Diksha Sundriyal
In its final episode, Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ brings the story of Eleven and her friends to an explosive and bittersweet conclusion. The episode mines the nostalgia and losses incurred in the previous seasons to give the audience and the characters a final goodbye. But the heroes of the story aren’t the only ones to receive a fitting end. The villains who have terrorised them and the town of Hawkins for all these years also get a resolution that brings their arcs full circle. The truth about the origins of Vecna’s powers comes to light, and the true connection between him and the Mind Flayer becomes clear, giving Eleven and her team an edge in winning the final battle. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Mind Flayer is Brought to Its Knees by Eleven and Her Friends
While the Upside Down and the Demogorgons have been around since the first season, it isn’t until the second season that the real villain, the Mind Flayer, is revealed. He first appears in Will’s vision, showing him a dark future that awaits Hawkins. But while the Demogorgons continue to show up, the Mind Flayer recedes in the background, especially as Vecna comes into the picture in the fourth season. However, when the group arrives in the Abyss to find Holly and the kids and rescue them from Vecna, they discover that what they thought was a cave where Vecna is keeping the children imprisoned is actually the inside of the Mind Flayer. When it sees them, the monster awakens and attacks, while Vecna and the children are still inside it.
The group is horrified by the sheer scale of the Lovecraftian monster, which is one of the many challenges they must overcome. The only advantage they have is that they are in greater numbers, which means they can attack the monster from different fronts to bring it down. But they don’t get time to formulate the plan until Eleven shows up and distracts the monster. She uses her powers to push it back, but her main focus is on Vecna, who is inside the monster. So, she opens a hole in its chest and enters it. This is when Mike and the group realise that running is not an option, and they must find a way to kill the Mind Flayer. They come up with a plan to lure it towards the cliffs so that they can attack it better, rather than just running away from it. Nancy decides to be the bait. She opens fire on the monster, catching his attention so that the others can slip away and make their way towards the top of the cliff.
Nancy intentionally corners herself towards the cliffs, and just when it seems she has run out of space and fire, the others begin attacking the monster. Jonathan and Robin attack it from one side, firing relentlessly at it. Mike and Lucas throw bombs at it, burning one side and inflicting a searing pain that weakens it. Meanwhile, Dustin and Steve make their way underneath the monster, hacking and stabbing at it. At the same time, Eleven fights Vecna inside the Mind Flayer, and since the powers of both monsters are connected, one gets weaker when the other is attacked. Eventually, these concerted efforts from all parties cause enough damage to kill the Mind Flayer once and for all. This is confirmed by the fact that its heart, the one that Vecna was connected to and was powering using the life source of Holly and the kids, stops beating.
Will Discovers the True Depth of Connection Between Vecna and the Mind Flayer
While his friends fight the Mind Flayer, Will enters Vecna’s mind to weaken him from the inside. Since he is close to the Hive Mind, he has a strong connection to Vecna. At the same time, because he is not scared anymore of the monster and of his secrets, he is much stronger this time around. When he lands inside Vecna’s mind, he discovers that the monster has fought his own fears and has entered the cave, which so far had been a safe haven for Max and Holly. With no other option, Holly leads the kids into the hole in the ground while Vecna follows them. When Vecna enters the place, his childhood memories kick in. He sees himself as young Henry accidentally finding a scientist and his briefcase. He watches himself bludgeon the scientist to death and wipe the blood off his face. And Will sees these memories, too.
When young Henry opens the briefcase, he finds a rock inside it, which appears to be from the Abyss. This rock is absorbed inside his skin, connecting him to the Mind Flayer, who calls out to him. It also turns out to be the source of his powers and the reason he lost his childhood, innocence, and any possibility of living a normal life. While he holds the rock, the scientist warns him that it will consume him. But Henry kills him with his powers, something that surprises him, too. This is when Will realises that Henry was in the same boat as him. Will was also terrorized by the Mind Flayer, who tried to manipulate him into becoming evil, just as he had done with Henry, who later turned into Vecna. The only difference is that Henry didn’t have the support system that allowed him to fight back. Will, on the other hand, had his family and friends who stood by him and helped him break the Mind Flayer’s hold on him.
Sympathising with him, Will calls out to Henry, giving him a chance to redeem himself by fighting back the Mind Flayer and regain his humanity. As the pain of the memory washes over him, it seems that Henry has finally broken out of the Mind Flayer’s spell. But that is just momentary. It turns out that he is too far gone to separate himself from the Mind Flayer. Perhaps, as a child, he didn’t have the power or the choice to fight the monster. But even when the opportunity is presented to him, he refuses to take it. He says that he chose to follow the Mind Flayer because he sees the darkness in humans and their world. It shows that his transformation into Vecna happened a long time ago, and the only thing left of Henry is his childhood memories. Will believes the Mind Flayer was keeping him from entering the cave because he thought once Henry saw the truth, he would fight back. But it turns out that there is no fighting back now, because the Mind Flayer and Henry are one and the same.
Read More: Stranger Things Season 5 Finale: Is Eleven Dead or Alive? Do Mike and the Others Know?
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