Editing Chapter One: Signal Noise

{{Use American English|date=December 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2025}}
{{Infobox television episode
| title = Chapter One: Signal Noise
| season = 5
| episode = 2
| series = [[The Other Town]]
| image = The_Vanishing_of_Holly_Wheeler.jpg
| caption = Promotional poster by [[Butcher Billy]]
| director = Kari Skogland
| writer = Alex Garland
| photographer   = Caleb Heymann
| editor         = * Casey Cichocki
* [[Dean Zimmerman (film editor)|Dean Zimmerman]]
| airdate = {{Start date|2025|11|26}}
| runtime = 57 minutes
| music =
* {{work by author|"[[Fernando (song)|Fernando]]"|[[ABBA]]}}
* {{work by author|"[[Running Up That Hill]]"|[[Kate Bush]]}}
* {{work by author|"[[Mr. Sandman]]"|[[The Chordettes]]}}
| guests         = * [[Sherman Augustus]] as Sullivan
* [[Alex Breaux]] as Robert Akers
* [[Joe Chrest]] as Ted Wheeler
* [[Jake Connelly]] as Derek Turnbow
* [[Nell Fisher]] as Holly Wheeler
| prev           = [[Chapter One: The Crawl]]
| next           = [[Chapter Three: The Turnbow Trap]]
| season_article = The Other Town season 1
| episode_list   = List of Stranger Things episodes
}}
"'''Chapter''' '''Two: The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler'''" is the second episode of the [[Stranger Things season 5|fifth season]] the American [[Science fiction on television|science fiction]] [[Horror fiction|horror]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] television series ''[[Stranger Things]]''. The 36th episode overall, the episode was written and directed by series creators [[The Duffer Brothers]], and was released on November 26, 2025, on [[Netflix]] as part of volume one of season five.

Set on November 3, 1987, and focuses on the disappearance of Holly Wheeler ([[Nell Fisher]]) following an attack on her home by a demogorgon from the Upside Down. The rest of the episode features the fallout from this event and the remaining characters trying to find a way to rescue her and determine why she was targeted in the first place.

The episode received critical acclaim with praise for the opening scene depicting the demogorgon attack on the Wheeler home, the use of [[ABBA]]'s [[Fernando (song)|"Fernando"]], and the performances of [[Natalia Dyer]], [[Caleb McLaughlin]], [[Cara Buono]], and [[Nell Fisher]].

== Plot ==
As a [[Demogorgon (Stranger Things)|Demogorgon]] crashes through [[List of Stranger Things characters|Holly Wheeler]]'s ceiling, she flees to the bathroom where [[Karen Wheeler (character)|Karen Wheeler]] is about to take a bath. Karen tries to reassure Holly, but then notices she is bleeding as the lights begin to flicker. Karen and Holly hide underneath the bathwater as the Demogorgon breaks through the bathroom door. Having noticed the lights as well, Ted enters the Wheeler home, shouting for Karen and Holly. The Demogorgon approaches Ted, who attempts hitting the creature with his golf club, and throws him through a wall. Karen and Holly try escaping the house but are cornered by the monster. Karen smashes a wine bottle and begins stabbing the Demogorgon. Having been warned by [[Will Byers]], [[Nancy Wheeler]] and [[Eleven (Stranger Things)|Eleven]] race to the house, where they find an injured and bloodied Karen. With Holly taken by the Demogorgon, Nancy urges Eleven to pursue them, and Eleven rushes through a nearby portal to the Upside Down.

In the Upside Down, Eleven runs into [[Jim Hopper (Stranger Things)|Jim Hopper]] while tracking the Demogorgon. He is frustrated at her for putting herself at risk when the military is hunting her, but she insists that she followed her instincts and believes that finding Holly will lead them to [[Vecna (Stranger Things)|Vecna]]. She patches up his wound, and Hopper admits that he is afraid of losing her like he lost his daughter. They find a large, impenetrable wall, which Eleven realizes that the Demogorgon has taken Holly through. Neither is able to break through. In Hawkins, Dr. Kay and her soldiers review CCTV footage from the Wheeler house and see Eleven with Nancy, believing her to be connected to the attack.

