Netflix subscribers have had some time now to watch the first seven episodes of Stranger Things Season 4, and many are hotly anticipating the final two episodes of the season, set to premiere on July 1. In the meantime, some Stranger Things fans have come out of Season 4 with questions about the show, including some about apparent "plot holes" that have them scratching their heads.
In particular, there seems to be three Stranger Things Season 4 "plot holes" that are bugging fans, and while one is a genuine error on the part of the showrunners, the other two have explanations.
Please note that this article will have MAJOR SPOILERS for Stranger Things.
Stranger Things Season 4: Where is Kali?
One of the bigger supposed "plot holes" in Stranger Things Season 4 has to deal with a character that hasn't appeared in the show since Season 2. As some may recall, Stranger Things Season 2 sees Eleven run away from Hawkins to meet with a girl named Kali, aka Eight. Both Eleven and Kali were raised in the Hawkins Lab and experimented on by Dr. Brenner, and they even used to play together as toddlers. However, Stranger Things Season 4 sees One, aka Vecna, kill all the kids at Hawkins Lab, an event that takes place years before El and Kali are reunited in Season 2.
This "plot hole" can be explained away by simply saying that Kali escaped prior to the Hawkins Lab massacre. And in fact, she must have escaped well before any of the time the Season 4 flashbacks take place, as she's nowhere to be seen during any of the experiments. After all, Kali has unique powers that allow her to manipulate people with illusions. It stands to reason that powers like that could be very helpful when it comes to escaping from somewhere. Not only that, but Eight is mentioned in Season 4, though briefly, when Vecna (when he's known as orderly Peter Ballard) talks to Eleven about the time her mother tried to take her from the lab, more or less confirming the theory that she simply escaped or left before the massacre occurred. Despite this, it seems some Stranger Things fans online aren't satisfied with this explanation.
Stranger Things Season 4: How Can Eleven Speak So Well in the Flashbacks?
Another issue Stranger Things fans have had with Season 4 is how well Eleven speaks English in the flashbacks. As some may recall, the Eleven from Stranger Things Season 1 had great difficulty talking and could barely speak much at all. The residents of Hawkins that El interacts with in Season 1 basically have to teach her how to talk, and so many Stranger Things fans were confused when the Season 4 flashbacks showed Eleven speaking much more fluent English than she should be able to given the series' timeline.
However, there is an explanation for this, and an official reason at that. In an interview with TV Line, Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers explained that the trauma from the Hawkins Lab massacre caused so much distress that it caused her to regress. The official timeline for Eleven, according to the Duffer brothers, is that she goes into a coma after the massacre, and upon reawakening, is isolated in the lab. She represses the memories of the massacre and regresses developmentally.
So just like the Kali situation, this supposed Stranger Things plot hole actually has an explanation.
Stranger Things Season 4: Will's Birthday
Will Byers is becoming one of the most-talked about characters after Stranger Things Season 4, for a variety of reasons. One of these, unfortunately, is due to a plot hole, and it's one that doesn't have a real explanation. It's been known for some time that Will's birthday is March 22, and that just so happens to be the day that Mike, Will, and Eleven go to the rollerskating rink in Season 4, Episode 2.
Despite the fact that it's supposed to be Will's birthday during the scene, none of the other characters mention it. Will is acting moody throughout the episode, which one could think would be due to the fact that all his family and friends forgot it's his birthday, but he later explains that he was feeling down about being a "third wheel" when hanging out with Mike and Eleven, and that he was annoyed about El lying to Mike about how life was going for her in California.
This is a genuine plot hole that's been acknowledged by the Duffer Brothers, and so fans shouldn't expect to see it resolved in Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 2. It's possible that the inevitable Stranger Things Season 5 will make some effort to correct this oversight, but that remains to be seen. It's most likely a plot hole that was only mentioned by the franchise's most diehard fans anyway, but still, it's understandable that fans would like to see it acknowledged in some capacity.
Stranger Things is streaming now on Netflix.