Major spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 lie ahead, so read on if you’re willing to learn the secrets that lie within the Upside Down.
Stranger Things is nearing the end of its run and, at this point, many are still reeling from the first four episodes of Season 5. Of course, the biggest topic of discussion is arguably that massive Will Byers twist, which involved the teen unlocking his psychic abilities, courtesy of the evil Vecna. There was also another major surprise in that fourth episode, though, as the series also revealed the return of a long-absent character. Now, the show’s producers are discussing that creative choice and simultaneously shutting down a long-running rumor.
The end of “Sorcerer” also sees Eleven and Jim Hopper infiltrating a military facility in the Upside Down, where they believe Vecna is being held. Hopper ultimately implores El to stay put, as he plans to enter the containment unit (and sacrifice himself in an effort to destroy the villain once and for all). However, El is not only surprised to see Hop return but to also find that the powerful psychic being held in the chamber is none other than her surrogate sister, Kali Prasad/Eight – a moment I wasn’t expecting amid the 2025 TV schedule.
By now, a number of fans probably know Kali plays a key role in Season 2’s “The Lost Sister,” which received mixed reviews from fans and critics. In the years since that episode premiered, it’s been alleged that the episode was meant to serve as a backdoor pilot for a potential spinoff involving Kali and her crew, which I honestly believed to be a somewhat plausible notion But, when producers Matt & Ross Duffer and Shawn Levy caught up with SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend, Levy poured water on the offshoot theory:
First of all, let me dispel that notion. It was a risky bet to try a standalone episode with largely new characters in the middle of our second season. It worked for some viewers. It didn’t work for others, but I respect the hell out of the Duffers for taking that big swing. But we never forgot about Kali. We never forgot about the plot strands that got established.
Although neither Levy nor the Duffer Brothers ever confirmed the spinoff assumption, I always thought the Kali-centered Season 2 episode had backdoor pilot written all over it. Levy’s recent comments, though, suggest that the Duffers simply wanted to take a stab at doing a true bottle episode that took the action away from Hawkins, Indiana and to the streets of Chicago. As for why now was the time to bring Kali back, Matt Duffer explained how he and his brother landed on that decision:
Bringing back Kali was something we had always been talking about for a long time, but we had just never quite figured out how to do it. We were working on season five, and we were talking about making sure every storyline was finished. It was always nagging at us that the Kali storyline was hanging. So it was important to revisit it and complete her arc.
The last time fans saw “Eight” (who’s played by Linnea Berthelsen) she was escaping the police with her cohorts. What exactly transpired in the time since that happened and ahead of her being experimented upon by scientists is unclear. Matt Duffer did, however, drop a sweet tease in regard to how Kali figures into Season 5 moving forward:
It will be a very different dynamic going into the second volume. Kali shifts things a lot for Eleven, and I think it’ll be surprising for. people to see how she ultimately fits into the story. We’re excited about that, because it immediately changes the tone. And obviously, the way things ended with Hopper leaves a lot of tension between them.
At this point, I’m also wondering if Stranger Things Season 5 – which has garnered massive viewership numbers – will bring back any other unaccounted-for characters. For instance, one of my colleagues astutely pointed out that Paul Reiser’s Dr. Owens is still missing after the events of Season 4. Regardless of what does or doesn’t happen with certain characters, I’m honestly glad Kali is back in the fold and look forward to seeing how her story is wrapped up.
Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2 drops on December 25 at 8 p.m. ET, and the series finale will hit streaming and select theaters on December 31. Those who want to check out the episodes will want to grab a Netflix subscription.