Stranger Thingshas an infamously weak episode, and unfortunately, it proves why a spinoff wouldn’t work after the show’s end.Stranger Thingsquickly rose in Netflix’s charts when it debuted in 2016 and has since been one of the platform’s most popular and successful TV shows. After four seasons full of twists, shocking reveals, and heartbreaking moments,Stranger Thingsis now preparing for its fifth and final season.Stranger Thingsseason 4 endedon a huge cliffhanger as Max (Sadie Sink) was left in a coma after her encounter with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), which also unleashed his plan.
After an earthquake hit Hawkins, cracks opened across town, through which the Upside Down began to bleed into the human world. It’s now up to Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the rest of the Hawkins crew to stop the Upside Down from taking over the human world, as well as to find and defeat Vecna. Despite season 5 being the final chapter ofStranger Things, it won’t be the end of this world as it will expand with spinoffs – and while this could be exciting, there’s oneStranger Thingsepisode that shows spinoffs might not be a good idea, after all.
“The Lost Sister” Is Stranger Things’ Lowest-Rated Episode By A Large Margin
Stranger Things Tried To Do Something Different & Failed
Stranger Thingsseason 2 arrived to solve some of the biggest questions that season 1’s finale left, but unfortunately, all those answers and adventures were overshadowed by one episode, and not for good reasons.Stranger Thingsseason 2’s episode 7, “The Lost Sister”, continued Eleven’s journey to find answers about her past, especially related to her mother, Terry Ives. Eleven had found her mother and, after communicating through their powers, left her house as she discovered her aunt calling the Hawkins Police Department.
Kali led a street gang and wanted revenge on Brenner, and she used Eleven to fulfill that goal.
The information she got from Terry led Eleven to findKali (Linnea Berthelsen), a fellow Hawkins Lab subject who also has powers.Eleven traveled to Chicago to meet her, and they quickly bonded, with Kali helping Eleven control her powers and get the best of them. However, Kali led a street gang and wanted revenge on Brenner, and she used Eleven to fulfill that goal. After learning from a retired Hawkins Lab orderly that Brenner was alive, Eleven snapped out of her anger-driven actions and returned to Hawkins.As for Kali, she hasn’t returned since then.
The episode is a lot slower than any otherStranger Thingsepisode, the only known character is Eleven, and it takes the audience away from the rest of the season’s story during a critical time.
“The Lost Sister” was very divisive and is widely regarded asStranger Things’ weakest episode, and with good reason. The episode is a lot slower than any otherStranger Thingsepisode, the only known character is Eleven, and it takes the audience away from the rest of the season’s story during a critical time (the discovery of Will’s connection to the hive mind and the rest of the crew dealing with the demodogs). OnIMDb,“The Lost Sister” is the lowest-ratedStranger Thingsepisodeto date, with 6.1, with the second lowest-rated episode having a 7.8 rating.
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“Vecna’s Curse”
“The Lost Sister” Shows How Difficult It Would Be To Pull Off A Stranger Things Spinoff
There’s A Lot To Learn From “The Lost Sister”
“The Lost Sister” has been called an “unnecessary” episode, a filler, a misplaced episode, and some viewers have suggested it could have worked best as a between-seasons teaser or special episode, or if the story had been added as a subplot in another episode. The truth is that “The Lost Sister” feels off for the above-mentioned reasons, and it ended up feeling like a pilot for a spinoff focused on another Hawkins Lab subject – and unfortunately, it failed. Even with Eleven’s presence and involvement and the links to Hawkins Lab and more,“The Lost Sister” doesn’t feel like part of the show.
If anything, “The Lost Sister” shows how difficult it’s going to be for the Duffer Brothers and company to pull off aStranger Thingsspinoff. Surely, a large part of “The Lost Sister”’s failure can be attributed to its bad placing in season 2, but even then, had it been a special episode, it still wouldn’t feel like a branch ofStranger Things. That’s not to say that any and allpotentialStranger Thingsspinoffswill fail, but there is a lot to learn from “The Lost Sister.”
Stranger Things’ Popularity Doesn’t Mean That Every Spinoff Idea Will Work
The Team Behind Stranger Things Has To Be Smart With Its Spinoff Ideas
Not all characters are strong enough to lead their own show, and they thrive with the rest of the characters.
Most likely the biggest reason whyStranger Thingswill continue with spinoffs is the show’s popularity, which is understandable – however, the success of the main show with critics and general audiences doesn’t mean that every spinoff idea will work. As charming, entertaining, and interesting as most of the main characters ofStranger Thingsare, the truth is that not all of them are strong enough to lead their own show, and they thrive with the rest of the characters. Of course, an even bigger risk would be choosing minor characters, no matter how much potential they might have (like Erica).
Stranger Things’ Best Spinoff Idea Doesn’t Include Any Known Characters (& That Benefits The Show)
If Stranger Things expands with spinoffs after season 5, the best idea is one that doesn’t include any characters introduced in the main show.
For aStranger Thingsspinoff to succeed, it needs to be a very solid and creative idea that matches the style and pace of the main show while obviously staying on-brand with its tone, stories, and more. It’s unknown what the firstStranger Thingsspinoff could be about (or if it will even happen), but the creative team should take note of what went wrong with “The Lost Sister.”
