Since the beginning of Stranger Things the Wheeler family has been split into two camps. You have Mike and Nancy, who are actively involved in the events involving the Upside Down. In the second camp, you have their parents Karen and Ted along with their youngest sister Holly. Those three were completely oblivious to all the supernatural chaos.
You got Demogorgons stalking the woods. Neighbors vanish without a trace. Or they turn up dead in the most gruesome end imaginable. Or they’ve been possessed by the Mind Flayer (which is arguably a fate worse than death). Yet Karen and Ted would carry on with their lives, blissfully unaware.
For almost a decade, fans have wondered if the rest of the Wheeler family would ever learn the truth about Hawkins, Indiana. Well that day finally came in episode 2 of Stranger Things 5.
The attack on the Wheeler house
In “The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler”, a Demogorgon tears straight through the ceiling of Holly’s bedroom. It’s trying to take her to Vecna in the Upside Down.
Holly barely escapes. She runs into the bathroom where Karen is about to take a bubble bath. At first, Karen thinks Holly is imagining things until she notices her daughter is bleeding. Then she sees the lights flicker, a telltale sign that a Demogorgon is near.
Karen immediately goes into Mama Bear mode. She hides Holly with her in the tub, both of them underwater. Praying that whatever is hunting her daughter leaves before they both run out of air.
Ted’s moment
As the Demogorgon pursues them through the house, Ted senses that something is wrong. This is the same Ted that was always the oblivious, checked out, doesn’t-get-it kind of dad. Fans have joked that while some characters act like they’re in a conspiracy thriller or psychological horror, Ted acts like he’s in a sitcom.
This time, Ted is experiencing the same genre as the rest of the cast. He grabs a golf club as he goes through the house. When he finds himself face to face with a freaking Demogorgon, Ted whacks it with his golf club. He’s scared shitless but he’s trying to protect his family like a real man.
Unfortunately, his attack is completely ineffective. The Demogorgon slashes Ted with its claws, then slams him through a wall into a different room. At least he tried. That’s the important thing.
Karen Wheeler is the MVP of episode 2
While the Demogorgon is distracted with Ted, Karen grabs her daughter and races down the stairs. When the Demogorgon corners the two in the kitchen, Karen grabs a wine bottle, breaks it, then uses it to stab the beast in its face! She fares better than her husband as she’s actually able to draw blood.
Did I mention that Karen is implied to be drunk during this whole time?
Again, just like with Ted, it’s not enough.
The Demogorgon slashes Karen’s upper torso and knocks her down. The creature succeeds in capturing Holly and escapes through a portal to the Upside Down.
I have to give credit where credit is due. Karen is operating in survival mode. She has no idea what’s going on. She’s being pursued by a creature you’d normally see in a horror film. Yet her only focus is protecting her daughter.
The aftermath
Will Byers senses what’s going on due to his connection to the Upside Down. Nancy and Eleven race to the Wheeler house but they’re too late. Nancy is horrified to find her mother bleeding in a pool of blood. Karen is barely able to say Holly’s name while pointing to a portal on the other side of the room. At Nancy’s urging Eleven goes straight through before it closes to find Holly.
The Wheelers are rushed to the hospital. Karen survives while Ted is put into an induced coma. Hopefully, we’ll get an update on whether they’ll make a full recovery in volume 2.
Why Holly?
It might seem random for Vecna to target Holly, but it’s not. He probably learned about her existence after he invaded Nancy’s mind back in season 4. Using Holly in his plan is just another way to punish the Party. He doesn’t just want revenge for all the times the group has interfered in his plans. He wants to make them suffer.
Plus, attacking the Wheelers sends a message (to the characters and the audience) that the kiddie gloves are off. We’ve reached the endgame. The stakes are higher than ever now. No oneis safe from Vecna’s wrath. No matter what happens next, Ted and Karen enduring a Demogorgon attack is one of the highlights of season 5. It’s up there with Will unlocking his latent psychic abilities. In one episode, the Wheeler parents went from being a bumbling yet well meaning couple, to a badass duo trying to protect their kid.
