Netflix dropped the trailer for the next three episodes of “Stranger Things” Monday morning, and it certainly looks like the gang from Hawkins is in a lot of trouble. The trailer, which clocks in at just over two minutes, is jam-packed with footage that will likely prompt more questions from fans than it answers.
What’s clear from the outset is that things will pick up where episode 4 left off. “We never stood a chance,” says Will (played by Noah Schnapp) as the last scene of episode 4 (in which his character gained powers and ends things by wiping blood from his nose, à la Eleven) plays. An emotional Will is then seen being comforted by his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder), who insists, “This is not over. Not by a long shot.”
The trailer then cuts to footage of Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) and Max (Sadie Sink), who appear to be trapped in some kind of alternate (or parallel) dimension on their own quest to free themselves and, presumably, help the team save Hawkins once more. Fans were previously introduced to a cave in which Max has been hiding as her body rests in the hospital in Hawkins, though it is clear that the pair will leave the cave and travel through a floating door, destination (currently) unknown.
There’s also plenty of reason to believe Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Steve (Joe Keery) will patch things up. “This whole time, everything we ever assumed about the Upside Down has been dead wrong,” Dustin tells Steve next, a sign that the pair are working through the tension that seemed to indicate a rift had formed between them in earlier episodes.
Eleven is also on her own journey, having been reunited with her sister Eight (Linnea Berthelsen), who was also a victim of Dr. Brenner’s experiments at Hawkins Lab. “Help me find him. Kill him,” she asks.
It certainly feels safe to assume the squad will continue to be locked in an intense battle against both their enemy, Vecna/Henry Creel, and the military that is occupying Hawkins. In one scene, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) appears to open fire on the officers themselves after popping out of the top of the delivery truck driven by Murray (Brett Gelman).
One of the most notable surprises looks to be the nature of the Upside Down and the gates used to access it — Steve and Dustin and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy each encounter what appears to be a large, writhing, shifting gate high above their head, a stark difference from how gates have appeared so far in the series.
As for lingering concerns surrounding the welfare of Max, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Vickie (Amybeth McNulty), who each appear to be inside Hawkins Memorial Hospital when it’s attacked by at least one Demogorgon, it’s unclear when the attack takes place or what happens during. Suffice to say, fans holding out hope that Lucas and Max will make it out unscathed will be absolutely seated once things kick off.
Above all else, the first installment’s overarching message of working and sticking together persists throughout the trailer for Volume 2. “I don’t know what’s on the other side of any of this, but if we want to stand a chance of surviving, we need to be a team,” the voice of Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard) insists as various scenes showing Eleven and Mike together, Will appearing to use his powers, and Lucas and Max in the hospital play.
Things then take a sharp and even more ominous turn as Henry Creel walks down a flight of stairs and transforms to Vecna (Jamie Cambepll Bower) in real time before he says, “It is time for a new world.” Notably, Steve repeats Dustin’s season 3 line later in the clip: “If you die, I die” — only to have his words parroted right back at him by his younger friend. (Cue many a “Don’t kill Steve Harrington” crash out on social media.)
Volume 2 of “Stranger Things” will begin streaming on Netflix on Christmas Day. As Ross Duffer revealed earlier this week, the next three episodes are “Shock Jock,” “Escape from Camazotz” and “The Bridge.”
Duffer added, “‘Shock Jock’ picks up moments after the end of ‘Sorcerer’. Frank Darabont is back, but he flexes very different muscles on this one than he did on “Turnbow Trap”— it’s far darker, and far scarier. ‘Escape from Camazotz’ is Shawn Levy’s return to the director’s chair. It’s the biggest episode of the three— and the performances make us cry every time we watch it.”
“‘The Bridge’… we co-directed this one with Shawn. Don’t want to say too much, but aside from the finale, it’s probably the most emotional chapter of the season,” he continued. “It’s gonna be a long six day wait for the finale…”.
“Stranger Things” is produced by Upside Down Pictures & 21 Laps Entertainment with The Duffer Brothers serving as executive producers, alongside Shawn Levy of 21 Laps Entertainment and Dan Cohen.
