IT General

The following contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2.

Watching Stranger Things: The First Shadow on Broadway after watching Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 was a surreal experience.

Not only were audience members treated to the play's spectacular special effects — seriously, you'll feel like you're in an episode of Stranger Things — but we also got to see how the play linked to Season 5.

SEE ALSO: 'Stranger Things: The First Shadow' review: How does Netflix do the stage?

Mentions of Henry Creel's (Jamie Campbell Bower) childhood in Nevada made audience members gasp as they recalled the mysterious Nevada cave system in Henry's mindscape. Elsewhere, young Joyce's production of Oklahoma! in The First Shadow tied to Henry's memories of his time at Hawkins High, through which Max navigates in Volume 1. You even catch a glimpse of the flyer in the series, which reveals that Henry himself is starring in it.

But after watching Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2, it turns out there are even more connections between the play and the show, each helping the other create a clearer portrait of Henry/Vecna's origin story. From Henry's fateful time in Nevada to some enlightening information about Eleven's (Millie Bobby Brown) own powers, here's how Stranger Things: The First Shadow illuminates the mysteries of Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow reveals why Henry is so afraid of the caves in his mindscape. Jamie Campbell Bower in "Stranger Things." Credit: Netflix

One of the biggest questions I had about Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 1 was why Henry was too scared to follow Max into the cave system in his memories. Lo and behold, Stranger Things: The First Shadow had the answer the whole time.

The play reveals that the cave system was where Henry first ventured to Dimension X — now dubbed "The Abyss" in Stranger Things. That's the alternate dimension where the Mind Flayer and Demogorgons are from, as opposed to the Upside Down, which Volume 2 reveals is a bridge connecting the Abyss to our world.

According to Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the Nevada caves in Henry's memory were home to experiments Dr. Brenner (Michael Modine) was running in order to learn more about Dimension X. His own father briefly vanished there during a World War II-era experiment on the USS Eldridge battleship. However, one of the scientists on his team defected to the Soviets. He stole some equipment from the labs and fled. During his escape, he crossed paths with Henry, at which point the stolen equipment transported them both to the Abyss.

SEE ALSO: Finn Wolfhard teases the final 4 'Stranger Things' episodes with a word each

Naturally, that dimension-hopping experience was traumatizing for Henry, explaining why he won't revisit those caves or memories in his mindscape. But while all of this is relayed through a speech from Dr. Brenner in Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2 actually gives us a sneak peek at what happened to young Henry out in Nevada.

In episode 6, "Escape from Camazotz," Max and Holly (Nell Fisher) watch Henry's encounter with the defecting scientist. Initially, Henry wants to help the wounded defector, who's carrying a mysterious briefcase. But when the scientist shoots him in the hand — leaving a wound that Dr. Brenner mentions in Stranger Things: The First Shadow, but does not explain — Henry goes into fight-or-flight mode. He brains the scientist with a rock, the action starting as a survival instinct but quickly growing more bloodthirsty. Then, he goes to open the briefcase.

All we see of the case's contents is a rolling fog before Max and Holly continue on their way. But thanks to Stranger Things: The First Shadow, we know that whatever's inside the briefcase will bring Henry to Dimension X, where he'll come face to face with the Mind Flayer.

Don't expect that reveal to remain play-only knowledge, though. There's no way the Duffer Brothers would tease the importance of the Nevada memory without following through.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow explains why Henry and Eleven's blood is different. Jamie Campbell Bower in "Stranger Things." Credit: Netflix

Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2 drops a pretty big bombshell about Eleven's powers. Throughout the show, she's believed she has her abilities because of her pregnant mother's involvement in the MKUltra program, which exposed Eleven to mind-altering drugs in the womb. However, it turns out her powers really stemmed from transfusions of Henry's blood.

In Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Dr. Brenner tells Henry that when his father reappeared from the Abyss, he had a completely unique blood type. The same exact thing happened to Henry following his exposure to the Abyss and the Mind Flayer.

