Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 is here, and it truly sets the stage for the massive finale arriving on December 31, 2025. Vecna has grown even stronger than before, and he is getting closer to his ultimate goal, which is to merge the Abyss with Hawkins. Well, that’s what we learned from the seventh episode of the final season. Our heroes can’t afford to wait now as the clock is ticking. So, what exactly is their plan to take Vecna down once and for all? Here’s everything you need to know.
What Is Operation Beanstalk in Stranger Things Season 5?
Image Credit: Upside Down Pictures (via X/@Stranger_Things)
In Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2, we learned an intriguing thing about The Upside Down that we never saw coming. We believed it was an alternate dimension, and now we know that it was all a misunderstanding from the very beginning. Thanks to Dr. Brenner’s diary and Dustin’s explanation, which shed light on the exact thing.
The Upside Down is basically a wormhole, which is a bridge between Hawkins and the chaotic world filled with evil creatures called the Abyss. For the unacquainted, the Abyss exists below and beyond the familiar locations of Hawkins. It is the true powerhouse for Vecna and the other creatures. So, if the Upside Down is the warmhole, the Abyss is the anchor point for that. And if that’s the case, the heroes need to target the Abyss to kill Vecna.
In the penultimate episode of Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2, we see the gang making a plan to take down the tough enemy. Again, it’s Dustin who takes the lead and explains the Abyss, the Warmhole, and more. He also adds that Vecna has been hiding in the sky for all the years since they fought him in Season 4. Following that, Will tells everyone that Vecna channeled his powers through him to strengthen his abilities, and that’s what he plans to do with the kids he has kidnapped, including Holly.
Will also explains that the time Henry, aka Vecna, spent in the Abyss, he was making rifts over there, to weaken the place, just as he did with Hawkins. He eventually wants to merge the Abyss with Hawkins. Hopper brings this stupid plan of kidnapping a pilot to fly the chopper and take them to the Abyss to kill Vecna and rescue the kids. Dustin and the others cancel the plan, saying the chopper won’t fit into the rift.
Just when everyone starts arguing over Hopper’s plan, Steve comes up with a smart idea. He says that it wouldn’t be possible to reach the Abyss directly. So, they have to let Vecna draw the Abyss to their worlds. When the two worlds are close enough that the Squawk radio tower can poke into the rift, Eleven should make the move, enter Vecna’s mind, and kill him. They name the entire ordeal ‘Operation Beanstalk.’
This time, it’s not Eleven who will have the entire thing to face the villain all alone. Max has known him inside and out, so she says that she will guide Eleven once she manages to enter Vecna’s sick mind. On the other hand, Will tells her that Vecna and the creatures may not be killed using bullets or any weapon if they retreat to the physical world, so he will be there to help her.
Aparna is a Senior Entertainment Writer at Beebom with 4 years of experience in the industry. Specializing in Jujutsu Kaisen and everything horror, she brings in-depth insights and a passion for storytelling to her coverage. Recently, she has interviewed Abby Trott, the voice actress behind Demon Slayer’s Nezuko and Dandadan’s Momo. She has also interviewed Adam McArthur, the one to voice Yuji Itadori in JJK, delivering exclusive content for fans. Previously, she contributed her expertise to some notable publications including Sportskeeda, Dexerto, and Forever Geek, honing her craft in entertainment journalism.
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Stranger Things is over; yeah, it’s really over. The final episode of Season 5 has just arrived on Netflix, and boy, it was surely an exciting journey. And now that it is over, fans may find it hard to move on from the brilliance of Hawkins and the Upside Down. Well, if you’re in the same boat of sadness, here are some other TV shows like Stranger Things you should watch now.
1. Dark
Image Credit: Wiedemann & Berg Television (via Amazon)
- Release Date: December 1, 2017
- Director: Baran bo Odar
- Cast: Jonas Gerzabek, Louis Hofmann, Andreas Pietschmann, Dietrich Hollinderbäumer, Ella Lee, Maja Schöne, Lena Urzendowsky, Angela Winkler
- Seasons/Episodes: 3/26
- IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 8.7/95%
Dark might seem different from Stranger Things on the surface, but if you dig deeper, you might discover why we chose it for this list. It is a small town mystery, with missing children driving the plot. On the other hand, like the Upside Down mirrors Hawkins in Dark, you will see different realities existing in layers.
