PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Stranger Things is insanely popular, especially right now with season 2 having premiered at the end of October. There are many things that the fans seems to disagree on and debate, but one thing everyone seems to agree on (with the exception of my girlfriend and I), is that season 2 episode 7, “The Lost Sister,” was complete shit. The episode resonated strongly with me for several reasons. Here are my thoughts on season 2 episode 7.
SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!
Now that we got that out of the way, we can discuss the episode in detail. After communicating mentally with her mother (which was pretty heartbreaking), El AKA Jane (Millie Bobby Brown) remembers an older girl who was locked in the rainbow room along with her, an elder sister if you will, know as 8. We know her as Kali (Linnea Berthelsen), the girl who was eluding police in the season opener. El hunts down Kali and her scruffy yet lovable crew of misfits: Axel (James Landry Hebert: Ghost House 2017), Funshine (Kai Greene), Mick (Gabrielle Maiden) and Dottie (Anna Jacoby-Heron). I loved the introduction of Kali to El, when they see each other for the first time in who knows how long, with Kali uses her ability to keep the brash Axel in check (showing she isn’t the type to be fucked with) before they show each other their tattoo, proclaiming themselves sisters. This scene, as well as the scene with them on the roof, put the biggest smile on my face.
The following day, Kali reveals to El that her and her gang of outcasts are vigilantes, hunting the ones who have hurt them in the past and killing them. El reveals to the group that she has also killed in the past, but only in self defense. After training El to better use her powers, Kali takes her to Ray, the shock treatment tech man who is responsible for her mother’s present comatose condition. They confront him and Kali urges El to murder him as revenge for the pain he caused, which El refuses to do. Kali decides to take matters into her own hands and is stopped by El, which leads to some tension between the two. As much as I love them together, the thought that sisters could find themselves on opposite sides (much like Xavier and Magneto) is intriguing.
We find out that Kali escaped after El was taken away and found a family (much like when El found Benny Hammond in season 1) but they were lost to her… possibly killed for offering aid. She tells El she has two choices: continue to hide or stand and fight against “Papa” Brenner, whom Ray claimed survived the Demogorgon attack. She uses her powers to create hallucinations to make El confront Brenner, which leads to her absolutely losing her shit. Police raid Kali’s gang’s hideout and Kali uses her ability to get them to safety, with El deciding to leave to return to her friends. Kali says they can’t save her, to which El responds that she can save them.
El and Kali experience similar situations. The difference is that Kali, after losing her family, gave up on people (besides other misfits). El still believes in the good of people. She refuses to shut herself off. She wants to help those she cares about. I felt that this episode gave us some much needed character development to Eleven/Jane, letting her make a choice and take charge of her life for once. Its obvious she loves her sister and wants a family, but she can’t abandon her friends in their moment of need. I’m curious to see if Kali will return in season 3 (the Duffers seems to think so) and if so, whether she will come to El’s aid to protect her friends or will she be against them. Either way, I would love to spend more time with Kali and her gang and would love to get to know them better and would welcome a Kali spinoff.
So now I want to hear from you. Were you a fan of episode 7, “The Lost Sister”? If not, why not? What do you want to see in season 3 of Stranger Things? Let us know in the comments below!
