On Nov. 26, the long-awaited fifth and final season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” will hit screens. Well, the first four episodes of the eight, dubbed “Volume One.”
While I’m excited for the upcoming season, I am petrified of what fate could be awaiting my favorite character, Steve Harrington (played by Joe Keery). My love for Keery has been well-documented in the past, and now I fear for his character’s future.
While Steve was originally supposed to be killed off in the first season, the Duffer Brothers — the creators of the show — liked Keery so much they rewrote his character. But with the new season, I am worried he won’t get his happily ever after.
In the trailer for season five, there is a moment when Dustin Henderson (portrayed by Gaten Matarazzo) and Steve share an embrace, both displaying varying expressions of fear.
This is important, because in season three, there is a moment when Dustin literally says to Steve, “If you die, I die.” So, yeah, I’m not only worried about Steve but Dustin as well. Their friendship is a highlight of the show for me.
Honestly, I am a big fan of Steve being the babysitter for all the kids, breaking away from the jerk he was in the first season. I have distinct memories of Steve edits on TikTok set to the theme song, “I’m a Survivor,” for “Reba” by Reba McEntire.
But recently, I saw an edit of Steve to “Father Figure” by Taylor Swift, and let me tell you, it ate.
The only thing keeping me going and from not totally losing my mind about his fate is how, in an interview, Keery said Steve fans will be as satisfied with his ending as he was.
As long as Steve makes it through the first four episodes safely and with little-to-no injuries, I’ll be happy.
The rest of the season will be released on two different dates — “Volume Two,” comprised of three episodes on Dec. 25 and the series finale on Dec. 31.
I am not a fan of staggered releases on streaming platforms, or weekly episodes, for that matter.
When I subscribe to a streaming subscription, I expect to be able to watch all of the episodes at once with no ads. Neither of these desires are attainable without paying an arm and a leg for the latter.
For Steve, though, I will suck it up and endure the mental torture of wondering what will happen after the expected cliffhanger.
In regard to other goals I have for Steve for the final season, other than wanting him to survive, I want to see his relationships with all the kids explored more as well as with Robin Buckley (played by Maya Hawke).
To be honest, I do not think I care if Steve stays single. Any character he would end up with would just not be fully developed, and Nancy Wheeler (played by Natalia Dyer) needs to end up with Jonathan Byers (played by Charlie Heaton).
Steve, you’d better survive, or the Duffer Brothers will be hearing from my therapist.
Boggess can be reached at [email protected].
