co-directed by the Duffers and Shawn Levy. Duffer says it is probably the season's most emotional chapter aside from the finale. Expected runtime: reportedly 1 hour 37 minutes (per Radio Times).
• Chapter Eight - 'The Rightside Up' - the series finale. It is also getting a theatrical rollout starting on New Year’s Eve in select theaters, according to Entertainment Weekly. Ticket info is at ST5Finale.com. Expected runtime: reportedly 1 hour 17 minutes (per Radio Times).

About those runtimes

The Duffers released runtimes ahead of Volume 1, and Ross says runtimes for the next batch will be revealed soon. For now, the numbers above are the speculative ones floating around via Radio Times. Treat them as placeholders until the official cards drop.

Who is back

The core crew returns: Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Finn Wolfhard as Mike, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, and Noah Schnapp as Will. Also back are Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Winona Ryder, Natalia Dyer, and more.

The bottom line

Volume 2 is three episodes, with a separate, theater-bound finale right after. Shawn Levy is steering the big middle chapter, Duffer is promising tears, and there is a very unexpected Darabont mention in the mix. File all of that under: brace yourself.

Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix.