'Stranger Things' season 3: Dacre Montgomery's Billy Hargrove goes from 'menacing' to 'sinister'
This article contains spoilers for 'Stranger Things' Season 3
The second season of the '80s horror drama set in Hawkins, Indiana may have been a damp squib, but it introduced some dynamic characters who would go on and play an integral role in the new season. One of the characters who was an instant hit with the audiences for his bada** attitude was Dacre Montgomery's, Billy Hargrove.
Billy, ever since his introduction has defined macho. This was a teen who worked out like a maniac while puffing into his cigarettes, drove a souped-up '79 Camaro with rock music blaring out of the car's stereo, is a hit with young moms thanks to his raw charisma and most importantly, was a top-class athlete.
In season 2, Billy was troubled, violent and had a fractured relationship with his younger sister, Max Hargrove. He came in as an antagonist and by the end of the season, he takes a backseat as the focus shifts to the battle between Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Mind Flayer. Ahead of the much-awaited season, Billy had a trailer to himself. Titled 'Summer In Hawkins', the just over a minute-and-a-half clip showed that he had taken up a job as a lifeguard at the Hawkins Community Pool.
What follows next is a barrage of spoilers. If you haven't watched the new season yet, you're reading this at your own risk.
The clip and the trailer that showed him get infected, presumably by the Mind Flayer, led fans to speculate if Billy was a new host and would dictate terms in the new season. And for those of you who thought that way, Billy is indeed affected by the Mind Flayer and is instrumental throughout the series.
The third season sees the Mind Flayer using a different ploy to kill the residents of Hawkins, and this time the idea is to infect the people as hosts and possess them so as to create a domino effect. Billy is one of the victims as he is infected on his way to meet Mrs. Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono). Soon after he goes about infecting people around him, starting off with his lifeguard colleague, Heather (Francesca Reale), followed by her parents.
In the final few episodes, Eleven digs into Billy's past that also gives the viewers an idea of Billy's childhood and the reason for his violent attitude.
The final showdown happens at the Starcourt Mall where the Mind Flayer, now insanely huge and scary-looking, is bent on killing Eleven and Billy is the one who appears to support the demon as he pins her down. Eleven, who loses her powers after exhausting them narrates to Billy his past thereby breaking him free from the Mind Flayer's influence.
Billy, now free from the Mind Flayer's control, takes on the monster single-handedly and saves Eleven, but dies in the process.
At the moment it is unclear if Billy will somehow make an appearance in the fourth season given how his arc ended. But he would probably be seen in flashbacks of sorts. From a sadistic bully to a hero, Billy's arc has some human qualities built in and the way it ends is tragic and tearjerking, but beautiful and fitting.
'Stranger Things' season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.