In Stranger Things season 5, Cara Buono’s character Karen Wheeler finally gets to shine when she fights a Demogorgon that has broken into the Wheeler home. With a broken wine bottle in her hand, the usually clueless mom goes into full mama bear mode to protect her daughter Holly during the chaos of Hawkins’ quarantine. Buono says that the Duffer Brothers always planned this important moment for the hero. This ties in with Karen’s subtle hints that she is a functioning alcoholic because she always has wine on hand.
Buono was shocked by Karen’s intense action scene when he read the scripts, but he was also excited about the full-circle payoff after seasons of buildup. Millie Bobby Brown and Natalia Dyer, who played her co-stars, were shocked that she lived after filming the bloody aftermath and begged not to kill her off. Karen is still alive and will be in more episodes, even though she is in the hospital with serious injuries. The next episodes will be released on Christmas and the finale on December 31.
Season 5 goes back to the show’s roots by focusing on the original families and the Hawkins community while they’re on lockdown, with too many Byers guests at the Wheeler house. Karen’s changing look, from mousy ’70s hair to lighter colors after Billy, shows how she’s grown into a warrior. Buono says the goodbye was very emotional and praises the Duffers for ending the show in a nostalgic, friendship-focused way that honored all the storylines.
