Here’s why “The Lost Sister” is the worst-rated episode in Stranger Things history. After a stellar debut season, the pressure was on Stranger Things 2 to deliver. The adventures of Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Eleven captured the hearts of viewers and quickly became Netflix’s hottest property by melding science fiction adventure with nostalgic 1980s aesthetic. Generally speaking, Stranger Things‘ second season was another critically acclaimed outing from the Duffer brothers that opened up the characters of season 1, introduced some compelling newbies, and delved deeper into the mythology of the Upside-Down. However, season 2 also contains an episode that attracted near-universal disdain.

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As the tension between Eleven and Hopper, now the youngster’s guardian, reaches boiling point, Eleven is encouraged to strike out alone in search of others who were experimented on by Dr. Brenner and developed psychic abilities. She eventually finds Kali, otherwise known as Eight, who is able to project illusions and has gathered a band of followers in her attempt to get revenge on those from the Hawkins lab. Kali helps Eleven learn to control her own abilities, but her older sister’s ruthlessness soon sends Elle running back home, now looking like a fan of The Cure.

In truth, “The Lost Sister” had a lot of good ideas. Introducing other test subjects with abilities made sense and expanded the world of Stranger Things, and the episode also solved the lingering problems of Eleven being unable to control her powers and her rocky relationship with Hopper. Despite some promise, it’s the execution of “The Lost Sister” that left a bitter taste among viewers.

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The episode is a massive visual and tonal shift from not only the rest of season 2, but the entirety of Stranger Things. The familiar small-town vibe of Hawkins is replaced by the bright lights of Chicago, immediately separating “The Lost Sister” from every other episode. Thematically, the introduction of Kali is far darker than anything Stranger Things had managed previously. The feel-good 1980s mystery tone, with a Spielberg-esque group of kids taking on some shady villains, had suddenly been replaced with Eleven almost killing a man while his children were in the other room. “The Lost Sister” was already a bottle episode in the sense that it only really featured Millie Bobby Brown from the usual cast, but the drastic change of setting and sudden deviation of tone made for an even more jarring gear shift, and fans weren’t on board.

The placement of “The Lost Sister” in Stranger Things season 2 is also a problem. As episode 7 out of 9, the standalone episode comes just as the main story with The Mind Flayer, Will’s possession and “Dad Steve” is coming to a climax. After progressing steadily for 6 episodes, “The Lost Sister” cuts all momentum and switches to a mostly-unrelated side-story that barely connects to the rest of the narrative. When normal service is resumed in “The Mind Flayer,” the introduction of Kali and Elle’s adventures in Chicago feel like a distant fever dream, and only distracted viewers from the things they were invested in.

In any TV series, bottle episodes are divisive by their very nature. Even the critically-untouchable Breaking Bad caused a stir with “Fly” – either a pointless abomination or a work of genius, depending on who you ask. But the best standalone episodes go inward, pausing to take a deeper look at one or two specific characters, so that when the main story resumes, the audience has a greater understanding of those personalities. “The Lost Sister” doesn’t achieve this. Instead, the episode goes outward, introducing new themes, ideas, settings and characters that weren’t important or complimentary to Stranger Things as a whole.

Stranger Things season 4 is currently without a release date.

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About The Author


Craig Elvy
(3630 Articles Published)

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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