In the fourth episode of Stranger Things' fifth season, Joyce and her companions embark on a mission to convince Derek that they are not the nefarious child kidnappers he believes them to be. As the Demogorgon inevitably makes its presence known, Steve and the others race in to run it over, only for it to flip and plunge into the Upside Down. Steve proposes an audacious plan to drive in after it to help track it down, and the others eventually agree to his daring scheme. They drive straight through the portal, following the signal that leads them deeper into the mystical realm. As the signal speeds up, their pace does too, until they crash into the giant wall.
Will regains consciousness after being connected to the Demogorgon, spying a strange central spire where the kids are being held with masks over their faces. Similar to season 2, Will begins painting a mural on the barn wall instead of doodling on scraps of paper. Robin believes this could be a crucial clue, especially as the signal with Vecna has never been this strong. It seems that Holly is connected to a central spire along with several other kids, and it appears they need 12 in total to complete Vecna's plan.
The military has detected what's happening, so the kids from the elementary school are rounded up and taken to the heavily guarded compound deep in the off-limits Military Zone. Dr Kay suspects that Eleven, not Vecna, is the culprit. The kids are taken to this heavily guarded compound, prompting the group to orchestrate a plan to break in, scout the area, and feed back the details they need to dig a tunnel and get the kids out before it's too late. Derek is tasked with being their superspy.
Meanwhile, Max speaks with Holly, explaining that she wrote the note to lure her out because she needed to rescue her friend. They squeeze through a gap in the rocks, revealing a large cave complex that Max has been calling home. She explains that this cave complex, along with the Creel House and the woods, are memories that exist inside a world of 1000 memories—all belonging to Vecna. It's essentially a mind prison, and Max explains that Vecna's curse never truly leaves him. With each new victim he takes, he creates a new gate to the Upside Down. When he took Max, he opened the fourth and final gate, splitting Hawkins in two.
Max's existence teetered on the brink of non-existence, only to be pierced by a haunting summons (not plot armor, we're talking pure magic here). Transported to Vecna's mental labyrinth, she witnessed the carnage at Hawkins Lab and the eerie echoes of 1959's Hawkins High. There, Max floated as an ethereal observer, trapped within Henry's mind's eye, locked in a state of comatose limbo.
Her yearning for escape was a ceaseless whirlwind, but each step towards freedom was met with a new horror in the depths of Vecna's memories. The final stroke of terror was the night Vecna's "murder" of her, a memory she chased, only to find a sliver of hope at the hospital, where Lucas's desperate attempts to save her pierced through the gloom. Yet, with the music suddenly silenced and the tape rewinding, Max found herself colliding with Vecna's shadow, sealing her fate within the portal once more.
Her flight continued, leading her to a forsaken cave where Vecna seemed to quiver in fear for an unfathomable reason. A memory from within the cave acted as a barricade, keeping him at bay. This cave became Max's haven, her refuge from the shadows. Her plan to rescue Holly involved a return to Henry's realm and a reenactment of her previous role.
Meanwhile, in the Upside Down's otherworldly landscape, Eleven and Hopper scouted the military base, their movements echoing through the Upside Down's hazy airwaves. Steve's group radioed in, mentioning their presence at Roane Cemetery Church, also shrouded in this twisted dimension. They sought to enlist Eleven's powers to free their truck so they could launch an operation to rescue Holly. However, their plans were met with a resounding "no," as Hop and El had a mission all their own.
Dustin's intuition piques as he realizes that the key to salvation might be hidden at the very heart of the mammoth circle that envelops Hawkins, guarded by a formidable fleshy wall. This central locus leads to the Department of Energy's - Hawkins Lab, and the odds of it being at the exact center seem promising. This revelation provides the group with a fresh lead to explore.
Back in Hawkins, Derek strolls into the military barracks, where the parents are nowhere to be seen and only a teacher remains to manage these wayward kids. With a lunchbox that isn't searched - a walkie talkie cleverly concealed within - Derek feeds back to the gang that he's inside and sets out to round up those who have seen Henry.
Mike, Will, Lucas, and Joyce sneak below and manage to break into the bathroom at the barracks. Derek leads the kids out one by one, but a burst pipe in the bathroom begins spraying water everywhere, forcing them to hurry. Will and Mike work together to try and stop the flow, but one of the kids notices them and alerts the officers.
While most of the kids make it out, Derek is captured along with Will, Mike, and Joyce. Lucas is stuck in the tunnels with a couple of kids and no obvious way out. Will feels Vecna's presence approaching and chokes out, "They're here."
Remember the metal plates in Hawkins? Well, a horde of Demogorgons show up, smashing through the ground and walls, immediately launching an attack. Will begins seizing, witnessing this chaos through Vecna's mind, while the group is separated in the fray. Lucas is trapped underground as Demogorgons appear, while Murray and Robin are also chased by Demogorgons as they race off in a truck.
In the Upside Down, El utilizes her skills to break into the military compound, evading guards and bringing Hopper along too. They reach the lab, where Eleven attempts to break the hinges off the door. Unfortunately, things go awry and set off the alarms. Dr Kay catches up to Eleven, while Hopper shoots some of the guards but winds up grabbed by one of the large, angry tentacles here. It begins choking him out while Dr Kay catches up and demands Hopper start talking. She controls the temperature flow in the chamber, pointing out that the colder it gets, the more this tentacle is going to squeeze. Hopper refuses to budge.
Eleven also doesn't have her powers either, but she does manage to stab Dr Kay. Hopper jumps in with a gun and knocks her out before fake-sacrificing himself for Eleven… again. This time, he has a failsafe attached to him - an explosive vest.
Hopper leaves Eleven for a few minutes before the power is shut off, allowing them to enter a hidden vault. Inside, El finds none other than Number 8, the surviving girl from Stranger Things' worst episode.
Meanwhile, Vecna arrives in Hawkins, breaking free from his shackles and attacking the compound. He shrugs off bullets effortlessly and makes short work of everyone in his path. He grabs Will, monologuing about his plan - he can see the children and knows they're weak. He has the Demogorgons take the children away into the Upside Down. According to him, they're perfect vessels and Will was just a test run. He's going to use these kids in his world.
But Robin's words from earlier in the season echo in Will's mind as flashes of Mike and Will's past bleed through. Through the power of friendship, it unlocks something deep inside Will that allows him to harness the same powers as Eleven. He stops all the Demogorgons from killing any of the main characters - obviously - and wipes his nose, ready to join the ranks for the final fight.