The play features scenes of Dr. Brenner drawing Henry's blood, and we later learn why: It's to give to all of the kids being used in the Hawkins lab experiments. The transfusions impart Henry's powers to the children, all without exposing them to the Abyss themselves.

In Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2, the U.S. government is attempting to recreate the success of those initial transfusions, this time forcing transfusions of Kali's (Linnea Berthelsen) blood into unconscious pregnant women. If they capture Eleven, they'd drain her blood as well. As Kali reasons, the government's insistence on seeing this program through means that neither she nor Eleven will ever be safe.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow's revelation that exposure to the Mind Flayer and the Abyss changes your blood type — and therefore likely gives you powers — adds a new wrinkle to Holly's plight. She, Derek (Jake Connelly), and the other kidnapped children have all been trapped within the Abyss, with Henry hoping to use them as vessels for his powers in order to join our world with his. However, if they do manage to escape this whole situation alive, will their powers remain? And will the government hunt them down in the way they did Kali and Eleven?

Unfortunately, that's not a question Stranger Things: The First Shadow can answer. Only the finale can do that.

Volumes 1 and 2 of Stranger Things Season 5 are now streaming on Netflix. The series finale premieres Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. ET on Netflix and in theaters.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is now playing on Broadway and in the West End.

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If you’ve just got a new PC, connected everything, booted up the system, fired up your favorite game, and realized it runs super slowly, you might’ve made an honest mistake that many new PC gamers make.

The Ruby programming language continues its tradition of delivering major updates on Christmas Day, announcing the release of Ruby 4.0.0, which introduces two massive new experimental features: the isolation mechanism known as Ruby Box and the next-generation just-in-time compiler, ZJIT.

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Heated Rivalry, HBO Max's gay hockey series that has everyone I know losing their minds, is finally — and sadly — coming to an end. But don't worry: It's just the finale of Season 1. We still have at least two more seasons of hockey smut to look forward to.

The Canadian import from streamer Crave, based on Rachel Reid's queer romance novels, burst onto screens in late November and wasted no time earning its cult obsession status. The series delivers on every front: scorching chemistry between rising stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie; refreshingly honest depictions of LGBTQ athletes; polished production and strong performances; and, of course, an abundance of unapologetically horny encounters that have launched a thousand group chats.

SEE ALSO: Why is the sex in 'Heated Rivalry' so hot?

The obsession isn't just anecdotal, either. By the second week of December, Heated Rivalry had climbed to become the third most-watched series on HBO Max, Mashable reported earlier this month — a testament to just how hard viewers have fallen for this rink-side romance.

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So if you, like seemingly everyone clogging up your social media feed, are counting down the minutes to the Jacob Tierney–helmed show's finale, you’re in luck.

The final episode of Heated Rivalry drops at midnight tonight — Friday, Dec. 26, 2025 (that’s 12:00 a.m. EST or 9:00 p.m. PT on Thursday, Dec. 25). Consider it a holiday miracle. Frankly, it’s the Christmas present we all deserved.

The Toyota RAV4 has become one of the most popular vehicles in America, and for 2026, it continues to attract buyers with its blend of practicality, efficiency, and everyday usability. But as demand has grown, so have prices, especially once buyers start adding options. A fully loaded version of this best-selling compact SUV now sits much closer to luxury territory than many shoppers might expect.

Despite a lot of early handwringing, SSDs have turned out to be incredibly robust in the real world. Personally, I have several SSDs that are quite old, some are even from a decade ago! They're still going strong, and with care I'll probably get years more out of them, but I have also ended SSDs prematurely, and there are three prime habits to cultivate if you want to avoid that for as long as possible.

The official trailer for Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 has finally arrived, and the ton is buzzing.

Shondaland and showrunner Jess Brownell invite viewers back into the world of silk gloves, whispered scandals, and stolen glances, this time shining the spotlight on Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson). A free spirit with little interest in marriage, Benedict finds his carefully constructed indifference shattered at Lady Violet Bridgerton's dazzling masquerade ball, where a mysterious woman leaves him utterly spellbound. Determined to uncover her identity, he enlists the sharp wit and quiet determination of his sister Eloise, setting off a search that promises intrigue and heartbreak in equal measure.

