What works so fantastically about Steve saving Jonathan and Nancy in the s1 finale is the fact he was at Jonathan’s house at all. He didn’t just come across them by accident, he came to make things right with Jonathan. Even though Jonathan won their fight and beat the hell out of Steve, he still knows what he said and the way he acted was wrong and wanted to apologise. That makes him returning to save them even more impactful, showing he was always capable of being this kind and strong, he just needed to realise it.
to be fair, highschool kids r fkn stupid and make dumb decisions. yes it was pretty fkn creepy at first but his character development made it easier to accept @@alexanderguerrero347
Exactly, Steve was (and still is) my favorite character since season 1 because he was very human, he made mistakes but then he was humble enough to try to make up for them. I don’t understand how Jonathan and Nancy became a fan favourite since, like the other person said, he was stalking her and taking private pictures of her. Total creep.
I mean, Jonathan has been written into a corner. He's not really a good fit for Nancy. It's one of those things where if we look at the story within a movie or even within 1 season, people can look at the two of them and think that they would be great together. But, whenever you actually put them together you can see that they aren't good together. To be fair, that's kind of what dating is about. You think someone is perfect for you but whenever you're actually with each other, you realize that may not be the case. It is really well written from a realistic standpoint.
I like how his friendship with Dustin wasn’t even planned. They just wanted to pare Dustin up with someone, and they realized that Steve wasn’t doing anything else in the story.
They are awesome and then when Eddie joined them in Season 4, they were an epic trio. I love how Dustin is a king nerd and Steve has no knowledge of need culture at all
The fact that Steve went from many people's least favorite character to becoming probably the best character in the show proves that almost any character can be developed and mature to become a fan favorite. When I watched the show I hated Steve innitally, but throughout it all my friends said "just wait until later seasons, you're gonna love him" and they were right, he's by far my favorite character in the show now.
I absolutely love it when a writer can make me hate a character and dismiss them as a stereotypical antagonist, and then eventually turn them around so much they become my absolute favorite character in the series. Steve is definitely the shining example of this. Another character who portrayed this, albeit to a lesser extent imo, is Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z/Super, who also ended up being one of my absolute favorite characters in that series, especially after the end of the Dragonball Super anime.
They either had to redeem him or get eid of him. It kinda reminds me of how I hated Darryl during the first season of TWD, but then he became my favourite from the second onward
I love how he gets better then you get to see what he could have been, like Billy or the head jock in season 4. Steve hates that he was a jerk and stopped being a jerk.
@@sophiaderrick7550they literally took the scene of Johnathan taking pictures of Nancy out of the first season to make it work better 😭😭 and to new watchers Steve breaks the camera for no reason
I love how Steve just keeps getting better as a character each season. His friendship with Dustin and the rest of the party is too pure for words. I'm glad that they worked off of Joe's personality, rather than having him be the stereotypical bully who never changes.
@@honorwithoutlaw that's exactly what it means, he has no focus, yet other characters get to move on in different directions....the show doesn't know what to do with him
@@ninjanibba4259 I'd say they have no idea what to do with Jonathan actually, also emphasising he could be a main to die - - him and nancy are breaking down, they don't even want the same future anymore - at the end of season 4 it was clear jancy are just hanging on so wouldn't be surprised if they're over off screen - jonathan was almost pointless in 4 - the stancy love triangle is reopening - ultimately nancy will have to chose steve or jonathan and she won't. Meaning one of them will most likely die, unlikely to be steve as its too much trauma for dustin I dont see it happening. Therefore it's probably gonna be jonathan to end the love triangle
"I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but turns out I'm actually a pretty Damn good babysitter." I loved that they gave Steve that arc with Dustin, since originally, he had nothing to do after breaking up with Nancy.
Steve's season 3 conversation with Robin about Tammy Thompson was so endearing that he will forever be cemented as my favorite character in Stranger Things.
What felt forced? Robin being lesbian? Steve thinking Tammy sounds like a muppet and Robin can do better? Steve being accepting in general even though its well established that he's changed? @@ninjanibba4259
In retrospective most of us just cheered for Jonathan because he was the underdog, his character got written into a corner as soon as he got the win. And somehow the stereotypical mean guy minor antagonist ended up with the most satisfying character development in the show.
I actually really like Steve and Jonathan, people say Jonathan does not have a story but he cares for his family, mostly his brother and even if I didn't like the time we lost with Argile in season four I think the whole being a stoner now is how Jonathan is coping with wanting to be with Nancy and not wanting to leave his family and all the drama of being 18 and having survived 3 seasons of supernatural stuff happening in his life. On the other hand, Nancy is the one that does not grow at all. She was always selfish and did not give a damn that her brother's best friend had disappeared until the same happened to her in season one, in season two she cheats on Steve and in season three she only cares about what she wants and her career aspirations, people love to talk about how Jonathan did not take her interest in being a journalist seriously but she also does not respect his job as photographer, you can see it in the scenes she keeps opening the door to the photography lab and ruining his work. So I really would love to have neither of them being together cause Nancy and Jonathan do not work anymore and she does not deserve Steve.
