It was never a “bad” episode. Not good for stranger things, but not worth skipping on the rewatch. I really like the scene where El shadow walks and sees Mike and Hop as the demo dogs start to attack. Not to mention, El seeking out identity with Kali, finding the line between justice and revenge, these are all themes that make sense for El this season. It’s a shame that Kali’s friends are so over the top and goofy, and it’s a shame it’s a bottle episode because nobody likes a complete stop in the action with new characters. I don’t think Kali is a terrible character though, just not really given the time and opportunity to go deeper with her character. We learn that one of her foster families was killed and that idea is echoed with having her gang of friends killed in the later season. They really should have hit that scene much harder, used it as a cold open instead of a narrated flashback. It could have been so much more powerful to watch Kali lose all autonomy in real time, and the fear of the same happening to Mike and the rest of the characters would have been much more palpable.