Stranger

Stranger Things season 5 showed the return of Kali after she was last in the series back in the second outing

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers from Stranger Things season 5, volume 1

Stranger Things recently returned for its fifth and final outing. The season has been split into three volumes to make the story last a little bit longer as fans are eagerly champing at the bit for episode five and volume two to land with fans promised feature-length episodes, reports the Express.

Season five, volume one of Stranger Things featured a big reveal with Eight/Kali Prasad (Linnea Berthelsen) being held captive by the USA military and the nefarious Doctor Kay (Linda Hamilton), who was exploiting her powers. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) was left shocked and fans will have to see what happens with Kali.

However, some fans have been wondering about one big plot point from season four, which showed the origins of One/Vecna/Henry Creel/Mr Whatsit (Jamie Campbell Bower) and Dr Martin Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) experiments. During the fourth series, One finally broke free of Brenner’s Soteria chip with the help of an unwitting Eleven and went on the rampage, killing almost everyone at Hawkins Lab in the process.

How did Kali survive the Hawkins Lab massacre?

During the massacre scene, it seemed that all of Dr Brenner’s child experiments fell victim to Vecna.

Graphic scenes depicted lifeless bodies left in Vecna’s aftermath, with the villain then turning his focus to Eleven for a showdown.

Eleven astonishingly overpowered Vecna and banished him to the Upside Down after inadvertently tearing a hole in time and space.

Interestingly, Eight/Kali wasn’t seen among the casualties of the Hawkins Massacre, but how could she have evaded Vecna’s onslaught?

This appears to create a bit of a plot hole, as the implication from the massacre was that Eleven was the sole survivor.

OPINION

Neela Debnath

READ MORE: Stranger Things star Nell Fisher’s life off-screen as she joins the cast as Holly Wheeler

However, as viewers will recall, Eleven discovered her sister Kali following a row with Jim Hopper (David Harbour).

Kali and Eleven formed a bond whilst the younger girl spent time with her sister’s motley crew of companions.

Audiences witnessed how Kali possessed different abilities to Eleven, enabling her to conjure illusions that appeared incredibly realistic.

To Eleven’s dismay, Kali summoned a vision of Dr Brenner to torment her, and at one stage even manifested spiders to terrorise one of her mates.

This creates a massive plot hole that the programme’s writers will need to tackle eventually, and it appears peculiar to leave it hanging.

Kali reportedly escaped from the facility after she managed to develop her abilities and used them to break free.

Might Kali have fled Hawkins Laboratory before Vecna began manipulating Eleven?

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If that’s the case, this could explain her absence during his murderous rampage.

Numerous Stranger Things fans at the time flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to discuss this apparent continuity error, with user @_yoboistan writing: “I could not be the only one who expected Kali/Eight, the sister of Eleven from previous season, to appear on Season 4. It seems a major plot hole to me. #StrangerThings.”

While @ayoodole penned: “Expecting to see more of Kali in season 4 of stranger things. She can’t just go like that.”

Viewer @itsaaudraw tweeted: “Where is Kali, Netflix? Where are you hiding her? ? ! ? ! ? ! #strangerthings.”

Another audience member, @jespertalent, quipped: “remember Kali from stranger things season 2? neither do the writers.”

An irate fan, @calmheedattea_, posted: “stranger things s4 spoiler. WHY IS KALI NOT SEEN IN THESE SUPPOSED MEMORIES OF EL THIS IS P***ING ME OFF LIKE ARE WE JUST FORGETTING KALI EVER HAPPENED WHAT [sic].”

Another viewer, @legocereal, added: “#StrangerThings spoiler why was kali the only one with different abilities tho :/ the concept of all of the kids powers developing differently was so cool whyd they just completely ignore it this season [sic].”

Given that Kali featured in the crucial flashback scene when Terry Ives (Aimee Mullins) infiltrated the rainbow room in the lab and attempted to rescue her daughter, it seems a significant oversight if she has now been forgotten.

The writers are now likely to address this plot hole either in the second volume of season four or even in the fifth and final season when the story will be wrapping up.

Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 is released on Netflix UK & Ireland on December 26

Miracles do still happen.

Ricki Lake took to Instagram on Monday to share the “craziest” story of how a stranger had found her old family photos “at a freaking flea market.”

“I can’t even process” this, the former talk show host says in the video. “My words are not coming.”

Lake, who lost her Malibu home in the Palisades fire in January, recounted how a couple of her friends had reached out to her Sunday night to let her know that someone had posted images of old photos featuring Lake and her son on social media and was trying to get in touch with her.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing because all of it was gone in the fire,” Lake says.

Patty Scanlon, the artist who had posted the images, joined Lake on Instagram Live to share how she stumbled upon the photos while looking for inspiration at the Pasadena City College Flea Market.

“It was like the universe drove me to get your pictures,” Scanlon says, explaining she found a box of photos at the first vendor she hit at the market and bought it for $20. “I opened the pictures and the first one I saw … I thought ‘Oh, I love that woman’s face.’”

The artist didn’t immediately recognize the woman in the photos, but as she looked through more of them she realized it was Lake and her son Milo, who is now 28, as a toddler. In addition to the photos, Scanlon found a letter that indicated Lake had mailed them as a thank-you for some gifts that were given to baby Milo.

“These pictures are so priceless to me,” Lake says. “They would be anyway … but the fact that I lost all of these images in the fire in January … I thought they were gone forever.”

“I had made peace,” she continues. “It was such a heartache and such a painful thing to come to terms with. That all of these memories are no longer in front of me. They’re just in my mind and heart now. But the fact that you found these is unbelievable.”

In the video, Scanlon hypothesizes that the box of photos probably ended up at the flea market after an estate sale and says she can’t believe what a “miracle” it was that she had found them after learning about how Lake had lost everything in the fires.

“I really cannot thank you enough for your generosity,” Lake says to Scanlon. “The fact that I’m going to get something back that I thought was lost forever … it makes me so happy.”

Jonathan Byers’ gift to Nancy Wheeler in Stranger Things may not bring the joy he had hoped for.

Stranger Things season five, volume two drops on Netflix soon and fans were left in shock after some surprising revelations at the end of the first four episodes.

While Will Byers (played by Noah Schnapp) discovered some life-changing abilities, his brother Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) was caught up in a love triangle with Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) – who could be immune from death.

Fans of the Jonathan and Nancy coupling were squealing with delight after Murray (Brett Gelman) smuggled Jonathan an engagement ring, disguised inside a cassette tape.

Murray urged Jonathan to dive straight in and declare his love for Nancy, but Jonathan was reluctant to propose after Nancy’s parents were brutally attacked by a Demogorgon.

The ring is yet to appear again in the series and fans have come up with a heartbreaking theory about what could be in store for Jonathan.

On the Stranger Things fan group Facebook page, C Anna Thomas said: “Jonathan has a ring in the cassette. Don’t hate me!!! Jonathan dies and Nancy later finds the ring.”

Amy Harding agreed, adding: “I had the same theory. And then Steve and Nancy live out his Harrington dream. I really hope that doesn’t happen though. Love Steve, but Nancy and Jonathan belong together.”

Over on Reddit, jjn0394 shared: “So I find myself to be pretty good at reading what things in shows mean and how they’re later going to apply down the line. Like noticing the subtle signs and I’m calling it now Jonathan’s going to die.

“He just received the engaging jazz tape. So to me – there’s an engagement ring in that cassette. Nancy’s going to find it after he dies and find out he was going to propose. That’s my guess – cementing it here.

After watching all four episodes of volume one, they added: “They’re all going to go after Holly obviously. Nancy, Steve and Jonathan will be together.

“Something happens where Steve is in harms way and about to die and Jonathan saves him and dies instead after saying a ‘take care of her’ or something.

“At the very end after everything is done Nancy will find the ring. She’ll marry Steve in the flash forwards of a new life but will always still love Jonathan too.”

It appears viewers could be in for a “tell Nancy I love her” scenario with Jonathan, potentially leaving Steve to give Nancy the ring.

