Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2.
Fans notice one long-time character vanishes in the new episodes of Stranger Things Season 5. They slam Volume 2 as underwhelming. Ted Wheeler (Joe Chrest) goes missing after a Demogorgon attack.
In Volume 1, Ted hits golf balls on the lawn. The Demogorgon attacks the Wheeler house. Wife Karen (Cara Buono) fights with a wine bottle to protect daughter Holly (Nell Fisher). Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) visit Karen in hospital. Ted offers little info.
Episodes 5, 6, and 7 show no Ted. Karen saves Max (Sadie Sink), Robin (Maya Hawke), Vickie (Amybeth McNulty), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) from Demodogs with a laundry trick. Ted stays absent.
Fans react on X:
- “What happened to Ted Wheeler? Why didn’t Mike, Nancy, or Karen even bring him up?”
- “Man needs his peace, he has suffered enough.”
- “My man is finally having a moment of peace, his family crazy… let him be.”
- Some say they expect no more from him in a coma.
Fans call Ted the “forgotten man” or “NPC.” They joke he deserves to survive.
Fans Slam Volume 2
Viewers miss the show’s early simplicity, mystery, and character connections. Complaints include:
- “Become so f**king stupid” and “too big for its own good.”
- “Genuinely boring” with big budgets and CGI.
Others defend it:
- “Genuinely cannot stress how much this means to me.”
- “I will stand up for this f**king show cause it’s a great show. It changed my life.”
Stranger Things Season 5 Volumes 1 and 2 stream on Netflix. The finale airs at 1am on January 1, 2026.
