Why did Stranger Things Season 5 Vol 1 bring back Kali after an extended disappearance? Duffer Brothers reveal the answer

One of the most surprising and underdeveloped side-stories of Stranger Things was that of Kali, or Number Eight, the punk-headed girl, with the power to create illusions that Eleven had encountered in Season 2. She was gone for two consecutive seasons after her Chicago episode. Therefore, when she randomly popped up at the end of Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1, it seemed to be a highly deliberate move.

The Duffer Brothers revealed that her comeback was not just fan service. Rather, they had intended to plan on bringing her back as a part of the bigger picture, in particular, the last chapters of the series with Eleven, the Hawkins Lab, and the Upside Down.

The purpose of Kali’s return to the story in Stranger Things Season 5 is to ensure that her previous Season 2 plot feels more linked, as well as to provide Eleven with a more emotional experience and heighten the tension before Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 lands. It also provides actress Linnea Berthelsen an opportunity to expand the character and demonstrate a different side of her.

What did the Duffer Brothers say

The very practical reason why the Duffer Brothers brought Kali back in Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 was to complete what they started. Season 2 introduced us to the concept that there were other Lab kids besides Eleven, and that the story of Kali, though seemingly out of the blue and with a different key, was one of the largest loose ends of the series.

In a recent interaction with Variety, Ross Duffer said:

“We want when someone watches through the entire show, it doesn’t feel like we dropped a storyline or a thread. That it all connects. You see how everything fits together. And that was definitely a loose plot strand.

But also, we really like Linnea and we felt that that episode [in Season 2] just didn’t give her a chance to do what we know she’s capable of doing. So part of it was to put her back in and give her a moment. But we didn’t want to just do it to do it. As we were breaking the season, we realized that bringing her back really helped us with the Eleven storyline and how we wanted to wrap her story up. So there was a real reason to do it beyond just to not leave this dangling plot thread.”

Matt Duffer added,

“I always felt bad that we didn’t figure that out for Linnea. But we felt we had something special with Linnea, so we wanted to bring her back. I think she’s awesome in the season, so I’m pretty excited about that.”

The creators have indicated that they had those initial experiments in mind when planning the final season. And it would have been like letting Kali’s arc down plus Linnea Berthelsen’s talents go unexplored if they ignore her now, and leave a major piece of the storyline feeling incomplete.

Through Kali’s revival, Stranger Things Season 5 recognises that the Lab did not just give us one traumatised and powerful survivor, and that these fellow survivors with special powers will also have a role to play in the fight against Vecna and whatever remains.

The Duffer Brothers portrayed her comeback as a well-planned plot point, a part of Eleven's emotional journey, and not a last moment cameo. This makes Kali no longer a season-two detour, but a significant part of the final chapter of Stranger Things.

Kali changes the emotional geometry of Eleven in Stranger Things Season 5

Kali's return isn't just convenient for storytelling, it raises the emotional stakes for Eleven in Stranger Things Season 5. In the 2nd season, Eight showed Eleven what she could've become: someone who turns her pain into revenge. By bringing her back in Stranger Things Season 5, in a darker and much more complex surrounding, the show highlights the path Eleven did not take, and the parts of herself she has yet to confront.

Kali’s presence is revealed at the end of Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1, when Hopper goes to investigate what was behind the secret door that Dr. Kay’s team was so vigilantly protecting and finds Kali being held captive by the military instead.

Once more, we see her entangled by the same forces that made her, and Eleven finds herself forced to confront her old memories, guilt and responsibility that threaten to overwhelm her again.

Kali’s character is reintroduced in Stranger Things Season 5 by the Duffer Brothers to give Eleven a fuller emotional arc; rather than leaving her to be a forgotten chapter, the Duffers tie her into Eleven’s story. In the end, Kali works as a plot catalyst in Stranger Things Season 5 but more as a reflection that helps redefine Eleven’s sense of agency.

Trending

For more such insights on Stranger Things Season 5, keep following SoapCentral.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback