Billy was too sympathetic a villain for Stranger Things season 3 and his backstory was revealed far too late, two major mistakes that the series needs to avoid going forward. The Netflix hit Stranger Things debuted in 2016, and since then, the series has had no trouble giving its viewers nightmares with some truly horrifying villains. The Demogorgon of season 1 and the Mind Flayer introduced in season 2 were terrifying, interdimensional threats that proved instantly iconic – which was fortunate since Stranger Things is less adept at establishing memorable human antagonists.
Ever since season 1 killed off Barb without a second thought it was clear that Stranger Things had a dark edge, but the series often portrayed human villains as either irredeemably cartoonish or surprisingly sympathetic potential anti-heroes. Without much middle ground, the show did not leave its human bad guys with a lot of room for growth unless they were transformed into full-blown heroes. This issue was not a major problem throughout seasons 1 and 2, but it caused a huge issue for season 3 of Stranger Things - one that season 4 needs to avoid.
As far as the human villains of Stranger Things go, small-town bully Billy was too easily redeemed, with his brutal backstory making him too sympathetic and thinly-sketched. Focusing on literal monsters like the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer or more reprehensible human figures such as Dr. Brenner would give the series a more compelling threat, meaning Stranger Things season 4 needs to avoid this third season mistake by learning from Billy’s mishandled character arc. Although star Dacre Montogomery still managed to make Billy a layered, compelling character, the writing of his story left a lot to be desired and a similar problem could derail the fourth season’s human baddies if the showrunners don’t learn from past mistakes.
Season 1 & 2 Of Stranger Things Featured Great Anti-Villains
Since the show’s inception, Stranger Things has delighted in subverting viewer expectations, and this has often come in the form of turning seemingly heinous villains into surprise heroes. The most famous case of the series setting up an effective anti-villain came in the form of Steve’s famous season 1 character arc, with the supporting star going from a stereotypical jock and petty bully to a surprisingly sweet, well-rounded hero. Actor Joe Keery was initially intended to be Demogorgon food but the creators found him too likable and endearing to kill off, resulting in this cliche-subverting twist that viewers loved.
After Stranger Things established this pattern of creating unexpectedly likable characters out of apparent villains, it was no surprise when Dr. Owens repeated this trick in season 2. The character started out as a seemingly sleazy Hawkins Lab worker but ended up helping the protagonists and redeeming himself by helping Hopper adopt Eleven. To throw viewers off the scent, the creators even cast Paul Reiser of Aliens fame as Owens, ensuring savvy viewers were immediately reminded of the actor’s famously duplicitous villain role. However, not all of the twisty reveals of Stranger Things work so well.
Billy Was Intended To Be Season 3’s Anti-Villain (Or Not)
The amount of screentime focused on Billy late in Stranger Things season 2 and early in season 3 makes it clear the character was intended to be a breakout star but, despite his actor’s spirited performance, Billy is a violent, unhinged racist for much of his early appearances. Stranger Things did not have sufficient time/focus to fully flesh out his character, Steve-style (outside of one brief scene where he’s bullied by his stepdad), resulting in Stranger Things depicting a human monster turning into a literal monster without ever properly illustrating another side to them. Billy’s redemption arc is ultimately sold by Montgomery’s great performance and the last scene he shares with adopted sister Max is genuinely heartbreaking as a result. However, in terms of writing, the tragic explanation for his violent sociopathy (he was abandoned by his mother as a child and left to fend for himself against an abusive father) is crammed into a flashback that occurs literal seconds before his self-sacrifice in the finale. It is a true waste of a superb performance and a half-hearted attempt to add shade to a character moments before their death that feels more like an afterthought than a meaningful revelation.
Season 3 Didn’t Need A Sympathetic Villain
With a Terminator-style assassin after Joyce and Hopper, Nancy and Jonathan battling workplace bullying and misogyny, countless teen breakups, a giant monster assimilating the townspeople, and Russians hiding out under the local Mall, the last thing that Stranger Things season 3 needed was a complex human host for its biggest beast. Again, Montgomery put in a stellar turn as Billy, but the role was underdeveloped and thus his backstory being revealed in the finale’s flashback turned what could have been a sad moment into a near-miss that the overly busy season couldn’t pull off. A less complex monster, human or otherwise, would have helped season 3, and the fourth season must either commit to fleshing out and redeeming its human villains or making them utter monsters, as opposed to the show’s inconsistent season 3 approach.
What This Means For Stranger Things 4
Already, the earliest glimpses seen of Stranger Things season 4 have made it clear the series will look entirely different, and the passing years between series may well bring with them a change in tone. Fortunately, the approach proposed above, of either creating more sympathetic, complex villains or more unrepentantly evil ones, would fit well with a darker season 4. This would allow the series to create bad guys as interesting and memorable as its literal monsters, which is currently the biggest recurring problem. It may be too late for season 3’s Billy to get the fleshed-out character arc that the supporting star deserved, but Stranger Things season 4 can still learn from the mistakes of its predecessors. Viewers of the Netflix hit have liked both heroic anti-villains like Steve and complete monsters like the amoral Dr. Brenner, but splitting the difference requires a level of character focus the crowded story of Stranger Things season 3 could not offer.
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