@@willowweeperhonestly it's kinda disturbing how the show just excused him peeping on Nancy like that. His motivation not being sexual doesn't change what he was actually doing.
That’s the way underdog stories always go. I love them as much as the next guy, but to give a football example the Patriots were a joke franchise and Brady was a 6th round pick, no one would ever expect them to be successful, let alone the most successful team ever. At the end of Brady’s time in New England everyone hated him. Underdog to oppressor real quick, it shows how ultimately meaningless that trope is if it’s the source of value
It’s amazing how much people misremember how bad Steve was in season 1… like people will say (usually without having a recent rewatch) that he’s a full on villain, but really he’s just a spoiled kid who doesn’t know his place in the world or how to properly process his emotions yet, but he’s clearly someone who cares deeply!
I think people may be confusing steve and billy when they do this. like as much as I like the actor, the billy character was extremely dangerous and volatile. if he hadn't gotten torn apart by the monster he would've ended up in prison eventually lol
@@monkeygoesbananas Billy was in a much more traumatic home situation too. Even though he was much worse and deserved what he got, we mustn't forget that other people go through terrible things to come out that horrible and some people have a lower threshold than us of what they can handle mentally.
i did this with my partner when we watched the show in the past month lol, they had only watched maybe half of season 1 to start with before dropping it years ago, so when i told them that steve was my number one favorite (with hopper a SUPER close second), they were hella confused on why steve's mean ass was my favorite lmfao, and then the ending of s1/through s2 was when it clicked for them hehe
Steve has one of my favorite character arks in television. He started off not really caring about the fact that a child got missing in the first season and not making it his problem; to becoming a sympathetic and caring friend for Dustin, and also becoming the most resourceful person that can protect the kids (when Eleven or the adults aren’t available)
Steve Harrington is effectively the family friendly version of Ash Williams: a reluctant side character turned hero, constantly placed in a protective role he never asked for
Ash really does embody the whole, "Not the hero they need, but the one they got." type of character. And I suppose that when you look at who SHOULD be protecting the kids(that being someone like Hopper), Steve is definitely not the first choice, but fills his role well. Definitely my two favorite characters in the genre. Dead by Daylight is lucky to have had the chance to involve them.
YES THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IVE BEEN TRYING TO SAY! I have been a fan of Steve ever since Season 1 because I loved how the show subverted the 80s Bully Trope to make Steve a far more interesting and complex character than anyone thought he would be. So many people remember him being a lot worse in season one because the writer's leaned just enough into the trope so the audience would assume the rest to be properly subverted but too many people forgot he never crossed any hard lines
THANK YOU for talking about Billy's story being unsatisfying. So many people loved him and felt for him because of his back story, but I definitely could never move past his actions.
Once we found out why he is the way he is and we really see him I wanted a redemption for him so so badly. And I really believe he would have been capable of it, but just wasn't given enough time. I get it. Steve was supposed to be a human antagonist and that ended up changing so they brought Billy into fulfill that. We didn't get enough development for me to say I really love the character as his behavior is unacceptable and could be a genuinely scary and dangerous person, but I really felt for him after seeing that depth of character. I think he still had that goodness in him and the ending he got still hurt my heart.
I think people overlooked his character all together. He had so many layers. People call him a racist bully yet he was never racist. He hated lucas because his first introduction to him reminded him of his dad. Lucas and max was arguing. If Billy was racist he wouldn't hide it by being vague. He would be direct with it. Billy was forced to kill people which we see him crying and apologizing for in the sauna. Out of all the hive minded people billy was the first one to break away from that sacrificing himself to save eleven. Billy treated people like his dad treated him yet you see small hints that there was more to him.
@@russellballard6473 Yes! It was clear that he wasn't in control of his actions when he was being used to kill people. I should edit my comment that I wasn't referring to that. A scene that really sticks with me still is when he was driving with max and he started going super fast, obviously scaring her. And the aggression when he grabbed her wrist when talking about Lucas. We see that cycle of abuse continuing- that's absolutely the same way his dad treats him and if it continues, he could end up being a dangerous person to be around. But there's so much more there.
@@russellballard6473he was absolutely racist. You don't have to say racist things to be racist. Not trusting someone for being black is racist. That's enough to know that he's racist, though the writers even originally wanted him to call Lucas a slur but neither actor involved was comfortable with that.
