Stranger Things 3: These characters were almost a couple

This Scoops Troop pairing’s relationship on Stranger Things was initially meant to be romantic but quickly took a turn towards an honest friendship with a much greater payoff and result in the end.

Spoilers for Stranger Things 3 to follow! Make sure you’ve finished up the season before continuing!

I think I could speak for most Stranger Things fans by saying that we all were expecting the lovable Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) to get the geeky, badass girl and that they would end up being together by the end of their adventures. However, we learned in season 3’s episode “Chapter Seven: The Bite” that Robin (Maya Hawke) was actually romantically interested in a fellow female classmate rather than Steve. This intimate moment for these characters turned the tables and we ended up seeing a friendship that was much more rewarding for the characters and the show as a whole.

What’s interesting though, is that the season was very close to going the route that everyone was expecting from the start. From the beginning, Steve and Robin were meant to end up in a relationship, but Maya Hawke and the directors slowly realized that maybe the pair shouldn’t end up together.

Hawke is quoted in an article from MTV News saying:

"“Throughout filming, we started to feel like she and [Steve] shouldn’t get together, and that she’s gay. Even when I go back and watch earlier episodes, it just seems like the most obvious decision ever,”"

Hawke also recently shared that it wasn’t until pretty late into filming that a decision was made to change Robin’s story and character arc. The MTV News article shares that Hawke, along with The Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy, had been discussing the change throughout filming and that the final decision wasn’t made until about halfway through the season.

The article also quotes Hawke’s view on the impact of the change:

"“Sometimes we can have empathy for people on screen that we wouldn’t normally have empathy for in real life. If I can hope for anything it’s that maybe some people fell in love with Robin and that helped them fall in love with girls who love girls and boys who love boys.”"

I think the decision to change-up Robin’s sexuality ended up being bigger than just the show. It’s nice to see Stranger Things branching out with representation, including showing off some powerful women (Robin included)! The friendship between Robin and Steve grew even more after she came out to him and I think we and the show are all the better for it.

Their adventures in the Scoops Troop and getting drugged and kidnapped by Russians together were some of the best parts of the season and their chemistry was so electric on-screen. Let’s also not forget Robin sticking up for Steve when they were looking for jobs at the Palace Arcade!

I’m so excited to see the kind of trouble they might get into in Stranger Things season 4! Let us know what you think of their friendship in the comments!