Along the way, Benedict's journey takes an unexpected turn as he grows drawn to Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a maid in the household of the formidable Araminta Gun (Katie Leung). What begins as an unlikely connection soon stirs feelings that challenge everything Benedict thought he wanted — and everything society expects of him.

The trailer also teases the return of beloved faces from seasons past, including Queen Charlotte, Francesca, Colin, Penelope, and more, ensuring that romance and Regency-era splendor remain as irresistible as ever.

Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 debuts on Netflix Jan. 29 and Part 2 on Feb. 26.

Google is finally rolling out a feature that lets users change their primary @gmail.com username without having to create an entirely new Google account. This is great for those who use a silly or embarrassing address they now regret, or for people whose names or circumstances have changed.

Groq, an AI chip startup, entered into an agreement with Nvidia to help "advance and scale" Groq's tech.

"As part of this agreement, Jonathan Ross, Groq’s Founder, Sunny Madra, Groq’s President, and other members of the Groq team will join Nvidia to help advance and scale the licensed technology," Groq announced in a blog post on Wednesday. "Groq will continue to operate as an independent company with Simon Edwards stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer. GroqCloud will continue to operate without interruption."

The deal was first reported as an exclusive with CNBC on Wednesday. Alex Davis, the CEO of Disruptive, the company that led Groq's latest financing round, said Nvidia has agreed to buy Groq's assets for $20 billion in cash, the news outlet reported.

Davis's firm has invested more than half a billion dollars in Groq over the past nine years, CNBC reported.

"We plan to integrate Groq’s low-latency processors into the NVIDIA AI factory architecture, extending the platform to serve an even broader range of AI inference and real-time workloads," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang wrote in an email obtained by CNBC.

This is Nvidia’s largest deal ever, according to CNBC.

The company, which produces GPU chips that power many AI models, has reported surging revenues this year. Nvidia made $57 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2025, a whopping $2 million more than Wall Street analysts expected, Mashable's Chris Taylor reported in November. The fourth quarter of 2025 is predicted to be even better for the company.

"Sales are off the charts," Huang said of the company's Blackwell chips at the time. "Cloud GPUs are sold out."

For sci-fi fans like myself, 2025 has offered an incredible selection of mature, hard-hitting thrillers set within the genre. Disney+ offered a tense, bittersweet-but-satisfying conclusion to Andor alongside a terrifying new tale in Alien: Earth, Apple TV+ has pushed boundaries with Severance, Foundation, and Pluribus, and now Netflix will round out the year with the long-awaited conclusion to Stranger Things. It has never been a better time to be a lover of the genre.

I’ve been using Android phones for over 15 years, and it’s hard to even imagine how many apps have graced my home screen in that time. A few favorites have risen to the top in recent years, though. I feel safe calling them essential.

The 2026 Toyota Corolla has always been the go-to for practical, reliable transportation, and the Corolla Hybrid takes that a step further with impressive fuel economy. If you want a safe, efficient sedan that won’t quietly drain your wallet, this is a solid choice.

When shopping for a power tool at the hardware store, you'll see options from DeWALT, Ryobi, RIDGID, Makita, Milwaukee, and more displayed in various colors. If you're a fan of Milwaukee, you've likely noticed different variations of the same tool in compact sizes or with smaller battery packs, which can sometimes be confusing.

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Linux is more user-friendly than ever, but there are still a large number of irreplaceable Windows apps that don't run on Linux at all. With one open-source program, I solved that problem for 90% of the Windows app I need on a regular basis. This is how.

If you're just beginning Bash scripting, you may often find yourself repeating the same commands again and again in your scripts, but a better way exists. I will explain what "DRY" means and how you should use functions to do it.

Did you buy a new Windows 11 PC or do a fresh installation of the OS? Do you want your PC to be powerful and feature-complete from day one? Well, here are five niche apps that you should install to make Windows do what it can't out of the box.