Stranger Things Season 5 Revives Its Most Controversial Character — And It Finally Makes Sense

Stranger Things 5 dropped its first four episodes over Thanksgiving and immediately pulled a move I did not have on my bingo card: the Duffers brought back a character fans mostly did not want back. The twist? They actually seem to have a plan for her this time.

The reveal in Episode 4

In 'Chapter Four: Sorcerer,' Hopper (David Harbour) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) push deeper into a military compound that is, because this show loves a migraine, inside the Upside Down. Across the first three episodes, Eleven clocked a sealed room in that facility and became convinced it was where Dr. Kay (Linda Hamilton) had stashed a captured Vecna.

When she and Hopper finally force their way in, the person on the other side isn’t Vecna at all. It’s Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) — as in '008,' aka Eight — the other surviving child test subject from Hawkins Lab we met back in Season 2. No word yet on how long she’s been locked up, why she was taken, or what exactly she’s been doing down there, but yes, that’s the face you saw. Kali is back.

Quick catch-up: who is Kali again?

Kali debuted in Season 2 during the show’s most divisive detour, 'Chapter Seven: The Lost Sister.' That episode sends Eleven to Chicago, introduces Kali’s small crew, and lets the two girls bond over shared trauma. The pushback at the time was loud: it felt disconnected from Hawkins, like the show hit pause to try something else. Some viewers even figured it was a stealth spinoff attempt — the TV playbook where a regular episode doubles as a trial run for a new series.

Bringing Kali back now pretty much kills that reading and, more importantly, gives the writers a chance to fold her into the main story and close the loop on a piece of Eleven’s past they’d left dangling.

Where things stand in Season 5 (so far)

• Four episodes are out; the rest of the final season — eight more episodes — is still to come.
• Hopper and Eleven infiltrated a military installation embedded in the Upside Down.
• Eleven believed Dr. Kay had Vecna locked away there; the captive turned out to be Kali instead.

What the Duffers are saying

Matt Duffer told Entertainment Weekly they’d been cautious about bringing Kali back until it made story sense. His words:

'This loose end that we had never really resolved. We’ve talked about bringing her back before, but there was not a narrative or thematic reason to bring her back.'

He also says Kali will be 'very important' to what Eleven does in Season 5 and to the group’s odds against Vecna. The show hints that Kali has been used to try to track Vecna for a while, which would make her a legitimate asset now that she’s back in the mix.

Why this could work

Kali being central to the plan to stop Vecna is the kind of course correction the show needed if they were ever going to revisit her. If Season 5 actually uses her powers and history to push Eleven forward — instead of spinning off into a side quest — there’s a real chance to redeem both the character and that controversial Season 2 chapter.

Originally reported by Anthony Nash for SuperHeroHype.