Honestly I never saw Steve as a bad person. I thought he was a really well written character because he would act as a real human would: with flaws, but trying to be better
steve was NOT a bully. like you said, the things he did in season 1 are all understandable and not the worst thing ever, he breaks the camera of the guy taking pictures of him,his friends and his girlfriend. he started hating Jonathan and fought with him because he thought the stalker guy that took photos of them all also is the guy his girlfriend cheats with, steve is one my favourite fictional characters of all time, because of how complex he was from the start, he was popular but he wasn't a bully,he wanted to be with nancy because he actually loved her, he apologised to the guy he thought his girlfriend cheats with and from there on he was just always a charming,sweet but also a badass character. he puts his life on the line for everyone he cares for and he also accepted robin for who she is,he is just GREAT.
I liked him all through Season 1. The way they wrote his "soft moments" (moments when he pushed back against the bigger bullies or chose not to be a complete jerk), and even the reasoning behind his more full-on bully moments, all made it clear he was being set up as a twist hero. I had no idea they would take it so completely full circle. I have never seen a character who changed in such a relaxed, natural arc. Especially making him have to work for every single win he got. Glad that he finally got the love he deserved!
My daughter (who just turned 10) is now watching stranger things and asked me who my favorite character was. I am assuming she expected me to say one of the main characters, without skipping a beat I said Steve. She asked why and I had answered so quickly I didnt stop to think about why. I told her because he felt like he had the most character development out of everyone. She said hers was Dustin and I said thats why we are best friends. Love how this really goes into depth into Steves hero arc. Cant wait for season 5.
Steve is an amazing person. One of the most emocional moment of the series, at least for me , is when Robin confesses to him that she's a lesbian and .. Steve's reaction was surreal considering the time the series takes place. He really cares about people and that's wonderful.❤🤗
I thought Steve had a good arc is season one, but I remember a lot of people still didn’t like him. It was nice to see him become a fan favorite after season 2.
Watching Stranger Things with a friend last year. Her at the end of season 1: I think I like Steve. Me: He gets better. Her at the middle of season 2: I do like Steve. Me: He gets better. Her at the end of season 2: I really like Steve. Me: He gets better. Her at the beginning of season 3: I love Steve. Me: He gets better. Her halfway through season 3: I LOVE Steve. Me: He gets better. Her at the end of season 3: I LOVE STEVE SO MUCH. Me:………. He gets better. Her: HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!
literally has been my favorite character of the show from the minute he picked up the spiked bat. glad that was meant to be the focal turning point of his character
Best use of expectation subversion ever. Steve’s character was masterfully written. I absolutely Love how his character was developed over the show’s 4 seasons.
Fun fact! The guy who plays Tommy is named Chester Rushing and he graduated high school with me. Starred in every theater performance and super popular
I honestly think they set it up to be much more basic but Joe Keery is so effervescent that they just had to put a spin on the more one-dimensional role they had initially written.
Idk, i think Billy is very representative of real people. Sometimes, the worst people make the noblest, most inexplicable gestures, and we don't know why, because we never really wanted to get to know them because they're unpleasant to be around. Steve had Nancy. All Billy had was a sister who lacked the authority to see him straight. That is *very* real.
The Duffer Brothers also pointed out that Will's dad was supposed to go to the house to apologize to Joyce and end up helping Jonathan and Nancy. It was a change they made at almost the last minute.
I like Steve, I always thought his role with the Dustin and the others wasn't a babysitting thing, nor was it a 'mommy' role either. It was more big brother. More like 'you little shit heads are my responsibility, and no demigorgon is going to eat my little siblings, not on my watch!'
I feel like with Billy, they had already written so much of the season already and he got popular like Steve. Since they had gotten so far along with the story it was hard to turn some parts, so they had to have a WWE style turn at the last minute to give the fans of Billy the ending they wanted. Me being one of them, having watched all of stranger things last year. Completely agree with this video. With my taste of why things happened with Billy.
I have to claim that I had a hunch for the eventual development of this character pretty early on. He was too present and too detailed to be just a setup for 'bully gets what bully deserves' character. Its almost its own trope that a bully more or less gradually turns into a likeable character at which point there is a fork in the plot where the character is either killed off in a dramatic, sacrificial way to trigger sympathetic emotions for him and disappointment in his demise in the audience or becomes somewhat of a hero and a cornerstone of the ongoing story. It wasnt unforseeable or a huge surprise, but very much satisfying. Because I also like him very much. 😅
I was a hardcore Steve defender in s1. Used to fight people in the comments about how it makes sense that he’d break johns camera after Johnathon TOOK PICTURES of them. So I’ve only felt vindication since.
