“Something we’ve been talking about”: Duffer Brothers break down Will's (spoiler) scene in Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2

The end is in sight for Stranger Things, and Season 5 Volume 2 cracks open the core of the show. After years of metaphors, the Duffers use the latter half of the final season to let the kids grow up and face their fears.

In the middle of all the reveals and Vecna's endgame plotting, we get one moment wherein Will Byers finally comes out to his family and friends. It happens as they are preparing for their last descent into the Upside Down.

As Ross Duffer put it in an interview with Variety:

“Will’s coming out is something we’ve been talking about and wanting to do for a very long time. Originally, it was going to be in Season 4.”

But Season 5 gave them the space to do it right!

Will Byers finally comes out on Stranger Things

For four-and-a-half seasons, Will has been physically and emotionally plugged into forces far bigger than himself. Volume 2 pays him off, with interest.

As the group gears up for their final battle with Vecna, Will decides there's going to be no more secrets. He comes out first to Joyce and Jonathan, then to the rest of the party. He explains that Vecna showed him a future where he’s alone solely because of who he is.

According to the Duffers, this Stranger Things scene was supposed to involve only Joyce, but it didn’t land. They soon realized that Will needed to come out in front of everyone to break Vecna’s hold. Why, you wonder? We know Vecna feeds on fear and isolation, and Will’s honesty robs him of both.

Matt Duffer revealed that they spent more time writing this scene than almost any other in the season, specifically for Noah Schnapp. When Schnapp read the script, he wrote back in tears and barely needed any direction on set. Most of what we see was Schnapp “completely [losing] himself” in the scene.

Then again, on Stranger Things, Will never says, “I’m gay.” Instead, he says, “I don’t like girls.” So technically, Will talks about how little separates him from his friends, but it feels terrifying to reveal the one thing that does.

Reassurance then comes with a group hug!

The Hawkins crew has finally grown up

Will’s coming is part of a larger thematic sweep in Volume 2. In several scenes, we see that the characters' personal truths become their weapons.

These Stranger Things episodes finally clarify that the Upside Down isn’t a separate world. It's a wormhole created when Eleven made contact with the Abyss, aka the dimension where Henry Creel became Vecna. Its existence is now inseparable from Eleven's DNA and her future in general.

Thus, Kali warns Eleven that even if Vecna is defeated, as she lives, her blood can be used to create more Henrys. But Mike says that they get to decide how the story ends. The Duffers haven't promised us answers yet, though.

Matt Duffer asks:

“How can there be a happy ending here?”

We are asking the same as we saw Will’s arc, Nancy and Jonathan’s breakup, and Dustin’s fear of losing another brother figure. But Stranger Things suggests growing up means choosing honesty even when it hurts.

Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

Trending

The series finale drops on December 31.

NEXT UP: "A Lot of our favorite blockbusters": When the Duffer Brothers revealed what really inspired them to make Stranger Things

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback