One of the most delightful things aboutStranger ThingsSeason 2 was how the series threw together unexpectedly dynamic duos, creating new pairings that helped highlight the show’s emotional themes of friends and family. No matter how intense things can get when it comes to Demogorgons or the dark powers of the Upside Down, what makes us loveStrangerThingsare the characters. Seeing them interact in new and different ways just augments the experience.
The pairings being talked about here, I should add, are not necessarily romantic (although some are). The series hinges on friendships and friend groups, and because all of the characters are so unforgettable, seeing them just interact is a joy unto itself.
Noteveryduo seen onscreen makes the cut here – for the most part, these are new pairs from this season. But from the funny to the “fine” to the tubular, here are all of the majorStranger Thingspairings ranked in terms of general greatness and how much they tugged on our heartstrings, using a metric of Dig Dugs (out of 5)
Nancy and Jonathan
This is fine, everything is fine! They’re cute, they come together to find Justice for Barb, and then Brett Gelman is super creepy about them sleeping together (which, naturally, they do). The groundwork for this relationship was all laid out in Season 1, so while it wasn’t a surprise, the way Nancy turned on Steve in the wake of Barb’s death and ended up being the one who caused their breakup was unexpectedly emotional. But once Nancy and Jonathan got together, everything just felt right.
Karen and Billy
There is almost nothing about Billy’s character that worked except for this moment (Dacre Montgomery owned it, but the writing wasn’t there, and Billy bordered too much on parody). There’s Karen Wheeler, reading her romance novel in the tub, neglected by her husband, and who shows up at her door? A bad boy wearing denim on denim. I’m going to ignore the legal implications of anything that could have transpired between the two, because what we saw was enough. Karen needed a little excitement in her life, and that’s about all Billy was good for this season. It all led up to that moment of flirtation, and it was worth it.
Lucas and Max
In the first few episodes of the season, it seemed like The Duffer Brothers were thinking that they could just install a new girl into our group of misfits and have it work as well as it did when Eleven joined up last year. It didn’t, but Max turned out to be a pretty great character on her own. It also actually gave Lucas something to do, as he’s usually the most sidelined of the Geek Group. But his conversations with Max (both in explaining to her the truth of Will’s disappearance and their chat atop the school bus) showed more than a crush, but the beginnings of a real friendship. It also led to some super-cute moments like them holding hands and then later dancing together. It was sweet, and without the pressure of the higher dramatic stakes of Will and Eleven’s reunion.
Joyce and Bob
For most of the season, I was suspicious that Bob might be a plant of some kind, sent to spy on Will for the lab (or the Upside Down). But no, Sean Astin’s character turned out to just be a very sweet and goofy guy who became one of the season’s saviors, as he laid down his life to save Joyce and the kids. Though they hoodwinked him into solving Will’s map, an act which ultimately led him to get involved in this dire scheme, it felt like Bob’s destiny to prove himself as a hero.
But unlike Barb in Season 1, “Justice for Bob” started almost immediately. Joyce was so upset over what happened (rightfully so) that she literally scorched her own son to ensure that Bob did not die in vain. That saved Will, in the end, but there was a kind of mania there for awhile that Joyce possessed about being sure that Bob’s sacrifice meant something. Later, we see that the boys — most especially Will — won’t be forgetting him anytime soon. But in better days, it’s hard to find cuter scenes of adult affection than Joyce and Bob’s awkwardly goofy courtship.
Will and the Upside Down
Can this kid ever catch a break? One of the strongest elements ofStranger ThingsSeason 2 was following up with Will’s time in the Upside Down. As the Season 1 finale teased, even though he was back in Hawkins proper, his experience had not left him. Hauntingly, we saw the creature literally inhabit him as he tried to scream it away in his dark visions of the “other” Hawkins, and from that point on, he was always split between two worlds. Noah Schnepp was again fantastic as the kid everyone is trying to protect but nobody quite can. His connection to that darkness throughout the season was important narratively, but also made him an unexpected heel (like in “The Spy”). It wasn’t his fault, but it was the reality of his possession. It also made for one of the more emotional stories of the season, as Will continued to be pulled into that nightmare.
Eleven and Hopper
Good God this was heartwarming. Not only did I love Dad Hopper schooling Eleven as best he could, but I also loved his commitment to bringing her Eggos (but making sure she ate more than just that). However, the most powerful scenes between them might have been their fights, which felt (aside from Eleven’s supernatural abilities) pretty much like typical frustrated teenager / parent screaming matches. It’s that kind of authenticity that makes us really connect with the show, and it was frighteningly good.
Hopper’s message to her about why he was late was another special moment, as was their reunion and her name being officially changed to Jane Hopper. The two share a bond, however fraught with typical difficulties, that was one of the most rewarding of the series yet. Plus, Hopper realizing that Jane needed to go to the dance and see Mike was one of the best Dad moments maybe ever on TV. I’m not crying you’re crying!
Steve and Dustin
Folks, these are your Season 2 MVPs right here. Dustin really stepped up in a big way in Season 2, not only because of the saga of his evil pet Pollywog, but in how he went from just being comic relief to having one of the most emotional stories of the season. Throughout it all, he never dropped his super-nerd status (especially as he kept insisting on certain nomenclature for the “demodogs” and more). But what elevated this all to the stratosphere was he late-season alliance with Steve.
First of all, who would have thought that Steve would turn out to be the season’s best character? He broke out of the “jerky jock” mold last year, but this year he became something else entirely. He was a good boyfriend to Nancy even when she was breaking his heart, and ultimately, was mature about her getting together with Jonathan instead. Meanwhile, he was a babysitter and protector for the younger kids, and formed a special bond with Dustin — one that not only led him to drive Dustin and his friends around for most of the back-half of the season, but also turned into him giving Dustin some key life advice about hair care and girl troubles.
It was an embarrassment of riches to have the season’s two best characters come together in such a natural yet unexpected way as the episodes wore on. Steve and Dustin’s friendship is the pinnacle of how this show encompasses heart and humor to such a magical effect.
