Stranger Things volume two has received mixed reviews compared to previous seasons. Season five’s ‘The Bridge’ was the lowest rated since season two’s infamous episode‘The Sister’. The sister is a side story in which Eleven begins to run with her adopted sister, Kali, and her crew. The sister was so hated by the fandom that many chose to just treat the episode as if it simply did not exist.

Stranger Things 5 Volume 2 pic.twitter.com/AXiXxSWPei

— Cinema Solace (@SolaceCinema) December 26, 2025

Spoiler alert for season five below.

Kali returned in the most recent season of the adaptation after a two-season hiatus, and many fans have been less than glowing about the character’s return. 

Why bring Kali back and make her the most insufferable character in stranger things history pic.twitter.com/n6WqUqQMLl

— sebi (@sebijongun) December 26, 2025

Stranger Things has enjoyed remarkably strong ratings, with only four episodes being rated below an eight according to IMDB. Two of those four episodes hovered right and were closing, breaking that benchmark. The two aforementioned outliers. The Lost Sister and The Bridge currently stand at 6.1 and 6.6, respectively. 

One of the series’s largest character moments has drawn a divisive response. Will came out to all his friends. Fans have noted that many characters did not need to be present in the scene. 

when it’s time for the will byers coming out party pic.twitter.com/i1DIQstoLX

— grey 🌕 STRANGER THINGS 5 SPOILERS (@rikuskywalker) December 27, 2025

⚠ Stranger Things Spoilers ⚠

Btw the Will coming out scene may be the worst in the entirety of ST. Making that the most important plot point for the penultimate episode of the show is such a waste. Plus it was super cringy too. A hard watch…#StrangerThings5 #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/by6RF9MpZk

— H Lone (@HLONE303) December 26, 2025

Film and television TikToker Kit Lazar felt the scene was one of the strongest moments in volume two, stating “I loved, loved, Will coming out to the whole group.” 

@moviesaretherapy Stranger Things volume 2 review #movies #tv #strangerthings ♬ original sound – Kit Lazer

Dustin and Steve’s relationship reached some of its most turbulent moments during this volume, culminating in a physical altercation. When these two fan favorites eventually made up, it was one of the more well-received plotlines.

Volume 2 of Stranger Things was overall pretty underwhelming, but Steve and Dustin made me cry multiple times

Call me a bitch idgaf, these two are the heart of the show and also consistently deliver the best acting performances pic.twitter.com/xcxcpr4OWZ

— SpooknJukes (@SpooknJukes) December 26, 2025

According to Screenrant, some have felt that decisions made by the creators, The Duffer Brothers, put the series finale at risk of falling flat. Volume three will contain only one episode, and fans are worried. The screentime for the finale will likely be extended, and there is plenty of time to tie up loose ends.