'Stranger Things' Fans Have Spotted A Season 5 Plot Hole
- - 'Stranger Things' Fans Have Spotted A Season 5 Plot Hole
Liz DeclanDecember 28, 2025 at 5:36 AM
0
Netflix
Stranger ThingsSeason 5 Volume 2, which includes episodes 5, 6 and 7, contained some of Max Mayfield's most important episodes to date. Unfortunately, Volume 2 also created one obvious Max plot hole.
SPOILER—This post includes spoilers from Stranger Things Season 5Volume 2.
At the beginning of Stranger Things Season 5, Max was still in her Vecna-induced coma, and it wasn't clear whether she would ever wake up. Even if she did, there were major concerns about what state she would be in. Not only had she been comatose for 18 months, but she also couldn't see or feel anything before slipping into her apparent coma.
It was therefore a huge shock when Max appeared to Holly in Volume 1—even if that was taking place inside Henry Creel's memories. Volume 2 revealed even greater developments, with Max ultimately waking up and, aside from some muscle atrophy, seeming pretty close to fine.
While that could in and of itself be considered a plot hole, Stranger Things does provide some wiggle room for Max's recovery. In terms of her broken limbs, she's been healing in a hospital bed for well over a year, and her atrophy offers just enough believability to give the show a pass.
Even in terms of Max's vision being restored, Stranger Things has given itself a plausible out. Max's eyes become cloudy in Season 4 when Vecna is trying to kill her, and she says she can't see anything. However, Season 5 Volume 2 revealed that Max had actually been in a trance, not a coma.
This therefore could explain both why Max was unable to see anything and why her eyes looked cloudy—in fact, they look somewhat similar to Will's eyes when he's trying to take control of Vecna's body. What the show doesn't address, though, is why Max has no reaction to seeing that Jim Hopper is alive.
Hopper was believed to have died in the Season 3 finale, and although Joyce and Murray find out that he's alive at the beginning of Season 4, no one else knows this until the end of that season, after Max is already in her 'coma.' This timeline means that, the last Max was aware, Hopper was dead.
Max had plenty on her mind when Lucas brought her to the WSQK the Squawk radio station to reconnect with the group, but surely seeing someone she thought was dead would give her some sort of confused or startled response. As far as what's shown on screen, however, no one tells Max that Hopper is still alive, and she doesn't ask how he's there.
There are some possible explanations, such as that conversation happening off screen, but it was still an odd choice (and perhaps just a plain old plot hole) for Max to have no reaction whatsoever to seeing Jim Hopper alive.
This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
