When it comes to TV, there’s always going to be popular and unpopular opinions. But that’s the joy of art. It divides us and unites us. Since the release of Stranger Things 3 (which I’ve watched more times than I want to admit and if you’d like to hear my review of ST3, check out I Watched Stranger Things 3 and I Have Some Thoughts), I’ve formed my own batch of popular and unpopular opinions and today I’m going to share them with you.
Unpopular: Stancy is the Best
Stancy (aka Steve and Nancy) are my second-favorite couple on the show (Mike and Eleven are number one). As I mentioned in Unpopular TV Couples I Ship, I loved them from the pilot and kept on loving them even when Steve acted like a jerk. Sadly, they had a harsh break-up in season two and Nancy moved right on to Jonathan. Even sadder, she stays with Jonathan through all of season three and she and Steve share not one scene together. Bummer. But there’s always season four since at the end of season three Jonathan moves away and Steve is still in town, single and ready to mingle. Unfortunately there are a ton of Jancy shippers out there and based on the writing, I think the show runners also prefer the two together. Oh, well. That’s what fanfic is for.
Popular: Mileven Rule
How much do I adore Mike and Eleven? Let me count the ways.
- Their adorable friendship in season one.
- Their epic first kiss.
- How much they hate being apart in season two.
- Their epic reunion at the end of season two.
- Their romantic dance and second kiss at the end of season two.
- Their happiness at being together in the beginning of season three and all the affection and kissing.
- The way they support each other all through season three.
- Mike blurting out he loves Eleven to the gang and Eleven pretending she didn’t hear.
- Eleven kissing Mike, telling him she loves him too, and walking off with a grin while Mike stares after her in astonishment at the end of the last episode.
- The fact that they make my heart melt.
Unpopular: Jopper Sucks
If my best friend ever reads this post, she’ll have a heart attack. She loves Hopper and Joyce and is so upset that they didn’t even kiss or get to go on their date before Hopper “died” at the end of season three. I was fine with it, though. Joyce made it clear at the beginning of the season that she wasn’t ready to be in a relationship and showed virtually no interest in escalating things with Hopper. Yet he still asked her out, told her it wasn’t a date, then showed up at the restaurant in a fancy shirt and ordered champagne. When she didn’t show, he got drunk and the next day, berated her for ditching him. He’s also just a controlling jackass in general (see next Unpopular Opinion).
Popular: Eleven and Max’s Season Three Friendship
In season two, Eleven was not a fan of Max. She had to watch the new girl becoming friendly with her boys and she especially didn’t like the spark between Max and Mike. Their one short scene at the end of season two had Eleven basically snubbing Max, leading a lot of fans to wonder what their relationship would be like in season three. Turns out, we worried for nothing! Peace seems to have been made in episode one and then in episode two, Eleven goes to Max for boy advice and the two end up having a fun shopping spree at the mall and are close the rest of the season. Maleven rules!
Unpopular: Hopper is the Worst and Should Stay Dead
In addition to hating how Hopper handled his “courtship” of Joyce, I also loathed how he manipulated Mike and Eleven into breaking up just because they were spending a lot of time together. Many fans (my best friend included) loved overprotective Papa Bear Hopper but I couldn’t stand him. Mike has only ever treated Eleven with kindness and respect and Hopper’s acting like Mike is some bad boy out to use and discard Eleven. After my shock, I actually celebrated a little when it seemed that Hopper was dead near the end of the final episode of season three but, of course, he’s such a popular character and the actor’s so beloved by the writers and other actors, that there’s no way he’s gone for good.
Popular: Robin Rocks
I was all prepared not to like Robin when I found out Maya Hawke would be joining the show as Steve’s co-worker. I just knew this girl would be his new love interest and I was not having it. Then I watched the first episode and found myself liking her. Liking the snarky relationship between her and Steve. And as the episodes went on, I liked how they bonded during all the weird crap going down and trauma they endured. Then the show threw a curve ball at me when Robin came out to Steve. I found myself disappointed that she and Steve wouldn’t be falling in love. I swear, next season, Steve better find a woman who’s worthy of him (Nancy would be nice but I know that’s not going to happen).
Unpopular: Steve Was NOT a Douchebag in Season One
Two (possibly three) characters mention in the first two episodes of season one that Steve Harrington is a douchebag. Then we meet Steve and…he really isn’t. He comes over to Nancy’s to help her study but of course wants to make out. She tells him no, she wants to study, and he’s fine with it. A real douchebag would’ve pushed her to get physical. After they have sex, he talks to her at school and she asks if he told anyone what they did and he assures her he didn’t but that the night before was great and kisses her. A real douchebag would’ve bragged to his friends about his conquest and/or ignored Nancy at school the next day. Then there’s the scene where Steve finds out creepy Jonathan took pictures of Nancy undressing in Steve’s bedroom window. Steve is understandably upset and destroys Jonathan’s camera. A lot of people think that was a douchebag move. I say Jonathan deserved it. Finally, we have the scene where, after Steve spies Nancy and Jonathan hugging her bedroom, Nancy finds “Nancy the slut” spray-painted on the movie theater board in town. Total douchebag move by Steve…except later we find out Steve’s jackhole friend wrote that and Steve ends up cleaning the graffiti off himself.
Steve is NOT a douchebag and nothing any fan can say will convince me otherwise.
So there you have it, my popular and unpopular Stranger Things opinions. If we get a season four, maybe I’ll update this post.