As a movie buff, I've been obsessed with the 1980s for as long as I can remember. The clothes, media, and everything in between fascinated me. To top it off, my parents were teens in the 80s. When "Stranger Things" premiered in July 2016, I was over the moon to watch a series based on a group of preteens in the 1980s. But all good things must come to an end. Next year, we'll say Goodbye to Hawkins for the last time as Season 5 wrapped production on December 18, 2024. Variety shared, "Production has wrapped on the fifth and final season of Netflix‘s hit series, the streamer [Netflix] announced Friday. A release date for the finale hasn’t been revealed yet, but Netflix has confirmed the show will be back in 2025."
It feels like yesterday that I was writing an article for Study Breaks Magazine about my wishlist for season 3, and now that season has come and gone. After many long waiting periods, filming for the last season finally ended with many tearful goodbyes from the cast on social media.
Millie Bobby Brown shares an emotional goodbye with throwback photos. She captions the carousel of photos with "with love, el ❤️." From her first moments as El to her final ones, she's a force to be reckoned with. Honestly, this show found the perfect main characters.
El's on-and-off-again lover, Mike Wheeler, shares his love for the series and their characters. From the first time he met El, fans could see their spark. I know they were kids, but how he understood her without judgment set the tone for their relationship.
Finn Wolfhard shared a carousel of behind-the-screen heartfelt photos with a touching caption, "We shot it for a year, and I’ll miss all of my friends and our characters terribly..."
Our shy boy turned into a man before our eyes. Will Byers grew up so much, and I couldn't imagine anyone else portraying him. Noah Schnapp's goodbye post shared younger behind-the-screens photos that take me back to season 1. Before sharing his top ten lessons learned, he says, "As I close this chapter of my life, I can’t help but be forever grateful for the incredible people that I’ve met and valuable life/career lessons I learned through this decade journey." Our heartfelt Will Byers shows through the cracks in Noah's Instagram caption with how much he loved playing Will for many years.
Sadie Sink came in like a fireball to "Stranger Things" and instantly became a sensation overnight. Alongside her carousel of photos, she writes, "Saying goodbye is so painful, but I leave with memories and love to last a lifetime. I’m eternally grateful ❤️." I wish they had introduced Max Mayfield sooner because she added so much talent to the core group.
Many things have changed and progressed since my fan wishlist for season 3. At the time, I hoped for characters to evolve (Johnathan Byers and his growing relationship with Nancy Wheeler), Will would get a break, Clues on how Eleven's past connects to Hopper's, and Dustin and Steve's friendship.
Characters Evolving: Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler
Nancy Wheeler breaks up with Steve Harrington at the end of Season 2, then starts a new relationship with Jonathan Byers. The pair leans on each other after ending up in a one-bed situation, which leads to them discovering their romantic feelings for each other.
Anna Sky Magliola and Georgie Holland at Hello Rayo beautifully recap seasons 1-4 in their July 2024 article. "Nancy and Jonathan get internships together at The Hawkins Post," but it isn't as glamorous for Nancy as much as it is for Jonathan due to sexism. However, due to the rat fertilizer issue, Nancy reports on the most significant disaster, proving she's not someone to step on.
Although season four ended with Nancy and Jonathan still together despite his family's move to California, things could change again. In Johnathan's absence from Hawkins, Nancy and Steve spend more and more time around each other. Essentially, they and Robin are the older kids left to watch over Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Mike since El, Will, and Johnathan move to California after Hopper's sacrifice that led to his disappearance.
Unfortunately for fans of Nancy's love triangle, but empowering for women everywhere. Nancy ending up with Jonathan or Steve may not be in the cards, according to a 2023 Screen Rant article. Although I am a massive fan of her ending up with either man, considering Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler) has been dating Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers) in real life since 2016, I am also for women bettering themselves without having to date someone. With this, fans could see Nancy continue pursuing her journalism career, which started at Hawkins Post as a mere coffee run with a dream to report hard-hitting news.
Screen Rant 2022 article includes Natalia Dyer's Variety interview in response to the question, "Should Nancy be with Jonathan or Steve?": "It’s really tough. I don’t know. It feels like she’s been in a relationship for a while so maybe she needs some self discovery time. It’s a bit complicated. Whatever happens, I would hope that she does it with integrity. I just think she’s stronger now. I think she’s more sure of herself. So whatever she decides to do, she’ll do it for the right reasons..." She talks about how season four touched on Nancy and Steve's lasting connection and her hopes for their futures: "Truly, I have no idea where it’s gonna go, but I do like that they at least still care about each other."
Will Deserves a Much Needed Break After Seasons 1 and 2
In a 2018 Glamour interview, executive producer Shawn Levy teases that "We're [going to be] dealing with forces of evil that are new" while giving Will Byers the break he deserves after returning from the Upside Down.
With this wishlist, I asked, "Will he receive a break, and who will take Will Byer's place as the one in danger?" Sadly, we have an answer to that heavy mystery. Seasons 3 and 4 steered away from torturing Will Byers and sunk their evil claws into Jim Hopper, Eddie Muson, Chrissy Cunnigham, and Max Mayfield. But even though the Upside Down was done with Will Byers, we didn't say goodbye to it entirely. He still feels connected to the Upside Down through the Mind Flayer attacking the town. After defeating the Mind Flayer during the Battle of Starcourt, the characters meet the demon that runs the Upside Down, Vecna (formerly Peter Ballard/Subject 001/Henry Creel), through Chrissy's mysterious behavior. He manipulates "reality and, in doing so, creates horrifying visions - preying on individuals in the real world who have experienced trauma."
Eleven and Hopper's Past Connects
During season two, fans discovered Hopper's files on Eleven's mom. This caused me to ask if Hopper had crossed paths with Terry Ives, Eleven’s mom, at the hospital where his daughter Sarah stayed.
"In Season 1, we learn through Hopper's investigation that she had tried to sue and that she's now in a semi-comatose state due to the latent effects of the drugs she was administered during Project MKUltra. We now know that was not the case," Screen Rant 2017 Article. As the seasons continue, we move away from this discovery until El finds the Hopper's files under the cabin floorboards.
Once El arrives at Becky's house, she discovers her mother, Terry Ives, in a comatose state, repeating certain words and phrases. It turns out that she was trying to tell El that she wanted to rescue her from Hawkins lab but was caught before she could grab her daughter and run. This meeting leaves El with new knowledge and a sister to track down. Seasons two and three follow El's discoveries about herself, her past, the lab that imprisoned her, and eventually growing her relationship with Mike, only to end things for a bit and hang out with Max at the mall. By the end of Season 3, she's finally resolved her anger at Hopper, only for him to sacrifice himself to save everyone, which leaves everyone wondering if he's alive or dead. This leads El to find herself without her adoptive dad by her side as she moves in with the Byers and later to California.
The most heartwarming part of El's journey is how fans can see Joyce and Hopper's history while they parent El's growing relationship with Will. Before Hopper disappears, he promises to take Joyce on that overdue date. But then, he's gone, and she takes in El because that's what family does. It is also her way of honoring Hopper. Even though they didn't know he'd be back, she kept him close even when they left Hawkins for a time, but you always return home.
It also begs the question, would we have gotten Hopper and Joyce had Bob not died? Maybe but according to a Slashfilm article from 2022, "Bob's gruesome death contained a small mercy: He was killed by supernatural monsters, rather than the possessed boy who would've become his step-son." Although I would love to hold out hope that Hopper would still swoop Joyce off her feet, Bob was a wholesome character. Not only does he try to understand Will where Lonnie failed to, but he also sacrifices "himself to keep Joyce, Jim Hopper (David Harbour), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), and Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) safe from an onslaught of demodogs." If Bob had lived, I believe that Hopper and Joyce would still be the ones looking out for the young adults and teens of the series while Bob tags along to be a listening ear. In saying that, his death opened up a hole for Hopper to fill in Joyce's life, which he could have filled after Lonnie and before she met Bob.
Throughout four seasons, fans have seen Joyce, Hopper, and El's connections grow and intertwine. They grew into the characters they are because of the trials they faced along the way. Without many factors, I don't think these characters' connections would be as strong. But, they were tested and, against all odds, stuck together. We can only hope that it will last through the fifth and final season. In an interview with E News! while season five was still filming, Winona Ryder (Joyce Byer) shared that the ending of "Stranger Things" is "going to be bittersweet." With saying that, I'm not sure our hearts are ready to say goodbye.
Dustin and Steve's Friendship
In a 2017 Harpers Bazaar Article, Erica Gonzales pins a piece about how Dustin and Steve's friendship was unplanned and inspired by the actor's off-screen friendship. "A chance encounter at the Wheelers' house ended with the show's most lovable Demogorgon-fighting buddies, who bonded while trying to capture Dart and fight off other demo-dogs. Dustin helped Steve stay occupied after his split with Nancy, and in return, Steve gave him dating advice, hairstyling tips, and a free ride to the Snow Ball."
Steve and Dustin will continue to grow their friendship in season three, Gaten Matarazzo told E News! when talking after the season three announcement in 2019. "That's what I really like about Matt and Ross: They know what fans like and they roll with it," he said of bosses the Duffer Brothers.
Thankfully, the friendship that was born from the actor's off-screen friendship lives to keep on giving. Not only do they team up in season three but also in season four, so I'm expecting to see plenty more Dustin and Steve in the final season. Six weeks ago, Stranger Things TV Instagram shared an image of the pair in a car with Jonathan and Nancy. Now, I'm wondering what those four are up to and whether this means Nancy chooses herself and her career or Jonathan (as she's sitting in the backseat with him). Duffer Brothers, I need answers, please and thank you.
Much like Gaten, Maya shared the same sentiment about their showrunners in an E News! interview in August 2024. “Our showrunners, Matt and Ross, take a lot of responsibility," Maya continued. "They have an amazing team of writers, but they’re very involved. It takes a long time to write each season, and it takes a long time to shoot them.” Based on both of their statements, I trust that season five will be one of the best endings to a Netflix Original series, and I can't wait to watch it.
I love the pair-up of Dustin and Steve, but I love it ten times more when the writers introduced Maya Hawke's Robin Buckley into the mix. She continues to breathe life, kindness, and fun into Steve and Dustin's characters. This trio met when Robin and Steve started working at Starcourt Mall's ice cream store, Scoops Ahoy. Much like Sadie Sink's addition as Max Mayfield, Robin adds to the already well-rounded, talented cast of characters. She's witty yet vulnerable, making Steve see women as people rather than someone he can date and walk away from. We can argue that Dustin changes Steve after picking up the pieces of his broken heart, but Robin teaches him how to treat women. According to Stranger Things TV's Instagram Behind the Scenes post from six weeks ago, we have two glimpses of Maya Hawke's. Although I'm not sure how she'll come into play, she's there, laughing with the cast, and I'm hopeful her friendship with Steve and Dustin remains strong.
My fan wishlist for season 3 came true and kept growing throughout season 4. Now we're gearing up to watch the fifth and final season. I was entering my Junior year of college and single when this show began in July 2016; eight years later, I've been out of college for six years and married for two years. Not only did the "Stranger Things" actors grow up, but so did the viewers. After all these long waiting periods, we only have a bit longer to go before we close the book on our favorite "Stranger Things" characters.
AUTHOR BIO
Emily Craig Hooie is an author, poet, and blogger. With a Bachelor of Science in English from the University of North Alabama, she always knew writing was her future. Her background in writing covers many genres, ranging from Southern Gothic to young and new Adult. With five pieces of published poetry under her belt and after the success of her debut book, Will You Love Me Again?, she wanted to fuel her passion for writing with two sequels, thus Where Will We Go?: A Sequel and What’s Next, Lucy? were born. She lives in Athens, Alabama, with the love of her life Dustin and their dogs, Buttercup and Copper.
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