Season 2, Episode 7
In the absence of El (I can’t quite come round to calling her Jane) in episode six, we have a full show dedicated to her in The Lost Sister. The titular sister is Eight, who we were introduced to in the cold open way back in episode one. We now know a little more about her. Eight lived in the rainbow room with Eleven when she was a child but escaped when El was taken away. She has powers too that are more horrifying but slightly less effective than Eleven’s raw power. Eight can make people hallucinate but doesn’t seem to be able to actually move things round like El can. This still leads to some of the seasons most visually striking moments however and Eight herself is a compelling character who we certainly haven’t seen the last of. By the end of the episode, El has decided she doesn’t want to be the Bonnie to Eight’s Clyde and is heading back to Hawkins. It has taken seven whole episodes for Eleven to realise that Hawkins is home and she has everything she needs in Hopper, Mike and the rest of the gang. This story line has taken an age to conclude but it means we will be even more invested in Eleven when she finally reunites with her family in Hawkins.
I understand why this episode was necessary but asking us to focus on a bunch of characters we have just met for the whole show was a little much, especially at such a late stage in the season. It feels like there is a lot to pack in, in the final two episodes but with season three already confirmed, there is no guarantee that we will have the answers to all the outstanding questions still swirling around in Hawkins, Indiana.
That’s not to say that this was a bad episode of course, the urban atmosphere recalled such classics as Escape From New York and The Lost Sister captured that mood and tone perfectly, as Stranger Thingsalmost always does. There was a lot of action this week but in the end The Lost Sister was like it’s own self contained story away from Hawkins and what we, and El, really want, is back in Indiana.