STRANGER THINGS: SEASON 5. Joe Chrest as Ted Wheeler in Stranger Things: Season 5 | Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2025

This post contains spoilers from Stranger Things 5 volume 2 from this point forward.

Stranger Things 5 volume 2 dropped as by far the best Christmas present we have ever gotten from Netflix, and the three new episodes couldn’t have been more exciting. From discovering Vecna’s real plan to the group finally reuniting with Max, volume 2 couldn’t have been more important for the endgame or more impactful for every character. However, there’s still one unaccounted for

Back in volume 1, a particularly menacing demogorgon attacked the Wheeler household in order to kidnap Holly and take her to Vecna. In the process, both Ted and Karen Wheeler ended up on the wrong side of the demo’s claws. While Karen was able to fight back and make an attempt to save Holly with a broken wine bottle, Ted didn’t really have his hero moment.

In the aftermath of the demogorgon attack in the Wheeler home and Holly’s kidnapping, Ted and Karen were taken the hospital to be treated for their injuries, but in Stranger Things 5 volume 2, we only receive an update on one of the Wheeler parents, who once again comes through to protect our young Hawkins heroes. But what’s going on with Ted in volume 2?

STRANGER THINGS: SEASON 5. (L to R) Joe Chrest as Ted Wheeler and Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler in Stranger Things: Season 5 | Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2025

There’s no update on Ted Wheeler in Stranger Things 5 volume 2

Well, if you were hoping to get an update on Ted Wheeler’s condition in Stranger Things 5 volume 2, you will be sadly disappointed. The three new episodes released on Netflix on Christmas Day didn’t provide a single update on what’s going on with Ted. We don’t see him at all in episodes 5-7. In fact, no one even mentions him by name in an offhand comment.

Assumedly, Ted remains in stable condition somewhere in the Hawkins hospital. Although we haven’t seen him in quite some time, there’s been zero confirmation that he has died, so we can rest assured that Nancy, Mike, and Holly’s father is alive and well in his hospital bed. We don’t know what his condition is, but we can assume he’s blissfully unaware of what’s going on.

Stranger Things 5 volume 2 does catch us up with Karen, and it’s another iconic moment for the fearless Wheeler matriarch. She struggles to speak because of the injuries to her neck and throat, and her other injuries prevent her from doing much else than resting and recovering, but she still manages to pull through and help save the day from demos once again.

In season 5 episode 6, demodogs ascend on the hospital to hunt for Max. Lucas is by her side playing “Running Up That Hill” trying to wake her up when Robin warns him that the demos are on their way. It’s a race through the hospital to evade the demodogs, and when they end up in the basement laundry room, the demos sniff them out in a very Jurassic Park-like moment.

Unbeknownst to Lucas, Robin, and Vickie, Karen had followed them down and tossed an oxygen tank in one of the dryer machines. The explosion takes out the demos and Karen saved the day again. In episode 6, Karen wants to join the group to help save Holly, but Mike insists that she’s too injured to leave the hospital and she stays behind.

That’s the last encounter we have with Karen Wheeler in season 5 volume 2, though we’re definitely expecting to see her back in the series finale. Hopefully, the final episode of the series will also feature an appearance from Ted and let us know that he’s all right. We’ll have to keep wondering what Ted’s up to until we get confirmation that he’s alive and well on New Year’s Eve.