By: Stevie Weber
Staff Writer
WARNING: THIS PIECE HAS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SEASON TWO AND THREE OF STRANGER THINGS! DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED!
Why Billy Hargrove Deserved Better
Part One: Intro
Season two of the popular mystery/horror show, Stranger Things introduced one of the most controversially loved (and hated) characters of the series; Billy Hargrove. Billy is the older brother of the new main character introduced in season two, Max. The two of them do not really share a, as some would call it, “sibling bond”. They bicker, but not in a fun and quirky way. Billy himself is actually very protective over Max – alas, it is not very cute and brotherly how he shows it. He is constantly threatening her unless she listens to him in that immediate moment. Such as, if she is late when he is picking her up from school, he will threaten to drive away and force her to walk home. And he sticks to his word. He also threatens her friends and warns her to stay away from them, for seemingly no apparent reason. Some may speculate that his behavior stems from the fact that the two are not related by blood and are actually step-siblings. But I believe it to be something much deeper. Why Billy acts this way; violent, aggressive and hot-headed is no mystery. But why is he like this? Is he just your average, rowdy teenager in need of a good lashing? Or is it something worse? Something so bad, that it will have you asking, “Does he deserve redemption?”. Well, the short answer is yes. Now, here is the long answer.