Of course, he has the option to hide this information from Nancy – but, being the selfless person he is, he is likely to do what he feels is best for her.

Viewers will have to wait and see if Jonathan meets his end or gets his happily ever after in volume two.

Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 drops on Netflix on Christmas Day in the US and Boxing Day in the UK.

The grand finale will air on New Year’s Eve in the US and New Year’s Day in the UK.

Stranger Things fans have been prepared to riot if fan-favourite character Steve Harrington meets his end.

Stranger Things season five will be returning to Netflix with volume two soon and fans are yet to experience any major deaths in the final outing. Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono), narrowly escaped death following a gruesome Demogorgon attack, but a major fatality is yet to come.

One character fans are desperate to see alive by the end of the series is Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington – who started off as a stereotypical jock before surprising audiences as the ‘father’ of the group. His charming yet selfless nature has captured the hearts of viewers across the globe.

After Steve’s lack of screen time in the final season five trailer, fans feared for his life and were convinced Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) was crying over his death. However, The Duffer Brothers have hinted he could have his happily ever after moment.

In a chat with Entertainment Weekly, they admitted they had planned to kill Steve off in the first season. However, after falling in love with Keery as an actor, they decided to keep his character in the series, which went on to become a global phenomenon.

Matt said: “We just fell in love with Joe Keery, but had we not liked Joe Keery, Steve would’ve been gone.” It appears the plan had been for Steve to be the stereotypical bully who broke Nancy’s heart and was killed off gruesomely to everyone’s satisfaction.

However, Steve has narrowly escaped death on more than one occasion throughout the series, suggesting he is too loveable a character to kill off.

Matt admitted he and the writers “always talk about” killing off main characters, but explained: “What often holds us back is you have to talk about the repercussions.

“We try to be careful, if there is a death, that it has real repercussions. So we just wanna be careful about when and how frequently we do it.”

Fans have said Steve has lacked any major character development throughout the season, and although his role is not pivotal, he is extremely well-liked.

While his death would have major repercussions with fans, it is unlikely to have any huge impact on the show’s main characters – i.e. they would be able to take down Vecna (Jamie Campbell-Bower) without him.

Fans of Steve may be lucky in that the Duffer Brothers just love Keery’s charm too much to say goodbye to him, and they also risk upsetting his huge following.

On Reddit, fans described Steve as “the Daryl Dixon of Stranger Things”, referring to Norman Reedus’ The Walking Dead character.

One fan said if he were to die, “it’s not even a satisfying ending to his arc”. Mundane-Parsnip-7302 continued: “The guy who has spent the last three years trying to better himself and find a purpose in his life should just die at the end, having no meaning to his life beyond sacrificing himself to save others?”

Fried4wayer predicted he may have another narrow escape, adding: “He’ll have to have a typical Steve moment where he’s looking to be in a tight spot and gets saved.”

Artisan_HotDog shared: “I can see something happening to him that will absolutely change his life in a physical way, but I don’t see him dying at all.”

Stranger Things season 5 volume 2 drops on Netflix on Christmas Day in the US and Boxing Day in the UK.

The grand finale will air on New Year’s Eve in the US and New Year’s Day in the UK.

The fandom behind hit sci-fi series “Stranger Things” is a force to be reckoned with. Netflix said Tuesday that the show’s roughly two-hour finale will be available for viewing in 150 more theaters than previously announced.

The last episode to the sci-fi show’s final season will be released on Netflix Dec. 31 and in more than 500 theaters in the U.S. on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Previously, the streamer said it would be in more than 350 theaters.

While Netflix has brought show episodes to theaters in the past, it generally releases many of them on its streaming service. Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said in an interview last month that the decision to bring the “Stranger Things” finale to theaters came after a conversation with the show’s creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, and “we thought it was a really fun way to eventize it.”

“You can watch it at home, you can go out to the theater and watch that last episode … it has amazing cinematic scale,” Bajaria said.

The Duffer brothers told Netflix’s Tudum that bringing the finale to theaters is “something we’ve dreamed about for years.”

