Netflix released two cryptic teasers for the upcoming fourth season of Stranger Things. The first teaser, "HNL Control Room," featured a series of static televisions that occasionally flickered to show bloody images of what appeared to be the Rainbow Room in the Hawkins National Laboratory. The second teaser, "Eleven, are you listening?," took place directly in the Rainbow Room, where several children were playing games. The teaser concluded with the children being greeted by their "Papa," Dr. Brenner, and the camera panning back to a door with the number 11 on it.
If the teasers are any indication, then the Rainbow Room and Hawkins National Laboratory will play a big role in Stranger Things Season 4. A return to the laboratory could also mean the return of one of the series' most divisive characters: Season 2's Kali Prasad.
After being teased in Stranger Things' Season 2 premiere, Kali made her full debut in Season 2, Episode 7, "The Lost Sister." Like Eleven, Kali grew up in the Hawkins facility and has special powers, with hers being the ability to create hallucinations in people's minds, making them see things that aren't there. Eleven found Kali in Chicago and discovered that she was the leader of a street gang that was tracking down former members of the lab to exact revenge on them. Despite helping Eleven harness and control her powers, Eleven and Kali disagreed on Kali's extreme methods of retribution. The two parted ways at the end of the episode when Eleven decided to go back to Hawkins to help her friends.
The introduction of Kali, and "The Lost Sister" in general, was divisive among fans. The sudden introduction of many new characters, along with the shift to a new setting and darker tone, felt out of place compared to the rest of the season. But the biggest issue with the episode was that Kali's story felt disconnected from the larger plot, especially considering Kali was not present at all during Season 3.
The emphasis on the Rainbow Room is one of the biggest giveaways that Kali might come back, especially given the fact that Kali and Eleven used to play there together, but there are other clues that could point to a return. The first teaser showed an image of a bloody Magic 8-ball. Eight was Kali's number when she was in the lab, and the bloody images could be a reference to her darker nature. The second teaser featured another Magic 8-ball shot, with the message, "Signs Point To Yes." This could be a direct indication that Kali is definitely coming back.
In addition, the second teaser showed a Plinko game with numbered slots at the bottom. In the slots, the number eight was covered with a chip alongside numbers four and seven. Since four plus seven equals eleven, the chips could point to a clash between Kali and Eleven. The numbers that aren't covered with chips could also imply that other test subjects, especially those that debuted in the Stranger Things comics, might make their live action debut in the upcoming season.
Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Priah Ferguson, Cary Elwes, Jake Busey, Maya Thurman-Hawke and Levon Thurman-Hawke. Season 4 has yet to receive a release date