The creators of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers, have expressed their desire to revisit the show’s much-criticised Season 2 episode, “The Lost Sister.” However, they have dismissed rumours that the episode was intended as a backdoor pilot for a potential spin-off series.
During an interview with Josh Horowitz on the
podcast, the Duffer Brothers reflected on their time working on the popular Netflix series. When discussing aspects they would change, both Matt and Ross Duffer agreed that Season 2, Episode 7 required more attention.
“I think the mistake was this idea of a bottle episode,” Matt Duffer explained. “I think if we had threaded it in more organically throughout the season, it would have worked. It wasn’t anybody’s fault except ours. I just would have approached how we integrated Kali differently.”
For those unfamiliar, the seventh episode of Stranger Things Season 2 shifts the focus from Hawkins, Indiana, to Chicago. Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, encounters a group of outcasts, including Kali, who shares a connection with Eleven’s past and possesses supernatural abilities.
Since its premiere in October 2017, the episode has been widely discussed among fans. While the Duffer Brothers acknowledge that the episode could have been handled better, they do not regret the concept entirely.
“Matt and I got so drawn into getting those last two episodes of Season 2 written,” Ross Duffer added, “and prepping because we were directing them, that it just got lost in the shuffle.”
The Duffer Brothers also revealed that they anticipated fan reactions to the episode’s integration into the season. However, Matt Duffer admitted that the backlash was more intense than expected. The negative response to “The Lost Sister” affected the duo as they moved into Season 3, with many fans still focused on their disappointment with the episode.
Season 2, Episode 7 remains one of the least popular episodes across the show’s 40+ episodes. Some fans speculated that the episode was originally intended as a backdoor pilot for a spin-off series. Nearly a decade after its premiere, Matt Duffer addressed these rumours.
“First of all, let me just clear up some bulls**t out on the internet,” he said. “There’s so much bulls**t, we’d be here all day, but that was never designed as like a spinoff. That’s bulls**t. That’s not true. That’s gross. We would not do that.”
Following the conclusion of Stranger Things with its Season 5 finale on 31 December 2025, some fans expressed disappointment and even speculated about a secret episode that never materialised.
For now, the main story of Stranger Things has concluded. However, fans can explore why some believe the Duffer Brothers may reveal more about the characters of Hawkins in the future. Additionally, there is information available on everything you need to know about the Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 spinoff.
