Stranger Things Has Me Hyped For Volume 2, But One Hopper Detail Still Makes No Sense To Me After Volume 1

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The final episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 are almost here, and Netflix subscribers might get a spooky Christmas treat with the return of the show. The new trailer for the second part of the season has plenty of exciting details for fans, and even offers some gift ideas. However, the trailer doesn’t address a question I had after watching the first part – what exactly is going on with Hopper!

I’ve done a good job avoiding spoilers except for what Netflix has officially shown, but I still don’t understand the recent reveal about Hopper, even after a month since the new season came out. Let’s start at the beginning!

Stranger Things’ Volume 2 Trailer Is Jam-Packed (But Not Jim-Packed)

The first season ended with Hopper trapped in the Upside Down, his plan to defeat Vecna failing when they discovered Dr. Kay and her team were actually holding Kali prisoner, not Henry. A major question was how Kali’s return would affect Eleven and their plans, and the new trailer doesn’t reveal much about her role. Hopper only appears briefly in two shots, hinting that he’s still actively working to overcome the challenges in the Upside Down. Here’s a glimpse:

Given how many characters there are, it’s not surprising that not everyone gets a lot of screen time in the trailer. Eleven appears quite a bit, both in the real world and the Upside Down, and it seems she’ll be working with Kali to help fight whatever’s coming. Hopper and Joyce have often teamed up in the past, so I’m expecting to see David Harbour and Winona Ryder sharing scenes again in the new episodes.

It looks like Eleven will reunite with Mike and the others eventually. While they might temporarily separate, it’s hard to imagine Hopper letting her go. He admitted she’d eventually need to face challenges on her own, but will he be able to accept that time is now?

What We Learned About Hopper’s Backstory

Let’s start by looking at what we learned about Jim Hopper. In Volume 1, he shared details from his past, prompted by being injured and the stress of keeping Eleven safe – especially since he didn’t want her to be in that particular place. He talked about his daughter, Sara, and how courageous she was, even when she was sick, and we even saw flashbacks to Season 1!

I always loved how the show slowly revealed more about his past. They hinted at his time in Vietnam earlier on, but it wasn’t until Season 2 that we found out he’d actually served there. Later, in Season 4, they touched on the really difficult subject of his exposure to Agent Orange. Then, Season 5 gave us even more detail, confirming he hadn’t been drafted, he’d chosen to enlist, and that he’d witnessed a lot of terrible things. It really added a lot of depth to his character, knowing what he’d gone through.

I’m bringing up those details because I believe they were meant to be what viewers were thinking about during the pause between the first and second parts of the story. That small reveal that’s been bothering me since Thanksgiving actually happened in a scene that didn’t even show Hopper, but instead focused on what Max was experiencing inside Henry’s mind while she was trapped there.

Max remembered a scene from the late 1950s: Joyce was promoting a production of the musical Oklahoma. The show starred James Hopper Jr., Karen Childress, Patty Newby, Alan Munson, Ted Wheeler, and Henry Creel. Interestingly, Jim Hopper was the lead actor in that production of Oklahoma.

What Still Makes No Sense To Me

I’m usually happy to ignore plot holes in Stranger Things, and sometimes those issues – like a possible continuity error with Will in the first part of season four – could just be intentional details or odd references. But the idea that Jim Hopper was a drama student? That’s one thing I can’t let go.

Oklahoma! is a well-known musical, and a recent production of it appeared in the show. While we saw Hopper dance to Jim Croce in Season 2, there’s been nothing to suggest he secretly loves Broadway. Watch a clip of the famous song, performed by Hugh Jackman, and try to imagine Jim Hopper singing ‘Yippy!’ on stage – it just doesn’t seem possible!

After watching the episode, the most unusual explanation I could come up with was that Hopper somehow ended up in Oklahoma, in a twist similar to the movie A Walk to Remember. (In that 2002 film, a character had to perform in a school musical or face expulsion.) Honestly, that would probably be the weirdest thing that’s ever happened on the show.

Is There More To Oklahoma?

It’s hard to believe the school musical was directed by Will’s mom and featured the parents of Mike, Eddie, and El, plus likely a relative of Bob. Is it really a coincidence that this 1959 musical included the families of people who would later be involved with the strange events connected to the Upside Down?

I keep remembering the flyer so clearly that it feels like more than just a minor detail. I really hope there’s something wrong with my memory of that day in 1959, and that Henry is somehow changing what really happened. It doesn’t matter if he’s doing it on purpose or if his memory is simply distorted—I just want there to be a bigger story behind everything connected to Oklahoma!

The answer to whether Hopper was a drama student in high school will finally be revealed soon! Tune in to watch Volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 5 on Christmas Day, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Netflix. The very last episode will be released just before the new year, on New Year’s Eve at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

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2025-12-23 11:15