Stranger Things Season 5 Seemingly Teased A New Character Duo, And I'm Already Obsessed
As we approach the two-year anniversary of the Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 1's release, fans are eagerly waiting for new episodes. So far, we know very little about what Season 5 will entail beyond the handful of teases the Duffer Brothers have shared on social media over the past several months. Now, the latest tidbit seems to suggest that a character team-up between Will Byers and Robin Buckley is on the way, and I’m already obsessed!
The tease comes in the form of a screenshot captured from the exclusive Stranger Things 5 broadcast channel on Instagram, which is run by the official account. Over 700 thousand members opened the message to find a photo of the actor chairs belonging to Noah Schnapp and Maya Hawke -- who play Will Byers and Robin Buckley, respectively, placed next to each other. Take a look:
In addition to the chairs, the table in front of them is full of Bananagrams tiles that fans will no doubt be studying for clues. The account went on to caption the image: “NEED to play Bananagrams with these two.”
While the account clearly wants us to focus on the silly, behind-the-scenes shenanigans between Noah Schnapp and Maya Hawke, I’m too busy freaking out about what their characters' supposed partnership could mean for the final season of the hit Netflix show. Is it too soon to say it might become one of the best duos on Stranger Things?
This isn’t the first character pairing that has been teased for Stranger Things 5, but it is the most surprising, considering Robin and Will have never directly interacted with each other before. In fact, they’ve barely shared screen time with each other beyond the ensemble team-up moment in the Season 3 finale and the reunion moment at the end of Season 4, Volume 2. But, even then, they never spoke to each other.
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The biggest reason I’m obsessed with this potential team-up is because Robin and Will are the only two confirmed queer characters on Stranger Things. While both have had emotional and beautiful coming out moments with the people close in their lives, neither Steve nor Jonathan truly understand what they’re going through in their personal lives away from the Upside Down threats. It would be monumental to see two characters in the ‘80s discussing what it’s like being gay in a small town.
This could be a real bonding moment for the two characters and allow ST to fully embrace LGBTQ+ representation like other Netflix shows have. I could see them both discussing their hopeless crushes on friends as it seems like Vicky, Robin’s love interest from Season 4, will be returning this season in some capacity. However, with Hawke expressing her ideas for Robin’s love life, perhaps she’ll simply be a role model for Will. At the very least, they can bond over what it’s like being in the Upside Down since they both share that experience now.
While the pairing may seem unusual, it makes a lot of sense when one considers the fact that the Duffer Brothers have been adamant about Season 5 returning to the show's roots. Since Robin wasn’t involved then and Will spent almost the entirety of the inaugural season avoiding Demogorgons in the Upside Down, it makes perfect sense for these two outsiders to be paired up together. Especially if the plan is to reunite the four members of the Party and pair the dreaded love triangle, which is Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan, back up together.
Even though I absolutely love this theoretical team-up, I do worry that it would mean we won’t see Will or Robin get to interact with the other characters. Stranger Things wouldn’t feel like the show it is if they kept Will from Mike and the rest of the Party, and the same goes for Robin and her platonic relationship with Steve. Not to mention that without Robin around, the theory regarding Steve sacrificing himself for the greater good could be more likely, and I don't want that at all.
With only the photo of chairs to go by, it’s possible that this is just another one of the Duffer Brothers misleads. However, I’m hopeful that when Season 5 eventually releases on Netflix, we’ll get at least one scene with these two bonding before taking down the villianous Vecna once and for all. The bottom line is anything can happen in the final season, even a development that might seem impossible like Eddie Munson coming back from the dead.
Right now, Stranger Things Season 5 is filming, but no release date has been announced yet. For now, fans can stream the first four seasons with an active Netflix subscription.