At Hawkins Memorial Hospital, [[Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things)|Mike Wheeler]] and Nancy discuss their regrets about not telling their parents the truth sooner. Mike is confused about why [[Vecna (Stranger Things)|Vecna]] has targeted Holly, but Nancy states that it matches a vision he once showed her of their parents and Holly dead. [[Lucas Sinclair]] points out that Holly's abduction is suspiciously close to the anniversary of [[Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers|Will's disappearance]]. Mike then theorizes that Mr. Whatsit, Holly's imaginary friend, might be real and may know where Holly is. Later, Lucas urges a comatose [[Max Mayfield (character)|Max Mayfield]] to wake up as he believes the final battle for Hawkins has begun with Holly's abduction.

Elsewhere in Hawkins, [[Steve Harrington]] tells [[Jonathan Byers (character)|Jonathan Byers]] that they should go to the hospital to support Nancy. The two argue about one another's actions since Jonathan has returned from [[California]], with Steve arguing that Nancy is unhappy in her relationship, and Jonathan arguing that Steve is continuously competing with him for Nancy's attention. Jonathan argues that they should prioritize helping Holly. The two cease arguing when an injured [[Dustin Henderson]] arrives and is berated by Steve for missing the crawl.

At the WSQK radio station, Will states that his previous vision felt as though he was in the Demogorgon's mind. He tells [[Joyce Byers]] that he believes he is still connected to the hive mind. [[Robin Buckley]] suggests using Will as a human receiver to locate Vecna and find Holly, but Joyce refuses to put Will at risk. They trick Joyce, so they can sneak out and return to the woods where Will had an earlier vision. Robin asks Will if he saw her with Vickie at the hospital, stating that they are good friends whose relationship may confuse some people. Will assures her that he didn't see anything. Will has a vision at the Hawkins Elementary School playground and realizes that his earlier visions were from Vecna's point of view as he stalked Holly. He believes that he can use the telepathic link to identify Vecna's future targets, the newest being [[List of Stranger Things characters|Derek Turnbow]]. Mike and Nancy sneak into Karen's hospital room, where she reveals that Mr. Whatsit's real name is "Henry," the name of Vecna's human form. In the Mindscape, "Mr. Whatsit"/Henry welcomes Holly into his home, the [[Stranger Things season 4|Creel House]].

== Production ==
=== Writing ===
The episode was written and directed by ''[[Stranger Things]]'' creators [[The Duffer Brothers]]. It marked their seventeenth writing credits and their sixteenth directing credits.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://directories.wga.org/member/mattduffer/|title=Matt Duffer – WGA Directory|access-date=December 2, 2025|publisher=[[Writers Guild of America West]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://directories.wga.org/member/rossduffer/|title=Ross Duffer – WGA Directory|access-date=December 2, 2025|publisher=[[Writers Guild of America West]]}}</ref> The episode's title is a reference to "[[The Vanishing of Will Byers]]", the [[series premiere]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://time.com/7335574/stranger-things-season-5-episode-2-the-vanishing-of-holly-wheeler/ |title=What That Surprise Episode Title Reveal Means for Stranger Things Season 5|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=November 27, 2025|first=Megan|last=McCluskey}}</ref> [[Nell Fisher]], who was cast as Holly Wheeler for the [[Stranger Things season 5|fifth season]], expressed that she was "honored" when finding out during the table read that the episode was titled after her character, noting that she met with Anniston and Tinsley Price, the twins who originally played Holly in previous seasons, in preparation for taking over their role.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/stranger-things-season-5-nell-fisher-interview-79574/ |title='Stranger Things' Newcomer Nell Fisher on Season 5, Sadie Sink's Mentorship, and Getting Stuck in Upside Down Goo|work=[[Backstage (publication)|Backstage]]|date=December 2, 2025|first=Suzy|last=Woltmann}}</ref> Matt Duffer stated that they had wanted to do an attack on the Wheeler residence since the [[Stranger Things season 1|first season]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2025/11/stranger-things-5-episode-2-duffer-brothers-interview-1236626282/ |title=The Duffer Brothers Finally "Let The Cat Out Of The Bag" With A Nightmarish 'Stranger Things' Season 5 Episode 2 Cold Open|work=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]]|date=November 26, 2025|first=Dessi|last=Gomez}}</ref>

