While most fall shows are are knee deep into their new seasons, there are a few shows that have been holding out on their fans. Chief among them is Netflix's Stranger Things, which debuted its first season last summer. The show instantly became pop culture royalty, and has inspired a never ending supply of Halloween costumes for the last two years. Season 2 premiers this week in time for the holiday, and CinemaBlend has recently learned more about how Barb will factor into the narrative. CinemaBlend's Conner Schwerdtfeger recently spoke to the cast of the series at Netflix's press junket, where actress Natalia Dyer revealed how Barb will influence Nancy's trajectory in Stranger Things 2.
For Nancy this season, that drives her whole arc, is her relationship with Barb. So for me it was kind of great in a way, like I would imagine that the fan response from Season 1 maybe put an impetus on that storyline and kind of maybe made the brothers feel like they need to address it more. For my character it's really great because that's a huge thing to have happened. Thinking about it realistically, losing anybody is a big deal. Yeah I think they really address it as much as possible this season.
It looks like The Duffer Brothers weren't kidding when they promised #Justice4Barb. Because it sounds like Nancy will still be very much reeling from the death of her best friend when we return to the characters in Hawkins, Indiana.
When Stranger Things premiered last summer, the fandom quickly fell in love with Nancy's best friend Barb. While she wasn't especially featured in the grand scheme of things, she was a loyal and sweet girl who always looked out for her friend's best interests. She was one of The Demogorgon's first victims in the early episodes, and it was revealed in the finale that she was dead and within the creature's lair.
Because of Barb's massive popularity, fans quickly took umbrage with how little focus was put on her disappearance in the show's first season. While Nancy seemed motivated to find her friend, we didn't hear anything from Barb's parents, or the town of Hawkins. While Will Byers's absence brought on search parties and dogs, it felt like Barb mulled over. The Duffer Brothers have since revealed that all those situations were happening, but they just weren't featured in Season 1's narrative onscreen.
It should be interesting to see how much of Barb we'll get to see in Stranger Things 2. While she's definitely staying dead, it seems logical to bring back Shannon Purser back in flashbacks. The actress was even given an Emmy nomination for her performance, so it makes sense to give the fans more Barb.
Stranger Things will premiere its second season October 27th on Netflix. In the meantime, check out our fall premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
