All the weird new Stranger Things terms explained, from exotic matter to the abyss

If you’ve just finished the latest drop of Stranger Things season five, you’re probably currently staring at a wall trying to figure out if you need a PhD to understand what on earth (or under it) just happened. What’s the bridge?!

Volume two really decided to lean into the science part of science fiction, and it’s a lot. We went from cool monsters and 80s vibes to interdimensional bridges and theoretical physics real quick. Dustin is out here doing the most, basically becoming a mini-Brenner, and we’re all just Steve Harrington trying to keep up.

If you’re confused about the wall, the abyss, and why everyone is obsessed with exotic matter, don’t panic. Here’s the dummy’s guide to the science of the endgame.

Credit: Netflix

The Upside Down isn’t actually a ‘place’

Since 2016, we’ve all been vibing with the idea that the Upside Down is just a dark, moldy version of Hawkins. A parallel dimension. A mirror world.

Wrong.

Dustin finally clocked it: The Upside Down isn’t a dimension at all. It’s a wormhole. Think of it as a literal bridge, or a tunnel, connecting two different points in space-time. On one side, you’ve got Hawkins. On the other side, you’ve got the abyss.

And what on earth is the abyss?

Credit: Netflix

This is the big reveal. The abyss is the actual other dimension where Henry (Vecna) was sent by Eleven. It’s where the Mind Flayer, the Demogorgons, and all those nasty vines actually live.

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The reason the Upside Down looks like Hawkins is that the bridge was built in Hawkins Lab. When El touched Henry back in season one, she accidentally ripped a hole in the universe. The Upside Down is just the messy, unstable construction zone between our world and theirs.

I’ve never even heard of ‘exotic matter’

Nancy and Jonathan found a glowing, electrified ball of spice on top of the lab and thought, “Vecna’s magic!” Actually, it’s exotic matter. In the real world, scientists use this term for stuff that doesn’t follow the rules of normal solids, liquids, or gases. In the show, it’s the glue holding the wormhole open.

The wall is that gross, fleshy circular wall surrounding Hawkins, and it’s also the edge of the wormhole. The orb is more exotic matter, which acts as the battery keeping that wall up. Without that ball of energy, the bridge collapses. If the bridge collapses, the Upside Down stops existing.

Credit: Netflix

So, the “endgame” is basically a massive DIY demolition project. Dustin’s theory is that if they can blow up that exotic matter, the bridge (the Upside Down) will snap shut.

If they pull it off, Hawkins and the abyss will be severed forever. No more rifts, no more Vecna popping up in your dreams, and no more Demogorgons ruining prom. But it also means once that door is closed, it’s closed for good. Physics has never been this stressful.

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Featured image credit: Netflix