The Ending Of Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 Explained

Contains spoilers for "Stranger Things" Season 5, Part 1

After an extended hiatus, it's time to return to Hawkins, the Upside Down, and everything that makes the world of "Stranger Things" so special. Want the full lowdown on how the final episode of Season 5 Part 1 went? Click our video above, which explores every single plot twist it has to offer.

At the conclusion of "Chapter Four: Sorcerer," Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Jim Hopper (David Harbour) think they have finally tracked the elusive Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) to a military base in the Upside Down. But instead of finding her mortal enemy there, El is shocked to discover an old friend within the compound — the controversial character Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), a fellow Hawkins Lab survivor whom audiences haven't seen since Eleven's rebellion-laden Season 2 storyline. Kali is being held captive by the military, but El seems ready to free her. 

Something even more important happens to hard-luck kid Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) — he discovers he has powers similar to those Vecna sports. His nose bleeding and his eyes pure white, Will finds new inner strength and manages to deflect a Demogorgon with a wave of his bare hand and a lot of grit. That's definitely a game-changer — and there's no way it won't impact what happens to the gang during the rest of Season 5.

Elsewhere, Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) and Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) are trapped together in Vecna's mental prison. Holly learns that Max has traveled deep into the recesses of Vecna's memories, seeing flashes of his life as Henry Creel while probing for a way out. Max nearly escapes thanks to Lucas Sinclair's (Caleb McLaughlin) musical intervention, but the tape rewinds, closing the gate.

Vecna finds Max and gives chase. While trying to outrun him, she realizes there's one place he won't go — a mountain with a cave that Max can squeeze into. It's a place that visibly fills Vecna with fear, and so Max has been living there ever since. Now that Holly's arrived, hope springs anew, and the girls team up to find a new exit. Don't be surprised if that mountain provides a major clue toward defeating Vecna in Season 5, Part 2.

And then there's Hopper, who plans to make the ultimate sacrifice and blow himself up after entering the vault where he believes Vecna's hiding. Viewers and El alike hear an explosion, making them think he's chosen a martyr's death — but in the end he surfaces alive and well to support his adoptive daughter. That's just some of what happens during "Sorcerer." Want to know everything about the final episode of the first part of "Stranger Things" Season 5? Click our video above.