According to Variety, executive producer and director Shawn Levy (Free Guy, The Adam Project) says Season Five Volume Two of Stranger Things pushes the series into its most philosophically and emotionally complex territory yet. Levy, who directed Episode Six and co-directed Episode Seven with creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (Stranger Things, Wayward Pines), describes the new episodes as a deliberate confrontation with “profound existential questions” that go beyond spectacle.
Speaking to Variety, Levy explains that Eleven’s journey reaches a critical moral crossroads. Her ability to survive Henry Creel’s blood transfusions makes her the most successful subject of Dr. Brenner’s experiments, but that success carries devastating implications. “Even if Vecna is defeated, the cycle may not be over,” Levy says, noting that the military’s continued interest in Eleven raises questions about whether sacrifice can truly end exploitation, per Variety.
Levy tells Variety that these themes required extraordinary care, particularly in scenes involving Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown, Enola Holmes, Godzilla vs. Kong) and Holly Wheeler (played by Nell Fisher, Evil Dead Rise, The Exorcist: Believer). “When characters are grappling with life-and-death choices, those scenes need to be written and directed with real sensitivity,” he said.
One of Levy’s most personal moments, according to Variety, came in Episode Six during Max and Holly’s farewell inside Vecna’s mind. Levy described the sequence as a thematic echo of Max’s iconic “Dear Billy” moment from Season Four. “It served as a bookend,” he said, referencing the red void imagery and a new orchestration of “Running Up That Hill.”
Levy also told Variety that Max Mayfield’s return fundamentally changes the group’s strategy. Having crossed into Vecna’s world and survived, Max (played by Sadie Sink, The Whale, Fear Street) gains what Levy calls a new “superpower”: insight. “She’s been on the other side,” he explained, making her essential in planning how to confront Vecna.
According to Variety, discussing Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, Levy told Variety that their breakup was always meant to be a reckoning. Acknowledging that their relationship was built on shared trauma allowed the characters portrayed by Natalia Dyer (Yes, God, Yes, Chestnut) and Charlie Heaton (The New Mutants, Marrowbone) to finally confront reality with honesty.
Levy also addressed Will Byers’ coming-out scene, telling Variety that extensive conversations took place with the Duffers and Noah Schnapp (Hubie Halloween, Waiting for Anya). “What you see on screen is what happened on set,” Levy said, adding that reaction shots from Maya Hawke (Do Revenge, Asteroid City) and Finn Wolfhard (It, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) were genuine and largely unplanned.
Per Variety, reflecting on his final day, Levy shared he returned alone to the Wheeler basement. “I just sat there with ten years of memories,” he said, calling his time on Stranger Things a “life-changing privilege.”
As for lingering mysteries, Levy confirmed to Variety that the man with the briefcase and its contents will matter in the finale. “Yes,” he said emphatically. “The briefcase matters.” The rest, he added, belongs to the Duffers.