I am but a humble servant to the character that is known as Jim Hopper. Played by David Harbour, he’s become something of a fan favorite, but there’s just something about Hopper that I love a lot, so when it looked like he had died in season 3, I was more than upset. Luckily, we quickly learned he was fine (relatively), but the fear of losing him again, for real, in season 4 stayed with me throughout the entire season.
What I had given up hope on was one specific part of Hopper’s storyline, but luckily, Stranger Things’ season 4 finale gave it to me with hope to spare, so let’s talk a bit about Hopper’s arc in Russia and what happened in the last two episodes of Stranger Things 4.
**Spoilers for Stranger Things 4 Vol. 2 lie ahead.**
From season 1 of Stranger Things, I’ve asked myself why no one was madly in love with Jim Hopper on this show—mainly why I couldn’t live in Hawkins and be madly in love with Jim Hopper, but more importantly, why he and Joyce Byers hadn’t figured their stuff out together. Hawkins being the small town it is, they had known each other since high school and were reintroduced as they were searching for Will Byers, and the affection that they had for one another was almost instant, especially for Hopper, who was trying his best to help Joyce find her son. While it made sense that their relationship was not a focal point of that first season, it was undeniable that there was a spark (and a past from when they were teenagers) there, but with each new season, there was something stopping them.
In season 2, we got a new man in Joyce’s life, Bob (played by Sean Astin), and I couldn’t really be mad at him because Bob ruled and Joyce was very happy with him, even if her boys were confused as to why she picked Bob. But it was nice to see Joyce enjoying her life, even if it meant my dreams of seeing Joyce and Hopper smooch were gone. (They are my beloved short girl/tall man dynamic.) Well, we all know what happened to Bob (rest in peace to a legend), and seeing him gruesomely die hurt nearly as much as thinking that Hopper and Joyce might never be.
Season 3 was a bit different, because Hopper finally thought he had a chance. He got the courage to sort of ask Joyce out, but wasn’t clear about his feelings, so it just backfired. Whatever hope I had that the two would figure it out was lost when it looked like Hopper has died trying to save Hawkins and his friends.
And now, we’ve made it to season 4. All of that was necessary to point out how long we’ve been waiting for this to happen. In fact, we’ve been waiting through volume 1 of season 4, as well, because they got reunited in that part of the season with barely any time to really unpack them seeing each other again. So, heading into volume 2, I didn’t really expect anything past maybe another hug or a conversation about going to Enzo’s when they’re back in Hawkins.
Instead, what I got was Hopper and Joyce almost going to town on each other in the middle of Russia with no way out, and it had me screaming because I didn’t know what was suddenly going on. Seeing Hopper and Joyce all over each other and making out? A dream come true and one that I was convinced I would lose just as quickly as it happened. Luckily, we still have a chance to see more of them together in the future of Stranger Things.
The way the series leaves us with season 4 has everyone back in Hawkins and seeing exactly what is happening with Vecna and the Upside Down, so Hopper and Joyce getting together and making out some more might not be the biggest of priorities, but I hope they get to go to Enzo’s and spend time as a couple in season 5, because I—er, they—deserve it.
(featured image: Netflix)
Published: Jul 1, 2022 02:28 pm