This post contains major spoilers for Stranger Things‘ series finale and how The Party’s plan to defeat Vecna went. If you don’t wanna know, click away!
“I love it when a plan comes together.”
It’s only fitting that an iconic ’80s TV show line best summarizes how Stranger Things 5 concluded its plot. In Stranger Things‘ series finale, the Party’s audacious, possibly absurd plan to defeat Vecna totally worked. And it did so even though not everything went smoothly.
What Were The Party’s Goals in Their Plan to Defeat Vecna on Stranger Things 5?
The Party had three goals going into Stranger Things 5′ last chapter. The first was to prevent the Abyss from smashing into their world. The next was to kill Vecna. Finally, they planned to blow up the Upside Down, closing the bridge between worlds forever. Eleven was going to use Brenner’s sensory deprivation tank inside the Upside Down to reach Vecna when the Abyss got close enough. She was going to take Kali and Max with her in her mind. Max to guide her, Kali to help her fight. The first goal was to stop the Abyss from moving closer, then kill Henry. Meanwhile, most of the party was going to climb the radio tower in the Upside Down so they could get through a rift and save the children. Finally, they would have to set explosives to destroy the exotic matter of the Upside Down.
Did The Party’s Plan to Defeat Vecna Succeed on Stranger Things 5: The Finale?
All of the above is exactly what happened on Stranger Things 5: The Finale, but it didn’t all go perfectly smoothly.
Eleven Stopped the Abyss From Smashing into the Real World, But Hopper Broke Her Connection to the Hive Mind
Eleven stopped the Abyss, thanks to a memory shortcut from Max, by finding Henry at his dining table. And she did so just in the nick of time to save her friends. The radio tower didn’t line up with a rift. It smashed into the antenna, knocking the whole structure loose. Jonathan saved a falling Steve at the very last second.
Kali then used her powers to hide herself and the children from Henry’s view as he threatened Eleven. It was the only way to prove to the kids that Holly had been telling the truth about Max and Mr. Whatsit. They then fled to the woods to hide in Henry’s cave. Back at the house, Kali tried to kill Henry, but he disappeared back. He’d left to go to the Upside Down, where he showed Hopper terrible visions. That included making him think he had shot and killed Eleven, whom he broke out of the tank. That caused her to lose her connection with Vecna’s mind on Stranger Things 5: The Finale and threatened the whol plan to defeat Vecna. The lack of the bath forced Eleven, Kali, and Max out of Henry’s mind. He then entered the cave, at great personal pain, to chase down the kids now being led by Holly.
As if things weren’t bad enough, Akers led his troops into the Upside Down lab. The military used the “Kryptonite” to weaken both Kali and Eleven. Hopper saved his daughter first, then went back to save Kali. Akers’ men captured the two of them. He was about to kill Kali when Murray blew up the helicopter firing the sonic blasts. Eleven then came to their rescue, but it wasn’t soon enough to save Kali from a fatal gunshot wound to her belly. (Viewers will forever debate how fast that bullet killed Kali.)
Eleven, Joyce, and the Party Defeat the Mind Flayer and Kill Vecna
Meanwhile, the Party had made its way to the Abyss to do their part in the plan to defeat Vecna on Stranger Things 5; namely, save the kidnapped children. There Will tapped back into the hive mind. It showed him that Vecna was still alive. He wasn’t the only monster. Vecna’s hand-creature in The Abyss was really the Mind Flayer, a gigantic monster that roared to life. Now the Party had defeat both the Mind Flayer and Vecna on Stranger Things 5: The Finale. Luckily, the hive mind connects them.
Eleven arrived on the scene just in time to keep it from killing her friends. Then she broke into the Mind Flayer’s body to fight Vecna one-on-one. While she was inside, Nancy distracted the Mind Flayer so her friends could climb up on the nearby cliffs so they could all attack it from above. Once it got close, the Party destroyed the Mind Flayer with its own Kryptonite, fire. Will, still connected to the Hive Mind, managed to use his powers to help Eleven as she grappled with Vecna—he took over Vecna’s mind and stopped his attack on El, literally ripping Vecna’s hand off.
With the help of her friends, Eleven was able to overpower Vecna and impale him on one of the Mind Flayer’s internal teeth, finally bringing him his defeat on Stranger Things 5: The Finale. Once the Mind Flayer was down, the whole Party was able to join Eleven inside the Mind Flayer corpse, only to realize a moaning Vecna was still alive. Joyce made sure that was temporary, as she brutally chopped his head off with an axe as everyone watched. And THUS, the Party defeated Vecna on Stranger Things 5: The Finale.
The Upside Down Is Blown Up, But Eleven Might Have Died with It
In the Upside Down, Murray and Hopper set and ignited the explosives that would blow up the chaotic energy bubble that was stabilizing the Upside Down. But when they crossed back into the real world, Dr. Kay was waiting to apprehend them so she could get her hands on Eleven.
She never did, though. Because, as planned, the Upside Down exploded, but Eeven stayed behind in it and exploded as well. Or did she?
The Party Defeated Vecna on Stranger Things 5: The Finale, but at What Cost?
So, yes, the Party defeated Vecna on Stranger Things 5: The Finale. But did they lose Eleven as a consequence? That’s the only part of the plan we’ll never know the outcome of for sure. The narrative tells us that Eleven died on Stranger Things 5: The Finale. But Mike Wheeler believes she survived by plotting with her sister Kali to fake her death.
And so, while the Party accomplished everything it wanted to, they’ll never know if El lived or not. They’ll simply have to believe she did.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist and future The Squawk afternoon host. You can follow him on Bluesky at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.