Stranger Things Shouldve Killed Off Hopper For Real

Stranger Things Should’ve Killed Off Hopper For Real

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Stranger Things season 4 confirms that Detective Hopper (David Harbour) is still alive, but the Netflix show should’ve gone through with his death.

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Stranger Things Shouldve Killed Off Hopper For Real

Jim Hopper has been confirmed to be alive in Stranger Things season 4, but the Netflix Original Series would’ve been better by really following through with his death. Played by David Harbour, Jim Hopper has served as one of the main (and most popular) characters on Stranger Things since its inception. The chief of police in Hawkins, Indiana, he’s become closely linked to all the goings-on in the town, from the disappearance of Will Byers to becoming a father figure to Eleven.

Hopper’s character arc came to a head in Stranger Things season 3, when he and Joyce close the gate to the Upside Down that’s hidden within Starcourt Mall. Hopper, following a fight with Grigori, was left unable to escape and, ostensibly at least, was caught in the full blast of the ensuing explosion. With seemingly nowhere to go, Hopper should have been dead, and that was what Stranger Things allowed viewers to think.

Of course, if you don’t see a body on screen, then it can be reasonably assumed they’re not dead. With teases of “the American”, many fans thought Hopper had miraculously survived and been taken to Russia, and a Stranger Things season 4 teaser confirmed his survival. But while Hopper is alive, Stranger Things should have really killed him off.

Hopper’s “Death” Was A Cheap Trick

Stranger Things Shouldve Killed Off Hopper For Real

Whether or not fans truly believed that Jim Hopper was dead, Stranger Things certainly wanted viewers to think that was the case. The very ending of Stranger Things season 3 was structured around Hopper’s death and saying goodbye, and despite the teases of the American and Murray’s voicemail, Netflix largely acted as though he was dead. Death fakeouts aren’t uncommon in major TV shows, especially in the last decade thanks to the likes of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, where there’s been a greater emphasis on killing off main characters at surprising points, and leaning into shock factor.

In the heat of the moment, Hopper’s death is supposed to serve this same kind of purpose: to leave viewers stunned that such a major character would be killed off now, despite the series still having at least one more season to go, if not more. But Stranger Things struggled with this on a couple of levels: many audience members didn’t buy into the idea that Hopper was really dead, and now the show’s marketing has already confirmed that’s the case, long before season 4 will air. It means Hopper’s “death” doesn’t carry the same long-term impact it could’ve done, and instead feels like a cheap trick for maximum – but momentary – impact.

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Stranger Things Killing Hopper Would’ve Meant More Emotional Weight & Higher Stakes

Stranger Things Shouldve Killed Off Hopper For Real

Stranger Things hasn’t been shy when it comes to killing off characters (especially if their name begins with ‘B’): from Barb to Bob to Billy, fans have had to bid farewell to some popular and/or interesting figures, but they’re all secondary players in the grand scheme of things. Hopper is different in this regard, because he’s one of Stranger Things’ true protagonists, so his death would’ve been a much bigger deal in terms of how it impacted the show. That isn’t to say that simply killing a main character is good without any reason or rhyme, but there were some clear advantages to making Hopper’s death real and permanent.

The main advantage of Hopper actually being killed off is that it would lend much more emotional weight to the series. His death at the end of season 3 is followed by some real moments of poignancy, including his quiet goodbye to Joyce just after it happens, to her reconcilliation with Eleven and the realization that he’s gone, and biggest of all Hopper’s message to Eleven. That in particular was a hugely touching scene that should have a major impact on Eleven, but it’s undercut by the lack of permanence (and believability) around Hopper’s demise. Killing him off would make those emotions not only more true, but more lasting too.

Hopper’s death in Stranger Things would also serve to raise the stakes even higher. Whatever the Russians are up to now seemingly lies at the heart of Stranger Things and the mystery of the Upside Down, and you can see some logic in having a character on the inside as it were. But if the Russians had killed off Hopper, a major character, then that marks them out as a much bigger threat and gives a greater personal investment for both the characters and viewers in the battles likely to come.

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Killing Hopper Would’ve Been More Interesting For Stranger Things Season 4

Jim Hopper’s survival, time in Russia, and likely escape will no doubt form a key part of Stranger Things season 4’s story; it may be he himself gets back to Hawkins, or that Eleven & Co. head to Russia to find him. Whichever way it happens, a few things seem likely: Hopper will be reunited with Eleven, Joyce, and the rest of the characters close to him, and they’ll all work together to take on the Russian threat and discover more of the Upside Down’s secrets. There are some narrative elements there that could work for sure, but it’d be far more interesting to see how El and the rest of the group handle things without Hopper there to help out and provide guidance.

One of Stranger Things’ biggest problems is its refusal to change, and to instead stick to the accepted status quo. This was particularly apparent across season 3, which hit a lot of the same beats as season 2, and didn’t show a great deal of growth. Hopper’s death could’ve been a way to push it forward in terms of both plot and character. For the story, Hopper’s death makes what the Russians are doing all the more important, and so too the attempts to stop them. For characters, it’d be fascinating to see how a powerless Eleven truly copes with the loss of Hopper and moves on without him, and how the rest of the kids also have to develop and quickly adapt now that he’s gone.

Stranger Things has previously repeated Game of Thrones’ storytelling mistakes, and that’s apparent with Hopper too. His death is like Jon Snow’s – not believable, and quickly undone – when it could and should have been like Ned Stark’s, the killing of the major character that allows the younger generation to come to the fore, grow, and lead things more than ever, because they’re who the story is really about. Hopper’s death was a great chance for Stranger Things to change, to become a different, hopefully better and certainly more daring series, and keeping him alive pushes back against that.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/stranger-things-season-4-hopper-alive-not-dead-bad-reason/

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