Stranger Things 5: Kali’s Return Shakes Up Eleven’s World
Kali’s comeback in Stranger Things 5 Volume 1 stirs up the story, with the Duffer brothers hinting at even bigger changes ahead for Eleven and her crew.
Fans were left gobsmacked by the unexpected reappearance of Kali, known as Eleven’s ‘sister’, in the latest instalment of Stranger Things. The Duffer brothers have hinted that this is just the tip of the iceberg for her character, with much more to come in the next volume. Matt Duffer shared in a recent chat with SFX magazine,
‘It’ll be a very different dynamic going into the second volume. Kali shifts things a lot for Eleven, and I reckon people will be surprised by how she fits into the story. We’re pretty keen about that, because it instantly changes the mood. And of course, the way things wrapped up with Hopper means there’s still plenty of tension between them.’
Revisiting Kali’s Story
Kali first popped up in what’s often called a ‘bottle’ episode, where the focus narrows in on just one character. Back then, Eleven struck out on her own, crossed paths with Kali and her crew, and discovered she wasn’t the only one out there with powers. Like Eleven, Kali was experimented on at Hawkins Lab and sports the number eight tattooed on her wrist. She’s got some serious abilities—maybe even more than Eleven herself.
Matt Duffer went on to say,
‘Bringing back Kali was something we’d always talked about, but we just hadn’t quite worked out how to do it. When we started on season five, we wanted to make sure every storyline got wrapped up. The Kali thread was always nagging at us, so it felt right to revisit it and finish her arc.’
Mixed Reactions and Unfinished Business
Director Shawn Levy admitted that the original episode featuring Kali got a mixed bag of reviews, but reckons it was important to bring her back into the fold. Fans seem to agree. After Eleven’s failed attempt to take down Vecna at the end of season four, plenty of theories started flying around that Kali’s help would be needed. Levy said,
‘It was a risky bet to try a standalone episode with mostly new faces in the middle of our second season. Some punters loved it, some didn’t, but I’ve got a lot of respect for the Duffers for giving it a crack. We never forgot about Kali or the storylines we set up.’
With the first volume of Stranger Things season five now streaming, and the second volume dropping on Christmas Day, there’s plenty for fans to chew over. For those keen to keep up, the release schedule’s out, along with reviews and lists of top Netflix picks to binge right now.