This 4th of July, while many of us hurried to the outdoors and cooked food for family and friends, lounged by the pool, and watched fireworks glitter across the sky, some of us were more concerned with other things; stranger things. Like what the heck was happening in the little town of Hawkins, Indiana. 

Obviously, I’m a part of this latter group. I chose to stay indoors and binge watch the entire season of Stranger Things 3. Forewarning, if you HAVE NOT watched the entirety of this new season, there are SPOILERS AHEAD. 

Spoiler Alert for Stranger Things 3

I have a lot of feelings about this season. Among those, there are plenty that I’m not willing to unpack yet. There were so many things I absolutely loved about this new season. The feeling, plot, development, and overall aesthetic of this season. From the amazing, always spot-on 80s fashion trends, to the reminders of the types of stores that we used to frequent at the mall. And plenty of things that I could have done without. *cough* Hopper’s whole damn attitude *cough*. 

Today, however, I want to specifically discuss a certain awesome LGBTQIA+ moment that we had this season that I’m absolutely living for. Allow me to set the scene:

Steve and Robin Stranger Things

After being drugged into hallucinations, breaking into a top-secret Russian lair, and barely escaping with their lives, Robin (Maya Hawke, daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman) and Steve “The Hair” Harrington (Joe Keery) sit across from each other on the disgusting Starcourt mall bathroom floor. Steve, in a moment of vulnerability, casually talks about this girl he likes that he’s been working with all summer. She’s funny, smart, she’s the whole package, right? However, she doesn’t immediately fall into his arms, head over heels with joy. Robin instead recalls an earlier tale of how she was “obsessed” with Steve. But this time, she doesn’t leave out the important detail. Tammy Thompson.

“But Tammy is a girl,” Steve points out. It’s that perfect, clueless Harrington style we have all grown to love so much. Robin responds with a simple “Steve”. She awaits our well-coifed hero to put two and two together. 

Stranger Things Steve Season 2 with bat

NOW, THIS IS THE MOMENT I LOVE. If you remember, back in season one, back before Steve started maturing, he called Jonathan “a queer” as an insult. But, after saying a quiet “Oh” to Robin, he continues by joking about the girl Robin has a crush on. He assures her that she deserves better than a total dud and this won’t affect their friendship in a negative way. TALK ABOUT GROWTH.

Stranger Things Robin
Congrats, you did not suck here, Harrington.

Let me take a moment to talk about how much I personally love Robin. She’s smart, beautiful, funny, sarcastic, cool, calls Steve a “dingus” constantly, translated and cracked Russian code IN A DAY, totally pulls off that Scoops Ahoy uniform, and is basically my new best friend. She also breaks up the monotony of opposite gender characters pairings. I’m here for this totally platonic partnership.  

The Duffer Brothers could have easily swept this lesbian icon under the rug, claiming “it was a different time”. Instead, in the three-months-later scenes, Robin ensures Keith that the girls Steve. He will attract girls to the video store who are “so hot”. Give it up for our baby growing into her queer own! Even though Season 4 still hasn’t been announced officially (it’s a pretty safe bet), I’m excited to see how her story will progress. 

What are your thoughts on Stranger Things 3? Did you love it? Did you hate it? How do you think it compares to the other seasons?