“Getting to see it on the big screen, with incredible sound, picture, and a room full of fans, feels like the perfect — dare we say bitchin’ — way to celebrate the end of this adventure,” they said.

Already, enthusiasm for the show has been tremendous. Analytics firm Samba TV estimated that 39% of U.S. households that had watched at least one episode of “Stranger Things” season 5, had binged all four available episodes within the first 48 hours. Netflix declined to comment on Samba’s data.

After the first four episodes of season 5 were released last Wednesday at 5 p.m., Netflix on TV devices were down for a few minutes.

The next three episodes will be released on Christmas Day, followed by the finale on Dec. 31.

The show’s fourth season ranks as the third most-viewed English language series on the service in its first three months, generating 140.7 million views, according to Netflix.

The show’s throwback to the 1980’s and its themes of friendship and adventure struck a chord with global audiences. It has become one of the most popular franchises within Netflix and helped propel the streamer’s business in live events and branding opportunities.

On Tuesday, Netflix announced many brand partnerships and consumer products with various retailers, including a KFC Stranger Things Burger and Stranger Wings in the U.K., a 2,593-piece Lego set and a Care Bears collaboration where Grumpy Bear is dressed as a Demogorgon. Marian Lee, Netflix’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement that it was “the largest collection of products and experiences in ‘Stranger Things’ history and one of our biggest campaigns yet.” Netflix has at least 100 consumer product collaborations worldwide related to “Stranger Things’” final season, according to a person familiar with the matter who declined to be named.

“For nearly a decade, the Stranger Things franchise has made an undeniable cultural impact and leaves a lasting legacy,” Lee said.

In addition to “Stranger Things” merchandise, Netflix has hosted fan events around the show, including a bike ride in collaboration with non-profit CicLAvia on Melrose Avenue on Nov. 23, where more than 50,000 fans participated and were encouraged to dress up in 80’s attire or as “Stranger Things” characters.

The hit sci-fi show’s final season is releasing in three parts, but fans have just had some bad news

*Warning: Contains spoilers for Episodes 1 to 4 of Stranger Things Season 5*

After a painstaking wait, Stranger Things fans have finally had their first taste of the fifth and final season of the sci-fi spectacle, with the first batch of episodes releasing on Netflix just last week.

Viewers were left agape after a huge twist at the end of Episode 4, which revealed the true extent of Will Byers’ (Noah Schnapp) powers. After his own close-call with Vecna (Jamie Campbell-Bower) during his youth, Will learned he could actually channel the child-snatching villain’s magic and use it himself.

In the final moments of Episode 4, Will seizes control of the Demogorgons who are about to attack his friends and lifts them into the air, breaking their limbs one by one. After saving his loved ones, his nose starts to bleed just like Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) does when she uses her powers.

The cliffhanger ending could see the world of the Upside Down quite literally turned upside down, but viewers will have to wait until December 26 to see what unfolds next as that is when the following three episodes land. Meanwhile the grand finale will drop separately on January 1.

As fans mark the dates in their diaries, there has been a major Stranger Things update which has left die-hard show followers heartbroken.

The official Stranger Things social media accounts today announced (December 1) that there would be fan screenings in cinemas of the final episodes before their official release on Netflix. However, it made clear that the event would be limited to fans in the US and Canada.

“What a terrible day to be in England,” one show fan penned. A second replied: “Ugh, it’s cool they’re doing an epic screening but… US & Canada only? Seriously?”

They continued: “The final season’s Episode 4 got a 9.7/10 IMDb rating globally. This show is bigger than one continent, that’s just a fact. Couldn’t they do a simultaneous, free global stream for fans outside North America?”

Another viewer joked: “Make it worldwide you cowards, do you not think Europe wants this too?”, as one penned: “Someone book me a flight right now.”

Yet another UK-based fan remarked: “Stranger Things is number 1 in the UK as I type why would you not put in in cinemas here?”

The first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 are now streaming on Netflix. Episodes 5 to 7 release on December 26, followed by the grand finale on January 1.