Throughout the course of Stranger Things, one of the relationships that fans have invested most in is the potential romance between David Harbour’s Hopper and Winona Ryder’s Joyce, as the two characters have endless amounts of chemistry in scenes together. The first season confirmed that they had a romantic past, while the second season introduced Sean Astin’s Bob as Joyce’s love interest, only for him to be killed by Demodogs late in the season. The new season explored their dynamic in new ways, yet Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood pointed out that, while some audiences might find Hopper’s behavior romantic, viewers should avoid guys with this many red flags.
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WARNING: Minor spoilers below for Stranger Things Season Three
The third season shows Hopper expressing his romantic interest in Joyce, which she doesn’t reciprocate. When Joyce misses a dinner that they had planned, Hopper holds it over her head for the rest of the season while also acting possessive and jealous over all references to any other men she interacts with.
“You should never date a guy like the cop from [Stranger Things],” Wood tweeted. “Extreme jealousy and violent rages are not flattering or sexy like TV would have you believe. That is all.”
After seemingly catching criticism from fans, the actress added, “Yes I am aware it’s ‘just a show’ and it’s set ‘in the ’80s’ even though this stuff was unacceptable then too, but that’s exactly my point. It’s just a show and this is a gentle reminder not to fall for this crap in real life. Red flags galore.”
Many users attempted to dismiss Wood’s comments about the real-world ramifications of Hopper’s behaviors by citing that it’s a work of fiction, despite the fact that she herself acknowledged that it was fiction multiple times and specifying that what makes for a compelling TV show can make for a problematic dynamic in reality. Luckily, not all of the responses were argumentative, as some users agreed with Wood’s comments about how some of Hopper’s behaviors displayed an entitlement to a woman because he possessed feelings for her despite those feelings not being explicitly mutual.
When one fan pointed out that they were glad Joyce didn’t confirm these feelings with Hopper, Wood pointed out, “She rescheduled the date he yelled and got in her face about while policing every guy she spoke to. No thanks.”
She continued, “She is allowed to stand him up without being screamed at. Especially when she is worried about her children. Priority number 1. He also insisted it wasn’t a date and clearly he lied. She shouldn’t have rescheduled. He should have gone to therapy.”
Stranger Things Season Three is streaming now on Netflix.
What do you think of Wood’s remarks? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!
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