Does Sadie Sink’s Max wake up in Stranger Things season 5 Volume 2? Explained

All three episodes of Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 arrived on Netflix on Christmas Day. Besides the final battle between the Hawkins crew and Vecna, volume 2 left a couple of loose ends, but Max Mayfield's fate is not one of them. 

Since she had been trapped in Vecna's mindscape, fans have been waiting for her to reunite with the rest of the Hawkins crew. It finally happens in season 5 episode 6, Escape from Camazotz. 

Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 shows fans the miraculous moment Max finally wakes up from her coma and escapes Henry Creel's mindscape. Unfortunately for the other girl trapped in Henry's memory, Holly, she can't escape with Max. 

How does Max escape Henry's mind and wake up in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2?

In Stranger Things season 5 episode 6, Escape from Camazotz, Max and Holly stumble into an old shaft outside of the cave, further stumbling through Henry's various memories. They happen to come across an especially chilling memory - the reason that keeps Henry at bay. 

It's a vision of an 8-year-old Henry Creel in what would be his first kill. There's an injured scientist with a briefcase who believes that someone sent the young boy after him, prompting him to shoot Henry. They fight for control of the gun, but Henry ends up smashing the scientist's head with a rock. 

That discovery allows them to escape Henry's mind and re-enter a red lair. They follow a faint sound of Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill, leading the voice behind a wall of boulders and into the familiar red void. They crawl through a small space from the tunnels to follow the music.

They see the portal showing Lucas carrying Max on the other side as Demogorgons come after him and Max's body. Meanwhile, Max and Holly, on the other side of the void, realize that it's Max's way out of Henry's mind and wake up back in her body. After nearly two years of being in a coma, Max finally opens her eyes to see Lucas right at her side. 

If Max was able to escape, is there hope for Holly to do the same?

When Max returned to her body, she had to leave Holly behind. At first, it looks like music opened up the portal that allowed Max to escape Henry's mind and return to her body.

But Max believes that it's more than just the music - she thinks music isn't the only way for them to escape Henry's mindscape. So before returning to her body, Max offers Holly sage advice. She tells the young girl: 

"Music isn't the only way back. You just need something that connects you to the real world."

She explains that Holly needs to find her real body and make a portal to it. While she also escapes Camazotz when another portal appears for her, it doesn't lead her to the real world like Max.

Instead, she wakes up in the Abyss, which is the alternate dimension that's connected to Earth by the Upside Down. She and other children are being pumped with Mild Flayer particles. 

Watch the first seven episodes of Stranger Things season 5 only on Netflix. The series finale drops on the streaming platform on December 31 at 5:00 pm PT.