Season 4 of 'Stranger Things' Features Several Flashback Scenes — But Where Is Kali? (SPOILERS)
Published June 1 2022, 9:41 a.m. ET
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 4 of Stranger Things.
In Season 2, Episode 7 of Stranger Things, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) travels to Chicago — where she bumps into Kali Prasad, aka Eight (Linnea Berthelsen), one of the kids participating in the experiments undertaken at the Hawkins National Laboratory. The two immediately bond over the experiences they gained since leaving the lab. In the same episode, Kali teaches Eleven how to make the most of her powers.
Kali (aka Eight) seems to be missing from the flashback scenes in Season 4 of 'Stranger Things.' What happened to her?
Kali and Eleven share a few sweet moments in Season 2, Episode 7 of Stranger Things. Strangely enough, however, Kali doesn't feature in Season 4, Vol. 1 of the show. The odd phenomenon paved the way for a whole range of new fan theories, with some Stranger Things fans going so far as to claim that she may make a surprise appearance in Season 4, Vol 2. What happened to Kali? Will we get to see more of her in the last two episodes?
Season 4 of Stranger Things cast light on the bad fate of several children who partook in the studies carried out by Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) and co. at the Hawkins National Laboratory.
As the episodes reveal, One (aka Vecna) is a mightily powerful person with a sociopathic streak. Ten (Christian Ganiere) is a sweet kid blessed with the power of telepathy. Meanwhile, Two (Tristan Spohn) is the kid to repeatedly ace Dr. Brenner's circle game — and a major bully.
As Season 2 of Stranger Things reveals, Kali is able to conjure mental images in other people's minds. The skill is particularly helpful for people wanting to escape from high-security environments such as the Hawkins National Laboratory, as it works splendidly when one is in dire need of creating a distraction.
One explanation for Kali's mysterious absence from Eleven's memories of her time at the lab holds that she managed to escape before the massacre occurred. What's more, Eleven only seems to be able to access the memories Dr. Brenner has preselected for her using the Nina Project.
Either way, fans weren't particularly pleased with Kali's absence from Season 4.
"I could not be the only one who expected Eight, the sister of Eleven from a previous season, to appear on Season 4. It seems a major plot hole to me," tweeted @_yoboistan.
"Where is Kali, Netflix? Where are you keeping her?" tweeted @itsaaudraw.
"Stranger Things Season 4 spoiler: Why is Kali not seen in these supposed memories of El? This is pissing me off. Like, are we just forgetting Kali ever happened?" tweeted @calmheedattea_.
Most people seem to have settled for the explanation holding that Kali escaped before the massacre — which is why she didn't make it to the memory reel. Some continue to hope that Linnea Berthelsen, the actress playing Kali, will appear in Season 4, Vol. 2 of Stranger Things. In all fairness, Jamie Campbell Bower is simply credited as a "Friendly Orderly" on IMDb— which would suggest that the creators really wanted to make sure that major plot points wouldn't get leaked ahead of the premiere.
Season 4, Vol 2 of Stranger Things arrives on Netflix on July 1, 2022. Let's just hope Kali will feature in the last two episodes.