=== Filming ===
[[File:Cara Buono cbb (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|The episode opens with a battle between [[Karen Wheeler (character)|Karen Wheeler]], portrayed by [[Cara Buono]], and a demogorgon.|alt=Cara Buono smiling]]
[[Cara Buono]], who portrays Karen Wheeler, expressed that she was surprised and pleased to learn that she would get a "badass mom" moment in the season, after previously accepting that Karen would remain a "comedic, quintessential, slightly exaggeratedly clueless '80s mom". Buono spoke "at length" with the stunt and costume teams prior to her action scenes, studying the [[storyboard]]s and [[previz]] of the fight to prepare, noting that the Duffers had "a very clear vision of the choreography of it all." She and Fisher spent a day timing how long they could hold their breaths and figuring out the logistics of the bathtub with the crew. The demogorgon fight was originally meant to be filmed in May, but was moved up to March 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/cara-buono-karen-wheeler-stranger-things-final-season-interview.html |title=Stranger Things's Cara Buono Embraced Karen Wheeler's Ripley Moment|work=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]|date=November 26, 2025|first=Roxana|last=Hadadi}}</ref>

=== Music ===
The episode features "[[Fernando (song)|Fernando]]" by [[ABBA]], "[[Running Up That Hill]]" by [[Kate Bush]], and "[[Mr. Sandman]]" by [[The Chordettes]]. Music supervisor Nora Felder stated that "Fernando", which was used to soundtrack Karen Wheeler's fight with the demogorgon, was not the original song choice for the opening scenes, but that she felt it became the perfect option once it proved impossible to secure the rights to another song.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/stranger-things-season-5-soundtrack/ |title=Stranger Things season 5 soundtrack: Full list of songs in volume 1|work=[[Radio Times]]|date=December 2, 2025|first=Louise|last=Griffin}}</ref>

In the week following the debut of volume one, almost every song featured on the soundtrack experienced a massive surge in popularity. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' reported that "Fernando" more than doubled in streams, with an increasing of 206% to a total of 615,000, that "Mr. Sandman" increase by 173% (to a total of 564,000 streams), and "Running Up That Hill" saw an increase of 110%, to a total of 2.7 million streams, and re-entered the [[Hot Rock & Alternative Songs]] chart at number 15.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/stranger-things-season-five-abba-diana-ross-trending-up-1236127676/ |title='Stranger Things' Songs From ABBA, Diana Ross, Kate Bush (Again) and More All Up Double or Triple Following Season Five Premiere|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=December 3, 2025|first=Andrew|last=Unterberger}}</ref> "Running Up That Hill" also returned to the top 40 in Bush's native UK, re-entering the [[UK singles chart|singles chart]] at number 37.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/laufey-winter-wonderland-taylor-swift-the-fate-of-ophelia-number-one-single/ |title=Kylie's XMAS climbs high as Laufey's Winter Wonderland reaches a new peak|work=[[Official Charts Company]]|date=December 5, 2025|first=Max|last=Persad}}</ref>

== Release ==
"The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler" was released on November 26, 2025, on [[Netflix]], alongside the three other episodes comprising ''Stranger Things'' season 5 volume 1. The episode's full title was initially listed as just "The Vanishing of..." so as not to spoil the reveal of which character was missing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/stranger-things-season-5-release-dates-revealed-alongside-new-teaser-trailer |title=Stranger Things Season 5 Release Dates Revealed Alongside New Teaser Trailer |work=[[IGN]] |first=Adam |last=Bankhurst |date=June 1, 2025 |accessdate=June 1, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/stranger-things-season-5-episodes-how-many-run-times-titles/ |title='Stranger Things' Season 5 Release Schedule: Here's When New Episodes Drop |work=[[TheWrap]]|first=Haleigh |last=Foutch |date=November 26, 2025}}</ref>

== Reception ==
{{expand section|date=December 2025}}
In a positive review, Tara Bennett of [[IGN]] felt the episode was an improvement on the [[season premiere]], stating that the Duffers "get their mojo back", and praised the show's return to its horror roots.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/stranger-things-season-5-volume-1-review|title=Stranger Things: Season 5, Vol. 1 Spoiler Review|work=[[IGN]]|date=November 27, 2025|first=Tara|last=Bennett}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb episode|21914626}}

{{Stranger Things}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapter 2: Vanishing of Holly Wheeler, The}}
[[Category:Stranger Things episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in the 1980s]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in Indiana]]
[[Category:2025 American television episodes]]
[[Category:Television episodes set in 1987]]