This is why Stranger Things is great. The nostalgia, the cinematography, and the cool supernatural plot are all great (some of the Real World plots like escaping the GULAG are a bit weak), but what makes it memorable and so watchable is that the characters are: - Well written and - Well performed Every single main character is a fully three-dimensional person on paper and on-screen, and that is what makes a good show great. Even the minor characters have nuance and intrigue. This is why we come back to the show
Honestly Steve is my favorite part of the series and when I rewatch, his ( and later Robins) are the parts I actually watch in full while skimming the others. Honestly them with Erica in season 3 was like peak awesome characters working together moment for me.
I liked steve from season one. I get that he was supposed to initially come across as the stereotypical mean jock but I never truly got that vibe from him. It suprised me how many disliked him before season 2 came out. Steve with the kids is great but he also needs friends his age...one of the reasons why I really wanted Eddie to stick around as the newest addition to the group.
Yeah, I'm considering warning my neighbors when the season comes out. Just in case, so if they hear any blood curdling screams they won't call the police.
Just cause he is a fan favourite is already a good enough reason to kill him off. Im sick of the "bullet proof vest" that makes likeable characters untouchable.
@@greyLeicester the writers have shown that they're not above killing likable characters. Eddie bit the dust after one of the most epic scenes in the series after all
@@MrMeh23 Eddie was a way for them to cheat and have their cake and eat it too. They were able to have their "Dustin holds his older mentor in his arms as he dies a hero" moment with Eddie, so now they don't have to do it with Steve. If they do it now, it's just going to be a retread of the Eddie scene which would be lame.
Ooookay! When I clicked on this video I was skeptical that it was sorta click bait. But this was a GOOD and thorough breakdown of the arch of Steve Harrington and some of the character influences. Steve is arguably one of the best archs on the show and Keery has served him to us on a silver platter. I adore Steve Harrington and like so many I was hooked on his character evolution after Season 1. Thank you for a great video.
Steve was my favorite character right from the photo reveal. Literally everything he does shows that he's not all that bad. It's such a high school drama in the first season, and they wrote the turmoil of figuring things out really well.
i grew up in the 90's watching 80's movies with my father. and when steve and billy went face to face, that was just it for me man what an awesome faceoff the vibe of it.
It’s crazy the audience fell in love with steve to a point where the writers didn’t anticipate, so much so that when they wrote billy I feel like they made him as awful as he was so that he’d be absolutely irredeemable to the audience.
I love the originality of instead of having a stupid jerk boyfriend, they had a boyfriend who was a jerk from peer pressure. He shows how peer pressure can really change a person.
i stand by that season 1 is unparalleled fiction. It is SO well written, it is SO suspenseful, filled with character development, quirky people, twists and turns, and originality. I reallllly love the first season.
To me Billy worked because of his relationship with his sister. Sure he bullied her but it always has an underlying care for her. In the end he did not save 11 but his sister by saving 11.
I loved Steve from the beginning. It's probably partly because he was a romantic rival to Jonathan and I did and still do think Jonathan is a disgusting creep.
I absolutely adore Steve Harrington. He became my favorite right at the end of season 1 with his turn to come back and save Nancy and Jonathan. He's only gotten better every season since then. One thing I did want to point out about the video. In Better Off Dead, John Cusack played Lane Myer, the guy who was getting bullied by Roy. You showed the wrong character on that one.
He's literally the only thing I liked on season 1 of stranger things. He's actually the main reason why I binged the rest of the show to catch up with everyone else. Steve Harrington for me, is the character that makes Stanger things a seriously good tv show
nah the reason billys heel turn works before he dies is because it's realistic you expect the idea of oh he's got a redemption arc but ...no this time much like reality not every one gets to redeem themselves it's okay if it leaves mixed feelings for Billy
That makes sense, for me i just felt bad that he didn't get that chance to do so. I'm sure that's just a me thing😅. They gave a us a reason as to why he is the way he is, it doesn't make any of it ok but understanding the reason gives you some kind of hope that he can change(until he dies of course). Again that might just be me though 😅
@@theartoforangehat Billy's actions simply made more sense after the reveals. It doesn't justify the way he's treated Max and others of course, but like any human, since when is any person ever fully "redeemed"? It's a lot more human to have mixed feelings about it. It's hard for people to fully hate Billy when he literally gave his life for someone he barely even knew, something we didn't even know he was capable of. Taking his only moment of vulnerability and showing what's really going through his mind a little. Knowing his mother was the only one who seemed to care about him but ended up abandoning him to stay with his abusive father, leaves some really heavy and conflicting emotional wounds that are extremely difficult to heal. I still think the other stuff he willingly did to bully and hurt Max is terrible though.
Actually, they had zero tricks up their sleeve. The duffers themselves said Joe was "so adorable" they HAD to make Steve nicer cause he wasn't convincing as a "mean jock".
