'Stranger Things' season 3: The Byers have had it rough so far but here's why season 4 will see them in a bigger role
This article contains spoilers for 'Stranger Things' Season 3
It has been a rough couple of years for the Byers ever since the show started. The first season was set in Hawkins, Indiana in 1983. Titled, 'Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers', the opening episode saw Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) being abducted by an unseen creature. It was later revealed that the creature was called the Demogorgon and Will and was taken into an alternate dimension dubbed the Upside Down.
Will is rescued eventually but is revealed to be possessed by the Mind Flayer in the final few minutes of season 1. The second season sees the Mind Flayer use Will as the host, but luckily he was able to deduce the creature's evil motives. In addition, Will even helps his team thwart the Mind Flayer's plans.
Finally, with the help of his mother, Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) brother Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), and along with his best friends, Will is able to flush out the Mind Flayer out of his system. It is also revealed that he develops a sort of sense where he would be able to know if there were any traces of evil lurking around.
While Will was pretty much the victim in seasons 1 and 2, his mother and brother go through a fair dose of trouble. Joyce endured enough drama in trying to rescue her son in season 1. She also had to deal with the loss of her boyfriend, Bob Newby (Sean Astin ), who dies at the hands of the demodogs in the final episode in season 2.
Come season 3, she takes on the Russians with the help of Jim Hopper (David Harbour), her schoolmate, her best friend (she eventually agrees to date him) and the Hawkins Chief of Police.
The Russians, after realizing that an alternate dimension exists in Hawkins, use the Starcourt mall as a front to a secret underground lab where they conduct experiments to reopen the dimension. They construct a cannon that is capable of opening the portal and this results in the return of the Mind Flayer and its attempts to destroy Eleven along with Hawkins.
Joyce, after realizing that the Russians were behind all the horrors unfolding in town, teams up with Hopper and Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman), a sassy journalist as they infiltrate the Russian lab and attempt to shut down the cannon. But Hopper is presumed as a casualty of the battle and that leaves her heartbroken.
Her elder son Jonathan too has been a first-hand witness of all the ordeal that his family has gone through. He somehow manages to escape by the skin of his teeth when the Mind Flayer takes its original size and then later helps the team stop the evil creature.
Throughout the 24 episodes till date, the Byers have been constant attention grabbers given the turmoil they go through. In season 3's final episode, it is shown they decide to leave town for good and with Hopper's death, they take Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) with them.
The end of season 3 and the credit scene sets up a potential season 4. So far, the seasons have seen Will, Joyce, and Jonathan play integral roles and the series will not be the same without them. Season 4 will most definitely take place in Hawkins, given how the small town has been the battlefield between the evil creatures and the young kids.
It all started with Will and it is only fair that we see him and his family return to Hawkins to help out the rest of the heroes. Clearly, he's the guy with something close to a "Peter's tingle" and we can't wait for Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan to get back to each other. And maybe, just maybe, Joyce gets Hopper too.
But again, will it be the return of the Byers in season 4 and to what degree? Only time will tell.
'Stranger Things' season 3 is available for streaming on Netflix.