Dark revolves around four interconnected families, who are connected to each other across multiple generations. After a child goes missing, a hidden passage is discovered beneath the caves of the town of Winden. The series shows that a generation’s past sins are never buried; they are simply passed on to the next.
2. Fringe
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television (via Amazon)
- Release Date: September 9, 2008
- Director: J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci
- Cast: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Kirk Acevedo, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, Mark Valley, Seth Gabel
- Seasons/Episodes: 5/100
- IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 8.4/91%
Now, you might love seeing Dustin talking about Parallel Universes, time, and every other sci-fi mumbo-jumbo. Well, you’ll see that all of that is discussed in Fringe. This show revolves around unexplained crimes linked to advanced science. In the show, they call it the “fringe science.”
Overall, Fringe is a TV show like Stranger Things that will surprise with its complexity, and of course, with its several alternate dimensions that ultimately threaten humanity. Sure, you don’t get a band of kids fighting off the inter-dimensional threat, but you still get amazing characters like Olivia Dunham, Walter Bishop, and his son Peter.
3. The Umbrella Academy
Image Credit: Dark Horse Entertainment (via Amazon)
- Release Date: February 15, 2019
- Director: Jeremy Webb, Paco Cabezas, Peter Hoar
- Cast: Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Mary J. Blige, Cameron Britton, John Magaro
- Seasons/Episodes: 4/36
- IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 7.8/78%
The Umbrella Academy may not be as popular as Stranger Things, but believe me, it’s an awesome show that features some amazing band of characters. In Stranger Things, we have one or two superhero kids, and in The Umbrella Academy, every character has some sort of superpower.
The film centers around the Hargreeves siblings, who reunite after the death of their adoptive father. Each one of them has some ability, and one way or another, the siblings are dragged into tackling issues like alternate timelines and the end of the world. Of course, The Umbrella Academy might’ve disappointed many of us fans in the end, but if you can digest an underwhelming end, it’s for sure an amazing show to watch.
4. Alice In Borderland
Image Credit: Robot Communications (via Netflix)
- Release Date: February 15, 2019
- Director: Shinsuke Sato
- Cast: Kento Yamazaki, Tao Tsuchiya, Nijirō Murakami, Ayaka Miyoshi, Aya Asahina, Dori Sakurada, Sho Aoyagi, Riisa Naka
- Seasons/Episodes: 3/22
- IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 7.8/78%
Honestly, if you have Netflix and you still haven’t watched Alice in Borderland, then you are seriously missing out on one of the best TV shows like Stranger Things. Alice in Borderland is a Japanese show that centers on a group of people stuck in what we’ll call an alternate dimension. These people have to take part in a variety of deadly games to make it out alive.
Yeah, in a way, Alice in Borderland is a mix of Squid Game and Stranger Things. But of course, don’t expect to see any flesh-eating monsters in this one. Still, the mystery around Borderland and the people running this place is as great as the mystery of Upside Down .
5. Archive 81
Image Credit: Atomic Monster (via Netflix)
- Release Date: January 14, 2022
- Director: Shinsuke Sato
- Cast: Mamoudou Athie, Dina Shihabi, Evan Jonigkeit, Julia Chan, Ariana Neal, Matt McGorry, Martin Donovan
- Seasons/Episodes: 1/8
- IMDb/Rotten Ratings: 7.3/87%
Compared to Stranger Things, Archive 81 is a slow-burning horror that leans more towards a serious side. The show is basically Dan Turner, who is trying to restore the videotapes recorded by Melody Pendras. The events recorded in these videotapes lead Turner on a mystery hunt where he comes across threats like alternate dimensions, occult rituals, and a cult.
Sure, Archive 81 may take some time to grab your interest, but once it does, you stay in it until you see it to the very end. It not only entertains you with a variety of characters, but it also questions you on every stage by making you question what’s real or not.
Aparna is a Senior Entertainment Writer at Beebom with 4 years of experience in the industry. Specializing in Jujutsu Kaisen and everything horror, she brings in-depth insights and a passion for storytelling to her coverage. Recently, she has interviewed Abby Trott, the voice actress behind Demon Slayer’s Nezuko and Dandadan’s Momo. She has also interviewed Adam McArthur, the one to voice Yuji Itadori in JJK, delivering exclusive content for fans. Previously, she contributed her expertise to some notable publications including Sportskeeda, Dexerto, and Forever Geek, honing her craft in entertainment journalism.
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