Stranger Things season 5 has an opportunity to redeem Eleven’s lost sister after a convoluted and disconnected storyline led to poor responses from viewers. Unsurprisingly, a show with as many plotlines as Stranger Things will occasionally lose a thread, but this is an important one to pick up and resolve. El’s adventure with her sister, Kali, has little connection to the broader plot, but season 5 is an opportunity to change that. Kali doesn’t make sense in season 2, but she could be an asset to El and the gang in season 5.

Stranger Things season 2, episode 7, “The Lost Sister,” was Stranger Things’ most controversial episode. It introduced Kali, one of the other kids in the Hawkins lab with Eleven. To redeem this character, the Duffer brothers would have to explain why Kali hasn’t come to El’s aid before and show how she can be an asset now. They would also have to close the plotholes from season 4 that worsened Kali’s tenuous connection to the broader Stranger Things story. This is worth doing because Kali is an interesting character, and her powers of persuasion and illusion would be very helpful in their fight against Vecna.

Why Kali Didn’t Work In Stranger Things Season 2

Vecna is the master of illusions, dreams, and mental attacks. Kali can also enter people’s minds, pull out their fears, and show them to them in convincing illusions. She can also conjure walls and other obstacles to stop or slow down her and her friends’ enemies. These would significantly deter townspeople from interfering as they did in season 4. It would also be fascinating to see how, or if, these powers work in Vecna’s domain of the Upside Down. Season 5 could also explore how El’s and Kali’s powers work together, perhaps in ways that make them more powerful than they are on their own.

The Duffer brothers could close the plot holes created by the season 4 massacre by building on the one moment in “The Lost Sister” that connects to the wider story. Kali conjures a vision of Brenner for El, and what he says to her is almost word-for-word what he says in season 4. The vision of Brenner tells El she has a deep wound and must come back to the lab to learn about her powers. The real Brenner tells her much the same thing when she returns to Hawkins lab in season 4. This could suggest some connection to Brenner and the lab, which could have allowed Kali to hide and escape being killed in Hawkins’ lab like the other kids.

What Role Can Kali Play In Taking On Vecna?

It has been confirmed that season 5 sees a more significant time jump than previous seasons so that several years will pass since El was briefly reunited with Kali in season 2. In this concluding season, El and the gang are set to battle and, hopefully, kill Vecna in Stranger Things season 5. However, the gang needs help. They barely made it out of the Upside Down alive and intact in Stranger Things season 4. Max is in a coma, and everyone else is exhausted, heartbroken, and terrified. El has her powers back, but the kids could use help from an ally with powers like El’s. Hopefully, viewers will see Kali fill that role.