Ever since “Stranger Things” first debuted on Netflix in 2016, it was evident that Noah Schnapp‘s Will Byers was different from his friends. His own father derisively called him queer, as his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) recounts early in Season 1.

With only the series finale left, Stranger Things season 5, volume 2 has teased the imminent death of two major characters ... or has it? Let's investigate.

The scene is one of several tear-jerkers in the second volume of episodes, released on Christmas Day. In addition to a whirlwind of emotional sequences, the back half of the season is finally beginning to provide some answers about the Upside Down and the evils that Hawkins has been facing this whole time.

This story contains spoilers from Season 5, Volume 2 of “Stranger Things, now streaming on Netflix. After four-and-a-half seasons of questions prompted by “Stranger Things,” in Volume 2 of the show’s fifth and final season,

We recapped and reviewed Stranger Things 5 episode 6, “Escape From Camazotz,” live here at Winter is Coming. We don’t have to wait long to find out what happens next in the Upside Down. Nancy shoots at the sky, and suddenly, we see a big glowing vortex, followed by an explosion and the emergence of energy bolts that travel across the dimension.

Volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 5 answers many questions viewers have had about the Upside Down for ages, but we still need other answers.

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 finally arrived on Christmas Day, picking up the story at full speed and pushing every character closer to the end. Here’s what goes down in Volume 2, and how it tees up the series finale.