Jenna Gibson

Opinions Editor

Disclaimer: Article contains spoilers about “Stranger Things” seasons one and two.

Unless you’re living under a rock, you definitely have heard of the hit Netflix TV show, “Stranger Things.” Released in July 2016, this sci-fi show follows a young boy named Will who goes missing and the search to find him. “Stranger Things” is set in the 1980’s and centers around Will’s friends and family, including his best friends Mike, Dustin, Lucas and  Eleven.

The show is filled with strong characters, including Will’s mother Joyce, played by Winona Ryder, and Mike’s sister, Nancy, played by Natalia Dyer. The cast also includes Steve Harrington, Nancy’s boyfriend, and my personal favorite character. Although it may be a somewhat controversial opinion, I truly believe Steve is the best character on the entire show (and in real life as well, honestly). Although he plays the classic tool character on “Stranger Things,” I think that he has grown immensely since he first appeared on the screen.

I’ll try my best not to give any spoilers away, but from season one to the end of season two, Steve has turned from being a self-centered jerk to a somewhat nicer friend. Throughout season one, Steve treated Nancy horribly, and it’s no wonder that she ended up breaking up with him. Imagine the worst frat boy that could possibly exist, put him in high school in the 80’s, give him some hair gel and you’ll have Steve Harrington. He wasn’t very nice at all in the first season, because he was very self-centered in their relationship and was just a jerk in general, but in the first episode of season two, I knew his character was about to go through a major development.

In season two, Steve and Nancy are broken up, and Nancy is spending her time with Will’s brother, Jonathan. At the end of season one, Will returns. Throughout the season, the characters of “Stranger Things” continue to try to fight off the monsters of the Upside-Down world and get rid of Will’s inner monsters as well (literally, monsters are inside him).

In Steve’s time away from Nancy, he starts to spend time with the other boys of “Stranger Things,” especially Mike, Dustin and Lucas. He forms an especially close friendship with Dustin, and in season two, he even tells Nancy that he knows he was a bad boyfriend. He becomes a “babysitter” of sorts for the younger boys, and he also becomes a whole lot nicer.

Another reason that Steve is my new personal favorite character is the introduction of the character Billy in the second season. His little sister becomes a new friend for the boys, and even a love interest for Lucas, but Billy is the absolute worst. I think that the producers of the show most definitely put Billy in to help make the case for Steve’s new sense of kindness and decency.

Not to mention Steve, played by the hip and funny Joe Keery, is also very easy on the eyes and has a great social media presence. So, if you need even more of a reason to love Steve Harrington, his charm and good looks are also definitely worth mentioning.