Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 Vol. 1.
As near-perfect as Stranger Things is capable of being, the series has had some flaws over the past nine years. Not everything has resonated with the fans — including an episode where the show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, decided to deviate from the main plot, sending Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) to a place beyond Hawkins.
After teasing a major cameo within the first four episodes of Chapter 5, the Duffer Brothers officially resurrected the show’s most-hated episode arc to date with the return of Eight, aka Eleven’s psychic “sister” Kali, played by Linnea Berthelsen. While fans may have truly been hoping for the return of Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), bringing Eight back was not only important for the current plot but also for acknowledging that the Season 2 episode wasn’t a waste of time. Even if viewers may not have understood Eight’s purpose at first, the character’s return proves her overall importance to the greater story.
Why ‘Stranger Things’ Fans Hated Season 2’s “Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister”
Before we get to the present and future of Stranger Things, let’s recall the past. During Season 2, fans were introduced to Kali Prasad, better known as Eight. A fellow Hawkins Lab test subject with the psychic ability to create illusions, Kali was determined to get revenge on those who wronged her. After traveling to Chicago to seek out the girl with a similar tattoo to hers, Kali recruits Eleven to join her gang, helping her to hone in her powers by channeling her anger. Though they forge a close bond during their time together, Eleven opts to return home after having a vision of Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Hopper (David Harbour) in danger in Hawkins, rather than remain with Kali on her pursuit of vengeance.
During Season 2, Eight’s introduction seemed mostly like a way for Eleven to understand her own moral compass. Knowing that her “home” was truly with her friends in Hawkins, Eleven’s decision to harness her powers for good rather than revenge, however, was wrapped up in an entire episode without any other fan-favorite characters. Some fans believed it was poorly executed, and the show’s deviation from the central storyline felt more like a backdoor pilot than a moment that truly propelled the overall story forward. As intriguing as Kali was, “Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister” was more of a superhero story and too tonally different from the horror-mystery that viewers had come to know and love.
How Could Eight Play a Role in ‘Stranger Things 5’ Vol. 2?
With low emotional stakes, Stranger Things Season 2’s detour had been an insignificant blip in the overall story — until now. The Duffer Brothers’ decision to bring back Eight for the final season not only ties up loose ends of her previous appearance but allows her to become a critical party member in the back half. As we now know, Eight was discovered by the military and brought to Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) in the Upside Down in order to cultivate El’s “kryptonite” through her. The “lost sister” will now serve as an inflection point in Eleven’s journey to the endgame.
Kali’s return now connects the events of Season 2 to the finale in glorious fashion, heavily indicating that it will reinforce the origins of Hawkins Lab’s experiments. The fact that Eight, even while connected to the machine, can recognize Eleven means that there is still consciousness in her. With an established bond between them, a potential team-up between the two might be what ends the lab and defeats Vecna for good. But knowing how Stranger Things operates, a possible sacrifice from Eight would also deliver the ultimate redemption arc and maybe soften some fan feelings toward the character after her controversial appearance in Season 2.
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The Duffer Brothers Have Everything Planned in ‘Stranger Things’
The Duffers have always been peppered with questions about their major storytelling decisions, and they’re usually related to major character deaths. During a recent discussion with TIME, they outlined how and why they chose to kill off four major characters. “It’s important that every death resonates in a big way,” said Matt. “Which is why we’re very careful who we kill because it has these massive season-long ripple effects. Otherwise, it just doesn’t feel like it has any weight to it.” That said, deaths aren’t the only story element that the Duffers have carefully been planning; as they explained to EW, “None of it would play out the way it would if she wasn’t involved again,” adding that it was always meant to be Kali behind that locked door.
With Eight now serving as a pivotal player in Stranger Things‘ final installment of episodes, it further proves that nothing in the Duffer Brothers’ Netflix series is an accident or coincidental. Fans may have strongly disliked Kali’s arc back in the day, but it was always building to a greater narrative purpose. If you have a chance to rewatch the entire series after its New Year’s Eve finale, that most-hated Season 2 episode will likely carry more weight.
Stranger Things is available to stream on Netflix.
