Stranger Things’ Most Untrustworthy Character Set Up The Best Emotional Arc For The Series Finale, But I’m Nervous

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Be warned: the following contains major spoilers for the second volume of Stranger Things Season 5, which is now available to stream on Netflix.

The second part of Stranger Things‘ fifth and final season is now available on Netflix. Only the two-hour series finale, scheduled for 2025, remains to wrap up the story. The latest episodes set the stage for a huge showdown, with most of the characters venturing into the Upside Down on a risky mission to finally defeat Vecna and prevent him from destroying both worlds.

As Stranger Things approaches its final episodes, let’s revisit Kali’s comeback, her agreement with Eleven, and why I agree with Hopper’s skepticism towards her – even though her storyline might be the most emotionally powerful part of the series’ conclusion.

Why I Think Kali Is The Most Untrustworthy Of The Heroes

Kali didn’t just come back to reconnect with her sister. The show isn’t finished with her story after Hopper and Eleven saved her from the Upside Down—which we now understand is more like a pathway than a completely separate world. She’s joined forces with the group, but she’s also keeping secrets and has her own hidden agenda.

When Kali discovered Dr. Kay was continuing Dr. Brenner’s experiments – using the blood of children with special abilities to create more like them – she decided she wanted to end her own life. Believing her sister, El, has the most powerful blood, Kali plans to take El with her.

It’s good that Kali was honest with El about her plan, even if she did manipulate El’s feelings for Mike to get her on board. However, I find this development interesting because Kali wanting to stop the cycle of people like Dr. Brenner and Dr. Kay makes sense given her past, and El agreeing aligns with her strong desire to protect those she cares about.

It’s easy to understand why Hopper is so stressed, and Kali definitely seems like the least reliable of the main characters. We only know what she wants based on what she told Eleven, and even that might not be the whole story. I think she could potentially betray the group in a couple of different ways.

Possible Betrayal #1: Kali Turns On Eleven

Let’s begin with the more disheartening of the two betrayals: Kali is determined to shut down the program, even if it means removing herself and her sister as sources of their special blood. Because she believes their future is bleak, she convinced El, who has also seen little hope for a positive outcome.

By the end of the second-to-last episode, “The Bridge,” Eleven believed that she and Kali should both accept their fate and die in the Upside Down when Mike’s bomb explodes. They wouldn’t need to betray each other to die together.

Eleven and Kali aren’t facing Henry alone – Hopper and Mike are with them too. Hopper is carefully watching Kali, and Mike’s hopeful stories about a better life beyond Hawkins have been the only thing to bring a smile to Eleven’s face this season. If they can convince Eleven she wants to try and live, will Kali then step in to ensure Eleven stays with her when the bomb explodes?

Kali wouldn’t have to directly attack El or deliver a fatal blow. She could simply do something to delay El’s escape. I think Kali is already resigned to her own death, and she’s fiercely committed to ensuring they both die to finally end the program. This might also involve her targeting Hopper, perhaps anticipating he’d go to extreme lengths to try and stop her.

Possible Betrayal #2: Kali Goes Rogue With Her Powers

Kali doesn’t necessarily need to pressure El into accepting the deal to remain separated. Despite their complicated history, Kali still appears to care for her sister. If El chooses to live a life with her friends – Mike, Hopper, or others from Hawkins – Kali could potentially make a final, selfless choice and use her abilities to help El before it’s too late for herself.

Could Kali create an illusion of Eleven’s death during the explosion, letting her sister live a normal life? Kali doesn’t believe she has a future for herself, but she might be willing to give Jane a fresh start if she decides to honor their deal.

For an illusion of Eleven’s death to be effective, someone in a position of authority – like a government official or someone in the military – would likely need to see it happen. Simply convincing her friends wouldn’t have much impact, and would likely just lead to a sad storyline for Hopper and Mike as the series ended.

The key is to convince those in charge, and Kali needs at least one of them to witness what looks like her sister’s death – otherwise, the sacrifice won’t mean much. But given Linda Hamilton’s star power, it seems unlikely Stranger Things would bring her on board without giving her a significant scene. Perhaps she’ll survive long enough to see Eleven seemingly die, all because Kali broke their pact and secured a new life for her sister.

Why Kali’s Choice Could Lead To The Best Emotional Arc Of the Finale

However things end for Eleven and Kali – whether they both die, only one survives, or something else entirely – I believe their story has the potential to be the most powerful emotional conclusion of Stranger Things‘ final season. Most other storylines wrapped up in Volume 2, but this one remains unresolved.

Max has woken up and happily reunited with Lucas, who stayed by her side throughout her coma. Will has come out to his loved ones and discovered Mike’s past crush on him. Jonathan and Nancy’s relationship is stable for the moment. As for Steve, Nancy made it clear to Jonathan that he wants a large family, effectively ending any romantic possibility between her and Steve.

Plus, the conflict between Dustin and Steve after Eddie’s death is resolved, and Joyce finally starts treating Will like the young man he is now, instead of remembering him as a child. These storylines are all wrapped up.

Robin’s been heavily involved in Will’s story, but she really needs her own plot to come to a head in the final season – though her date with Vickie could be a small part of that. Murray and Erica don’t have significant storylines of their own right now, and we still don’t know much about Ted Wheeler, who isn’t one of the main characters.

Currently, the storylines focusing on Eleven, Mike, and Hopper haven’t really finished. What Kali decides in the final episode could significantly impact how their stories end. I used to be open to the idea of Eleven not surviving, but now I really want to see her get a happy ending, and I hope Kali’s actions don’t stop that from happening.

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2025-12-27 16:10