'Stranger Things' S5 Episode 5: Why Dr. Kay Kidnapped Kali, And Why Does She Really Want Eleven?

After weeks of fan theories, rewatches, and waiting, Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 5 has finally answered one of the burning questions of this season: why Dr. Kay kidnapped Kali and what she truly wants from Eleven. From Episode 1 of the fifth and final season, ‘Dr. Kay’ (Linda Hamilton) was hell-bent on getting a hold of ‘Eleven’, or ‘El’, as her friends lovingly call her. And now, with the much-anticipated release of Volume 2, the reveal not only reframes Kali’s fate, but rewrites everything we thought we knew about Eleven’s powers.

Volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 5 aired on Netflix on December 26, 2025, and within merely hours, it sparked a firestorm online. Here’s a breakdown of Episode 5, titled “Shock Jock”: buckle up, as it’s going to be a wild ride (spoiler alert!).

The reason behind Kali’s kidnapping

The “Shock Jock” episode exposes viewers to a rather disturbing sight. When ‘Eleven’ (Millie Bobby Brown) and 'Hopper' (David Harbour) break ‘Kali’ (Linnea Berthelsen) out of the hidden military base in the Upside Down, she is restrained, sedated, wired with electrodes, and surrounded by sonic devices that are meant to suppress her powers. While she has kept mum about how she ended up there, Episode 5 fills in those gaps.

Kali, through flashbacks, recounts how the military tracked her down in London. Her friends were killed during the raid, following which she was forcibly transported to the Upside Down lab. There, Dr. Kay began a series of experiments, drawing Kali’s blood repeatedly for reasons unknown to her. Although it initially looked like a punishment, the truth turned out to be far worse.

Kali recalls how, while attempting to escape the lab one time, she discovered a never-ending series of hidden rooms. Inside, some pregnant women, all deathly ill, were being infused with her blood, killing them and their unborn children in the process. That’s when Kali realised the purpose behind her captivity.

The horrifying truth behind Eleven’s extraordinary powers

For years, Stranger Things has convinced viewers that Eleven’s powers came from the endless psychedelic drug experiments conducted on her mother, ‘Terry Ives’ (Aimee Mullins), during Project MKUltra. With the latest revelation, it turns out that the story was only partially true. Kali explains that ‘Papa’, aka ‘Dr. Brenner’ (Matthew Modine), wasn’t using drugs to create these psychic children; he was using blood. 

The biggest reveal? The blood was drawn from none other than Henry Creel, also known as ‘001’, aka ‘Vecna’ (Jamie Campbell Bower). The drugs were just a cover story to hide the fact that Dr. Brenner was infusing Henry’s blood into pregnant women, including Terry Ives. That’s why Eleven and the other children were born with powers. Blood had always been the real experiment. And now, Dr. Kay is attempting to recreate the same program, hence kidnapping Kali and repeating that ghastly work.

Why Eleven is Dr. Kay’s real target

Kali tells Eleven that the experiments with her blood failed, and none of the children survived. No one from Dr. Brenner's development program has abilities even remotely close to Henry’s. Well, none, except Eleven. And that’s the terrifying reason that Dr. Kay keeps insisting that she wants Eleven alive. 

Why again? Well, with Vecna’s army rising, Dr. Kay believes Eleven’s blood could succeed where Kali’s failed, and she will be able to create a new generation of psychic children, this time equipped and controlled by the military. Although Eleven initially refuses to believe it, the puzzle pieces fit too well. Everything starts coming back to her: the lab, the pregnant women, the experiments, and the years of lies surrounding Brenner’s work. 

By the end of the explosive episode, Eleven realises the horrifying truth: Kali was never just a prisoner. She was a prototype, a bait to lure her in, as she is the final ingredient Dr. Kay needs to build her psychic army. Once again, the much-anticipated episode leaves viewers with even more questions than answers.

Who is Kali, aka ‘008’?

Kali, whom we first get introduced to in Season 2, is one of the earliest psychic children from Brenner’s experiments and a key figure in understanding Eleven’s past. Also known as ‘Eight’, she is an Indian origin girl with illusion-based powers, i.e., she can manipulate what people see and feel. Unlike Eleven’s telekinesis and psychic abilities, Kali’s strength lies in the mind. She can create vivid hallucinations that can alter one’s perception, or even amplify negative emotions like fear and rage. 

If the new revelations are to be believed, Kali is the eighth experimental child in Brenner’s lab at Hawkins. She and Eleven met as children inside the lab and had formed a good bond before Kali escaped. Years later, they reunited, and Kali was the one who encouraged El to embrace anger as a source of strength. In the final season, Kali becomes the truth-teller who ultimately reveals the whole truth behind Dr. Brenner and Dr. Key’s experiment. 

Now we know that Eleven is the most valuable person in the Upside Down war. With three supersized episodes left and the series finale, set to release on December 31, 2025, the battle is no longer about stopping Vecna; it’s bringing the experiment to its ultimate end.

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