SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Stranger Things 5 Vol. 2.

The penultimate episode of stranger things 5 offers fans a moment that they’ve been hoping for all season: a reunion between Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink).

At the very end of Episode 6,”Escape from Camazotz,” Max finally manages to make it out of Henry’s mindscape and wakes up from the coma she’s been in for nearly two years in the basement of the hospital,where Lucas had brought her to save her from the Demo dogs that Vecna had sent to kill her. The two share an emotional and vulnerable moment together as Max finds her way back to reality.

“that moment, it almost felt real, as I wasn’t around her for so long,” mclaughlin told Deadline. Besides a few scenes of Lucas at Max’s bedside, this was the first moment they’d shared on-screen all season.

The scene is one of several tear-jerkers in the second volume of episodes, released on christmas Day.In addition to a whirlwind of emotional sequences, the back half of the season is finally beginning to provide some answers about the Upside Down and the evils that Hawkins has been facing this whole time.

In the interview below,McLaughlin discusses working on these three episodes,including filming that scene with Sink and another equally moving one with Noah Schnapp,and what’s to come as the beloved series comes to an end.

Caleb McLaughlin Reflects on ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4, Noah schnapp’s Coming Out Scene & The Future

DEADLINE: Caleb, the penultimate episode of Season 4 is incredibly emotional, particularly the scenes with Lucas and Max after she’s brought back from the brink. What was it like filming those moments with Sadie Sink?

MCLAUGHLIN: Yeah, he was able to be there for her when that happened. Like, ‘I never gave up. I never doubted a moment.’ And also, like, even I felt that he was still trying to hold it in [when she woke up] becuase he didn’t wont to be the one crying. He had to be strong for her.

DEADLINE: After max wakes up and they rescue the rest of the crew from the Upside Down, the back half of Episode 7 features some of the first scenes with the entire cast together like this in quite some time. How did those moments feel to film?

MCLAUGHLIN: Oh, man, it was hectic. I think every season, we always have that – the beginning, everyone’s around each other, and then we separate to go on our own journeys, and then we come back at the end.Last season,I was kind of not looking forward to those moments,because usually when we go to those moments,we know the show is ending. When you see everyone’s face and you’re having a good time, you start realizing time is going by. You see that the time that you had is no longer going to be there. So it was one of those. It was a lot of fun, as I had a lot of fun last season. It was my favorite time filming, because I got closer to everyone… just because of how big the show’s gotten, just these moments towards the end, is so much bigger then any moment we’ve ever had on the show. So I think that was spectacular.

DEADLINE: Can you tell me a little about filming Noah’s coming out scene? It’s a really emotional scene and one that fans have been anticipating for some time. You all give very emotional and generous performances in that moment.

MCLAUGHLIN: Being on the show for so long, and knowing everyone’s had other ups and downs and, just me being a friend, just wanting to be there and knowing I’ll always be there for a friend, I think that scene was a moment that felt genuine. We would be there for Noah. We would be there for anyone in their hard times and their biggest secret moments where they want to be vulnerable. I think it’s important for stories like that to be told, to have those vulnerable moments. I mean, of course, we were acting, but it was important – even when we weren’t shown, we were there off screen, we [were] there behind the camera…So I think that scene was very special. Noah killed it. His performance was amazing. We had to do it a couple of times,and