'Stranger Things' Season 5, Volume 2 trailer has me way too worried about Dustin and Steve

Don't panic, but everyone's in mortal peril.
 By 
Belen Edwards
 on 
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Jamie Campbell Bower in "Stranger Things."
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If your Christmas present this year is watching Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2 right when it drops, you're in luck. Netflix has dropped a trailer for the show's next three episodes, making for a pre-Christmas gift you can watch (and theorize over) for the next 10 days.

The trailer picks up in the aftermath of Vecna's (Jamie Campbell Bower) attack on the Hawkins MAC-Z. Despite Will (Noah Schnapp) going full sorcerer on a Demogorgon army and saving his friends' lives, our Hawkins heroes still failed to rescue the children Vecna planned to kidnap. Now, they're trapped in Vecna's lair, and their minds will be stuck in his mindscape alongside Max (Sadie Sink) and Holly (Nell Fisher).

Obviously, this failure is demoralizing for everyone involved. But will the Hawkins crew give up? Never! On top of Will's new powers, the squad also has Eleven's (Millie Bobby Brown) sister Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) on their side. Plus, based on the trailer, it looks like Max and Holly will be making a mad dash to escape the Camazotz-esque prison of Vecna's mind. With their escape on the horizon, things could be looking up. Right?

Well, trust the Duffer Brothers to throw more curveballs at us. Case in point: the massive ball of roiling red energy Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) discover in the Upside Down. What new fresh hell is this? Notably, the trailer also teases a much-needed reconciliation between these two. Steve and Dustin have been at odds since the start of the season, with Eddie's (Joseph Quinn) death hanging heavy between them. However, that reconciliation also resurrects one of the best Steve and Dustin exchanges from the show: Season 3's, "I die, you die."

Look, I get where the two are coming from, as they're surely about to embark on some perilous mission. But hear me out: How about neither of you die? Sound good? Great, glad we're all on the same page.

Volume 1 of Stranger Things Season 5 is now streaming on Netflix. Volume 2 premieres Dec. 25, and the series finale premieres Dec. 31, both at 8 p.m. ET.

A woman in a white sweater with shoulder-length brown hair.
Belen Edwards
Entertainment Reporter

Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.


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