'Stranger Things' season 3 blesses us with Robin, but her sexuality is the biggest surprise gift in the end
This article contains spoilers for season 3 of 'Stranger Things.'
'Stranger Things' season 3 has a lot of big reveals, but the best one of the lot has to be its breakthrough new character, Robin's sexuality. As the first LGBTQ character introduced to the series, after years of criticism for the lack of the same in its preceding seasons, the Duffer brothers have finally given us the character played by Maya Hawke, who is pretty much out there in terms of her dark wit and too-cool-for-school charm, even though she isn't out of the closet. Well, not out of the closet to anybody except her coworker at Scoops Ahoy!, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery.)
When the series first premiered, despite the main characters being all children on the brink of becoming teenagers, the show earned a lot of flak owing to no explicitly out or queer characters, but the underlying tone of homophobia prevalent during the 80s is what earned it critical acclaim too. Two years later, people in Hawkins seem a lot less explicitly homophobic in season 3, if not tolerant. Or maybe it was the writer's call to keep that narrative out of the plot in the season, where already too much is happening.
And then comes in Robin, with her seemingly cold exterior and a warm, curious interior, who even though an alternative girl bored with her daily job at an ice cream outlet, doesn't shy away from indulging in some thrilling fights against the Russians. The build-up to Robin's big sexuality reveal also works for the show because in no manner would a viewer be able to guess that this girl is not head over heels for her coworker, Steve 'Hair' Harrington (Joe Keery.)
It is obvious the two went to school together, even though the Prom King Steve barely even noticed her in all their years at school. Or so he claims until the very last moment where he spills to Robin that he is falling for someone who is more his 'type' after Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) shattered and smashed his heart to smithereens. Let it be known up until this point, that there hasn't been a single mention of Robin's sexuality, and in fact, she has implied that she used to get pretty jealous during classes she shared with him, as he would get all the other girls' attention.
Steve, being Steve, obviously assumes this has something to do with Robin's obsession with him. And as he spills his feelings out to her after the two of them have puked their guts out at a public restroom thanks to all the drugs they were stuffed with by the Russians, she lays down how she is not like his other friends. And definitely not like Nancy. Seven episodes in, after we are pretty sure that Robin has spent her entire school life crushing over Steve, she busts the absolute myth and admits the only reason she was so obsessed with Steve was because a girl called Tammy Thompson wouldn't stop staring at him. And Robin wanted Tammy to be staring at her all the time.
This coming out, even if it was to just one person, is not only exceptionally executed, but also speaks volumes for the social scenario of the 80s. Robin doesn't even explicitly say the word 'gay' or 'lesbian.' When Steve questions 'But Tammy Thompson is a girl', Robin just nods and both of them go "Holy sh*t." Because holy sh*t indeed, it is the 80s and people still get chided for being quiet or liking photography - as the series has shown in the past. So there definitely is no mention of the L word, but our Robin is a Russian translating, monster-dodging, absolute badass whose dream eye rolls and sharp sass are what we live for. She might question Steve over how many children the high school graduate is friends with, but the truth is, Robin is the one we want to be friends with. Once again, sorry Steve.
'Stranger Things' premiered on July 4 and is available for streaming on Netflix now.