Before I dive into this article, if you haven’t watched Stranger Things, first, stop reading this article right now, because there are some huge spoilers ahead. Secondly, what have you been doing with your life?
As a fiction writer, I was taught that if you have something in your story that does nothing to advance the plot, it’s unnecessary and needs to be taken out. The same things go for television and film. A lot of people felt this way with episode seven, "The Lost Sister", and they could've done without it, but, I actually enjoyed that episode. It was a break from what was going on in Hawkins and it focused on Eleven, who was going through a minor identity crisis. The audience, along with Eleven, got to know a little more about Hawkins Lab and her past. It filled in some necessary plot holes from the previous season. Yes, Max sedated Billy and stole his car so that they could all make it to the pumpkin patch to set it on fire, but, I really think that everything would’ve worked out in the same way if they weren’t there, especially since Steve was at the Byers’ house with the kids and had his own means of transportation.
Billy is your stereotypical 1980’s villain (think Johnny Lawrence from The Karate Kid). He’s rude, he’s an asshole, and he’s both emotionally and physically abusive to his sister, Max. I also got the vibe that he may be a little racist. His reaction towards Max’s relationship with Lucas was odd to me. At first, I thought he was being a protective older brother, but then he hit her with, “There are certain types of people in this world that you stay away from.” He’s adamant that Max has nothing to do with Lucas, even though he knew absolutely nothing about him. It’s become a popular fan theory, though, that the actor who portrays Billy, Dacre Montgomery, doesn’t think his character is racist. A lot of people are conflicted about their feelings because they see him as eye candy. There's no denying that Dacre is a good-looking guy, but with his mullet, acid wash jeans, and unstable personality, I don’t see how anyone could like him, regardless of looks. The only time that I felt the smallest amount, and I mean the most microscopic amount of sympathy for him was when we got a glimpse of his volatile relationship with his father which explains his rage and abuse of Max. In that moment, we see this guy, who walks around like he’s better than everyone else, practically cower into nothingness. But, the abuse he gets from his father gives him no right to treat Max the way he does.
I liked seeing Max more than Billy for obvious reasons, but literally, every single episode she was in, I just wanted her to go away. Yes, both Dustin and Lucas had a crush on her, which was adorable, but there was no need to fill her in on the events that happened to them the previous year especially since they would be in serious trouble with the government if anyone else found out. However, I did feel bad for her. If Billy wasn’t yelling at her constantly, Mike was, and you could tell that she was hurt and confused with the constant negative reactions they both gave her. I did snicker when Eleven completely ignored her greeting, though.