"They're not babies" is simply not a response to "I'm not babysitting." That's just the term, it's just what it's called when you watch someone else's kid(s) and you're not working in actual childcare settings.
I needed this video bc while I knew I used to hate Steve and that he was my favorite character in season 4, there’s been so much time between seasons and I haven’t gone back and rewatched them so I honestly couldn’t remember when I started to like him.
I am a HUGE Steve fan. I absolutely looove Steve and his progression in the show!! I’m really excited to see what season 5 has in store for Steve and everyone else as they battle Vecna one last time!!
I always liked Steve from the get go. but was sure he was going to get killed off by the end of season 1. When he came back to fight the demogorgon, I was so giddy. I genuinely had not seen that coming and was an instant fan. To the point where I was genuinely worried for him in season 4. He is by far my favourite character in Stranger Things
i just love steve. and i think it’s hilarious that his character was supposed to be killed off in season one until joe keery pulled his charm out- ugh. love it. all i’m hoping for is that stancy isn’t end game😭‼️
I liked it. He grew up, chilled out and realized he had more to offer as a person than just being a jock bully and that his relationship with Nancy was vital to his happiness.
steve had the best arc in the series, and is arguably the best character too. What scares me is the final season is bound to drop a major character, and if it's steve im gonna lose my mind.
![[柴犬ASMR]曼玉Manyu&小白Bai 毛发护理Spa asmr](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0TsXQ7z2Dh4/mqdefault.jpg)
What works so fantastically about Steve saving Jonathan and Nancy in the s1 finale is the fact he was at Jonathan’s house at all. He didn’t just come across them by accident, he came to make things right with Jonathan. Even though Jonathan won their fight and beat the hell out of Steve, he still knows what he said and the way he acted was wrong and wanted to apologise. That makes him returning to save them even more impactful, showing he was always capable of being this kind and strong, he just needed to realise it.
I mean Jonathan was stalking Nancy and him taking pictures of them. Jonathan was a creep
@@alexanderguerrero347 I agree. But Steve was the better man because he admitted he was wrong, which Jonathan didn’t do.
to be fair, highschool kids r fkn stupid and make dumb decisions. yes it was pretty fkn creepy at first but his character development made it easier to accept @@alexanderguerrero347
Indeed.eubgyr❤tr❤rr❤rr❤rr❤rr❤r
Exactly, Steve was (and still is) my favorite character since season 1 because he was very human, he made mistakes but then he was humble enough to try to make up for them. I don’t understand how Jonathan and Nancy became a fan favourite since, like the other person said, he was stalking her and taking private pictures of her. Total creep.
Funny how audience love him way more than Nancy and Jonathan now. I would even say He deserves someone better than Nancy
I hate nancy more than the anything in the show
Of course people love him more. A rich white guy compare to poor white trash.
I mean, Jonathan has been written into a corner. He's not really a good fit for Nancy. It's one of those things where if we look at the story within a movie or even within 1 season, people can look at the two of them and think that they would be great together. But, whenever you actually put them together you can see that they aren't good together.
To be fair, that's kind of what dating is about. You think someone is perfect for you but whenever you're actually with each other, you realize that may not be the case. It is really well written from a realistic standpoint.
Damn straight, he deserves someone better than Nancy 😂
I disagree
I like how his friendship with Dustin wasn’t even planned. They just wanted to pare Dustin up with someone, and they realized that Steve wasn’t doing anything else in the story.
Pair*
Pare lolol
pear?@@jarlwhiterun7478
They are awesome and then when Eddie joined them in Season 4, they were an epic trio. I love how Dustin is a king nerd and Steve has no knowledge of need culture at all
The most accidental great character ever lol
Golden TV moments every time they appear on screen together
The fact that Steve went from many people's least favorite character to becoming probably the best character in the show proves that almost any character can be developed and mature to become a fan favorite. When I watched the show I hated Steve innitally, but throughout it all my friends said "just wait until later seasons, you're gonna love him" and they were right, he's by far my favorite character in the show now.
I absolutely love it when a writer can make me hate a character and dismiss them as a stereotypical antagonist, and then eventually turn them around so much they become my absolute favorite character in the series. Steve is definitely the shining example of this.
Another character who portrayed this, albeit to a lesser extent imo, is Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z/Super, who also ended up being one of my absolute favorite characters in that series, especially after the end of the Dragonball Super anime.
@misssniperella. Steve, Vegeta and Jamie Lannister. Top 3 best examples of this in all of TV imo
They either had to redeem him or get eid of him. It kinda reminds me of how I hated Darryl during the first season of TWD, but then he became my favourite from the second onward
Steve and Max hard carried the fourth season for me, one was a jerk and the other wasn’t even there in season one….
I love how he gets better then you get to see what he could have been, like Billy or the head jock in season 4. Steve hates that he was a jerk and stopped being a jerk.
I love how everyone ignores how John had pictures of Nancy changing and act like Steve was overreacting
It literally drives me crazy that she got with the dude taking creeper shots of her
righttt like I would break that camera too💀
@@sophiaderrick7550they literally took the scene of Johnathan taking pictures of Nancy out of the first season to make it work better 😭😭 and to new watchers Steve breaks the camera for no reason
The first time I watched the show I was flabbergasted at this.
So true
I love how Steve just keeps getting better as a character each season. His friendship with Dustin and the rest of the party is too pure for words. I'm glad that they worked off of Joe's personality, rather than having him be the stereotypical bully who never changes.
He has no identity tho, no real life outside the crew, that's why they dumbed him down some, to keep him codependent
@@honorwithoutlaw that's exactly what it means, he has no focus, yet other characters get to move on in different directions....the show doesn't know what to do with him
I wish shows did it more often. Look how great in worked in Friends.
@@ninjanibba4259 I'd say they have no idea what to do with Jonathan actually, also emphasising he could be a main to die -
- him and nancy are breaking down, they don't even want the same future anymore
- at the end of season 4 it was clear jancy are just hanging on so wouldn't be surprised if they're over off screen
- jonathan was almost pointless in 4
- the stancy love triangle is reopening
- ultimately nancy will have to chose steve or jonathan and she won't. Meaning one of them will most likely die, unlikely to be steve as its too much trauma for dustin I dont see it happening. Therefore it's probably gonna be jonathan to end the love triangle
@@ninjanibba4259 evil ass pfp
"I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but turns out I'm actually a pretty Damn good babysitter." I loved that they gave Steve that arc with Dustin, since originally, he had nothing to do after breaking up with Nancy.
Steve's season 3 conversation with Robin about Tammy Thompson was so endearing that he will forever be cemented as my favorite character in Stranger Things.
Felt forced
What felt forced? Robin being lesbian? Steve thinking Tammy sounds like a muppet and Robin can do better? Steve being accepting in general even though its well established that he's changed? @@ninjanibba4259
@@ninjanibba4259Or maybe, just maybe youre just homophobic. I could be wrong tho.
@@aarnejaroma homophobic or not, it was forced
@@ninjanibba4259why would u think it was forced
In retrospective most of us just cheered for Jonathan because he was the underdog, his character got written into a corner as soon as he got the win.
And somehow the stereotypical mean guy minor antagonist ended up with the most satisfying character development in the show.
i was not cheering for jonathan he was a creep
I actually really like Steve and Jonathan, people say Jonathan does not have a story but he cares for his family, mostly his brother and even if I didn't like the time we lost with Argile in season four I think the whole being a stoner now is how Jonathan is coping with wanting to be with Nancy and not wanting to leave his family and all the drama of being 18 and having survived 3 seasons of supernatural stuff happening in his life.
On the other hand, Nancy is the one that does not grow at all. She was always selfish and did not give a damn that her brother's best friend had disappeared until the same happened to her in season one, in season two she cheats on Steve and in season three she only cares about what she wants and her career aspirations, people love to talk about how Jonathan did not take her interest in being a journalist seriously but she also does not respect his job as photographer, you can see it in the scenes she keeps opening the door to the photography lab and ruining his work.
So I really would love to have neither of them being together cause Nancy and Jonathan do not work anymore and she does not deserve Steve.
@@jessica.janpaskotalk yo shit
@@willowweeperhonestly it's kinda disturbing how the show just excused him peeping on Nancy like that. His motivation not being sexual doesn't change what he was actually doing.
That’s the way underdog stories always go. I love them as much as the next guy, but to give a football example the Patriots were a joke franchise and Brady was a 6th round pick, no one would ever expect them to be successful, let alone the most successful team ever. At the end of Brady’s time in New England everyone hated him. Underdog to oppressor real quick, it shows how ultimately meaningless that trope is if it’s the source of value
It’s amazing how much people misremember how bad Steve was in season 1… like people will say (usually without having a recent rewatch) that he’s a full on villain, but really he’s just a spoiled kid who doesn’t know his place in the world or how to properly process his emotions yet, but he’s clearly someone who cares deeply!
I think people may be confusing steve and billy when they do this. like as much as I like the actor, the billy character was extremely dangerous and volatile. if he hadn't gotten torn apart by the monster he would've ended up in prison eventually lol
Exactly and he hates what he sees in the mirror. So he owns up and steps up.
@@monkeygoesbananas Billy was in a much more traumatic home situation too. Even though he was much worse and deserved what he got, we mustn't forget that other people go through terrible things to come out that horrible and some people have a lower threshold than us of what they can handle mentally.
Who says that though? I don't really see people say that.
I always liked Steve even when season 1 came out.
Steve's story arc shows that he'd probably be the happiest being a dad, and I think that's very sweet
I love telling people who are just starting the show that my favorite character is Steve, and watch them be real confused until the season 1 finale
i did this with my partner when we watched the show in the past month lol, they had only watched maybe half of season 1 to start with before dropping it years ago, so when i told them that steve was my number one favorite (with hopper a SUPER close second), they were hella confused on why steve's mean ass was my favorite lmfao, and then the ending of s1/through s2 was when it clicked for them hehe
Steve has one of my favorite character arks in television. He started off not really caring about the fact that a child got missing in the first season and not making it his problem; to becoming a sympathetic and caring friend for Dustin, and also becoming the most resourceful person that can protect the kids (when Eleven or the adults aren’t available)
Arcs*
You're not talking about Noah and his ark.
Steve Harrington is effectively the family friendly version of Ash Williams: a reluctant side character turned hero, constantly placed in a protective role he never asked for
Ash really does embody the whole, "Not the hero they need, but the one they got." type of character. And I suppose that when you look at who SHOULD be protecting the kids(that being someone like Hopper), Steve is definitely not the first choice, but fills his role well. Definitely my two favorite characters in the genre. Dead by Daylight is lucky to have had the chance to involve them.
YES THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IVE BEEN TRYING TO SAY! I have been a fan of Steve ever since Season 1 because I loved how the show subverted the 80s Bully Trope to make Steve a far more interesting and complex character than anyone thought he would be. So many people remember him being a lot worse in season one because the writer's leaned just enough into the trope so the audience would assume the rest to be properly subverted but too many people forgot he never crossed any hard lines
yeah that’s how i felt when i rewatched season 1 he was always kind of a decent dude until he found out johnathan was being a creep and whatnot
Lol I can just imagine you watching this video and yelling "EXACTLY" at the screen. It's so satisfying when your point in proven!
THANK YOU for talking about Billy's story being unsatisfying. So many people loved him and felt for him because of his back story, but I definitely could never move past his actions.
Yeah it’s a tough one. His backstory is certainly tragic but he actions are still unacceptable
Once we found out why he is the way he is and we really see him I wanted a redemption for him so so badly. And I really believe he would have been capable of it, but just wasn't given enough time. I get it. Steve was supposed to be a human antagonist and that ended up changing so they brought Billy into fulfill that. We didn't get enough development for me to say I really love the character as his behavior is unacceptable and could be a genuinely scary and dangerous person, but I really felt for him after seeing that depth of character. I think he still had that goodness in him and the ending he got still hurt my heart.
I think people overlooked his character all together. He had so many layers. People call him a racist bully yet he was never racist. He hated lucas because his first introduction to him reminded him of his dad. Lucas and max was arguing. If Billy was racist he wouldn't hide it by being vague. He would be direct with it. Billy was forced to kill people which we see him crying and apologizing for in the sauna. Out of all the hive minded people billy was the first one to break away from that sacrificing himself to save eleven. Billy treated people like his dad treated him yet you see small hints that there was more to him.
@@russellballard6473 Yes! It was clear that he wasn't in control of his actions when he was being used to kill people. I should edit my comment that I wasn't referring to that. A scene that really sticks with me still is when he was driving with max and he started going super fast, obviously scaring her. And the aggression when he grabbed her wrist when talking about Lucas. We see that cycle of abuse continuing- that's absolutely the same way his dad treats him and if it continues, he could end up being a dangerous person to be around. But there's so much more there.
@@russellballard6473he was absolutely racist. You don't have to say racist things to be racist. Not trusting someone for being black is racist. That's enough to know that he's racist, though the writers even originally wanted him to call Lucas a slur but neither actor involved was comfortable with that.
Honestly I never saw Steve as a bad person. I thought he was a really well written character because he would act as a real human would: with flaws, but trying to be better
steve was NOT a bully. like you said, the things he did in season 1 are all understandable and not the worst thing ever, he breaks the camera of the guy taking pictures of him,his friends and his girlfriend. he started hating Jonathan and fought with him because he thought the stalker guy that took photos of them all also is the guy his girlfriend cheats with, steve is one my favourite fictional characters of all time, because of how complex he was from the start, he was popular but he wasn't a bully,he wanted to be with nancy because he actually loved her, he apologised to the guy he thought his girlfriend cheats with and from there on he was just always a charming,sweet but also a badass character. he puts his life on the line for everyone he cares for and he also accepted robin for who she is,he is just GREAT.
I find it interesting that deep down he really is a kind person, but couldn't really let it show because of- well- highschoolers.
