Stranger Things Season 5 Features A Major Connection To The Show's Worst Episode

This article contains spoilers for "Stranger Things" season 5, episode 4.

"Stranger Things" will end with season 5, and we fully expect plenty of surprises, triumphs, and defeats before we say goodbye to the heroes of Hawkins, Indiana. Of course, some of these farewells will be morbidly definitive, as some of your favorite "Stranger Things" characters are likely to die before the end credits roll. However, some fans' tears might flow as quickly as episode 4 due to its connection to one of the series' low points.

Season 2's "The Lost Sister" is the worst episode of "Stranger Things" by a country mile, and lo and behold, one of its main characters has returned in a mysterious way. Kali Prasad, aka 008, (Linnea Berthelsen) — a superpowered girl Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) bonded with as a child in the Hawkins Lab — has seemingly found herself in a spot of bother after being locked up in a military facility in the Upside Down. The episode ends before we can get any answers about her predicament, of course, but her appearance certainly adds more intrigue to the story ... even if it results in some viewers having negative flashbacks to that unfortunate season 2 installment.

Be that as it may, Kali isn't a terrible character in theory — she was let down by the show's creators not doing anything that interesting with her. Some meaningful character development could be mined from Eleven having a strong relationship with another superpowered kid who experienced similar traumas, but "The Lost Sister's" got things off to a shaky start. Still, could Kali's return in season 5 be a redemptive moment for the character and the ill-fated episode she's forever connected to?

It's no secret that Netflix has franchise ambitions for "Stranger Things," and "The Lost Sister" screams this sentiment loud and clear. In the episode, Eleven goes to Chicago to find Kali and her gang of misfit friends, resulting in the Hawkins resident being given a makeover and taking to the streets. The entire episode is dedicated to this storyline, making it the definition of a shameless backdoor pilot, and people did not like it back in the day.

Mind you, the issue isn't the attempt to expand the franchise with new characters and spin-offs. A "Stranger Things" offshoot with a Windy City twist actually sounds fun — like the proposed "Supernatural" spin-off with a monster mafia that was also set in Chicago — but it came at the wrong time in season 2. "The Lost Sister" is the seventh episode, and it interferes with the main storyline just as it's heating up and building to a climax. It's like being promised a dessert only to be force fed Brussels sprouts beforehand, and the fact it didn't spawn a spin-off makes its existence seem pointless in the grand scheme of things.

All that aside, "Stranger Things" season 4 gives the Duffers another opportunity to make viewers interested in Kali's story — and perhaps long to see more of her adventures after the main series ends. Failing that, it's a chance to say goodbye to the character in a meaningful way, proving that "The Lost Sister" made some positive, long-term contributions to this universe overall.

"Stranger Things" is streaming on Netflix.