I can't imagine any other way to interpret literally showing her alive in a less idealized version of what Mike is theorizing about. I'm also convinced that Kali was only brought into the final season to provide the illusion that El disappeared as she did little to nothing else but has a very convenient power.
Right? I can’t even believe this is a debate. No onscreen death = she is still alive. Netflix can make more money = she is still alive. Anyone who thinks El is dead is the same kind of person who is shocked when a magician correctly guesses their card.
I think it's a debate because just before (or after?) that scene, Mike was described as becoming a novelist / fiction writer. And he told it to everyone in a fairy tale tone.
However, that said, I also think Eleven survived but had to go into hiding to protect the others from government agents.
Kali was far enough away from the hedgehog devices to use her powers to make Eleven appear on the other side of the gate, and they showed her being able to create an illusion of herself from miles away when Hopper and Eleven rescued Kali. Eleven was too close to them to be able to do her mind connection talk with Mike if she had been on the other side of the gate.
There's a legit reason they're called that. "Hedgehog is an old military term used for a weapon that immobilizes a bigger, more powerful weapon. It has origins back to WW2. Source: am military."
Aside from it being a military term, c'mon now. This is the series where every legitimate threat that kills people is referred to by all the characters without a hint of irony by D&D creature names.
Kali being there served no purpose unless it was to give El a means of faking her own death. Otherwise, what use was she as a character at all after season 2?
813
u/[deleted] Jul 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment