Throughout a large portion of the concluding season of the popular Netflix show, Holly Wheeler and Max are held captive within a psychic prison constructed from the memories of the villain Henry. The search for a way out in the pivotal sixth episode forces them to experience a defining event from Henry's childhood—a moment that potentially carries the means to overcome him once and for all.
Editor's Note: This discussion contains major spoilers for the second part of the final season.
The Discovery in the Tunnel
After locating Max in the world dubbed Camazotz, Holly discovers she is sheltering in a chamber that Henry strangely fears. A clever observation a spyglass taken from Henry's old home helps Holly understand that the source of fear lies beyond the cave. Matching her view with the shape, she and Max tumble into a subterranean passage.
In this place, they observe a Henry as a boy find an man who is hurt and scared. As the boy offers aid, the man panics and shoots, wounding the boy in the hand. In a desperate act of self-defense, Henry kills the man with a rock. "Did this make Henry evil?" Holly asks tearfully. Essentially, yes, but the act involved more than a simple act of survival.
Like many elements this season, the full story behind the events in the tunnel originates in the theatrical production The First Shadow.
A Naval Mystery and A Spy's Mission
The play reveals the 1943 event, which transported a vessel into a realm dubbed the Abyss. The ship was attacked, and the sole survivor was the captain, who returned in a catatonic condition with an entirely new blood.
The captain's son, Martin Brenner, sought to replicate this phenomenon in remote Nevada. One of his scientists pilfered lab samples to sell to the Communist spies, who were desperate to launch their parallel research. This spy in the mine shaft was that very thief.
The Briefcase's Contents
Given what is known about Brenner's work, the case most likely held samples of Captain Brenner's infected blood. As shown, Henry is already bleeding. He likely becomes contaminated upon handling the contents, leading to the origin of his telekinetic gifts—abilities he would genetically impart to the kids Brenner would experiment on.
Another possibility, the container could have held dark matter that eventually found its way to Hawkins Laboratory, where it acts to anchor the parallel world. The stage play explains that the boy was transported in the Abyss, coming back after half a day with a new blood type and personality. From then on, he battles the control of a dark entity, similar to how Will was influenced by the shadow monster in an earlier season.
The Power of Fear
His lasting fear linked to that memory shows how profoundly traumatic the incident was for him. Even as he commands the Hive Mind and works to collapse the Abyss into Hawkins, a part of him remains. Vecna uses fear, and the series is building toward a final confrontation between Vecna and Will, who has deliberately faced his personal demons to fortify himself.
Will's growth has neutralized a key tactic of Vecna. Crucially, Will now understands what Vecna himself fears, and this may grant a key upper hand in the series finale that awaits.
