Spoilers ahead for the first two seasons of Stranger Things.
While Netflix has become a behemoth home for TV content, there are some originals that stand above the rest. There's House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, as well as newer favorites like Stranger Things. The latter quickly became a significant pop culture moment when Season 1 arrived two summers ago, and its triumphant sophomore run did not disappoint. Stranger Things 2 truly helped to expand the world of Hawkins, Indiana, while allowing its starring characters to grow. Fans have been hoping for Hopper and Joyce to get together since the very beginning, and now actor David Harbour has given one quick reason why it wouldn't be easy.
The interesting thing about it is it's also going to be such a disaster if it ever happens.
It looks like David Harbour doesn't exactly have faith that his signature character and Winona Ryder's Joyce Byers would actually be a good couple. They're both dealing with their fair share of baggage, although that's never stopped anyone else before. They're also pretty terrible communicators who are holding in trauma, so the odds might not be in their favor.
David Harbour's hilarious comments to Variety make a fair point, although it probably won't sway any of the tons of Stranger Things fans out there. The sci-fi period piece is massively popular, and has inspired countless Halloween costumes over the past two years. And with so few romantic plot lines to follow (half the leads are kids), the romantic tension between Hopper and Joyce is a major highpoint. They're essentially the Pam and Jim of Hawkins, and fans aren't going to stop shipping them until something finally happens.
Joyce and Hopper clearly have a history, something that was vaguely mentioned throughout Stranger Things' first season. But the introduction of Joyce's boyfriend Bob Newby put that storyline essentially on hold. Unfortunately, Sean Astin's character was the Barb of Season 2, and died trying to save the group in Hawkins Lab. Joyce and Hopper's final scene showed the flicker of their connection reigniting, although it was quickly ruined by the Mind Flayer cliffhanger.
Stranger Things fans are going to be paying special attention to Joyce and Hopper in Season 3, as they're basically the only unrequited love story currently in the narrative. Eleven and Mike have been reunited, Lucas has Max, and Nancy finally dumped Steve and got together with Jonathan. Joyce and Hop are the last love story to need a satisfying conclusion, although Season 3 will no doubt bring a bevy of interesting plot twists for the show's characters.
It's currently unclear when Stranger Things 3 will arrive on Netflix, but in the meantime check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch. Plus our Amazon premiere list and superhero premiere list to ensure you don't miss a single episode of your favorite show.