The camera breaking was kinduv fair because the picture of Nancy still wasn't okay to take.
I liked him all through Season 1. The way they wrote his "soft moments" (moments when he pushed back against the bigger bullies or chose not to be a complete jerk), and even the reasoning behind his more full-on bully moments, all made it clear he was being set up as a twist hero. I had no idea they would take it so completely full circle. I have never seen a character who changed in such a relaxed, natural arc. Especially making him have to work for every single win he got. Glad that he finally got the love he deserved!
My daughter (who just turned 10) is now watching stranger things and asked me who my favorite character was. I am assuming she expected me to say one of the main characters, without skipping a beat I said Steve. She asked why and I had answered so quickly I didnt stop to think about why. I told her because he felt like he had the most character development out of everyone. She said hers was Dustin and I said thats why we are best friends. Love how this really goes into depth into Steves hero arc. Cant wait for season 5.
"That's why we are best friends" my heart melted, I wish you many, many amazing years with your daughter
That’s adorable
@@edsp666 Thank you so much! Thats very kind
Steve is an amazing person. One of the most emocional moment of the series, at least for me , is when Robin confesses to him that she's a lesbian and .. Steve's reaction was surreal considering the time the series takes place. He really cares about people and that's wonderful.❤🤗
One of the best character arcs in screen history. Felt so real and took tropes then turned them on their head.
I thought Steve had a good arc is season one, but I remember a lot of people still didn’t like him. It was nice to see him become a fan favorite after season 2.
Watching Stranger Things with a friend last year.
Her at the end of season 1: I think I like Steve.
Me: He gets better.
Her at the middle of season 2: I do like Steve.
Me: He gets better.
Her at the end of season 2: I really like Steve.
Me: He gets better.
Her at the beginning of season 3: I love Steve.
Me: He gets better.
Her halfway through season 3: I LOVE Steve.
Me: He gets better.
Her at the end of season 3: I LOVE STEVE SO MUCH.
Me:………. He gets better.
Her: HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!
Hahaha. Nice.
literally has been my favorite character of the show from the minute he picked up the spiked bat. glad that was meant to be the focal turning point of his character
Also, that bat "flip" cemented his bad-assness.
Best use of expectation subversion ever. Steve’s character was masterfully written. I absolutely Love how his character was developed over the show’s 4 seasons.
Fun fact! The guy who plays Tommy is named Chester Rushing and he graduated high school with me. Starred in every theater performance and super popular
I love Steve’s character evolution- from being my most hated character to my number one, Steve is definitely THE guy.
He went from douchebag rich boy to one of the most relatable and likeable characters in the series.
steve shows the transition of high school "cool kid" to responsible adult that isnt portrayed often
I honestly think they set it up to be much more basic but Joe Keery is so effervescent that they just had to put a spin on the more one-dimensional role they had initially written.
Idk, i think Billy is very representative of real people. Sometimes, the worst people make the noblest, most inexplicable gestures, and we don't know why, because we never really wanted to get to know them because they're unpleasant to be around.
Steve had Nancy. All Billy had was a sister who lacked the authority to see him straight. That is *very* real.
The Duffer Brothers also pointed out that Will's dad was supposed to go to the house to apologize to Joyce and end up helping Jonathan and Nancy. It was a change they made at almost the last minute.
I like Steve, I always thought his role with the Dustin and the others wasn't a babysitting thing, nor was it a 'mommy' role either. It was more big brother. More like 'you little shit heads are my responsibility, and no demigorgon is going to eat my little siblings, not on my watch!'
I feel like with Billy, they had already written so much of the season already and he got popular like Steve. Since they had gotten so far along with the story it was hard to turn some parts, so they had to have a WWE style turn at the last minute to give the fans of Billy the ending they wanted. Me being one of them, having watched all of stranger things last year. Completely agree with this video. With my taste of why things happened with Billy.
Brilliantly crafted writing. Amazing character arc.
I have to claim that I had a hunch for the eventual development of this character pretty early on. He was too present and too detailed to be just a setup for 'bully gets what bully deserves' character. Its almost its own trope that a bully more or less gradually turns into a likeable character at which point there is a fork in the plot where the character is either killed off in a dramatic, sacrificial way to trigger sympathetic emotions for him and disappointment in his demise in the audience or becomes somewhat of a hero and a cornerstone of the ongoing story. It wasnt unforseeable or a huge surprise, but very much satisfying. Because I also like him very much. 😅
I was a hardcore Steve defender in s1. Used to fight people in the comments about how it makes sense that he’d break johns camera after Johnathon TOOK PICTURES of them. So I’ve only felt vindication since.
This is why Stranger Things is great. The nostalgia, the cinematography, and the cool supernatural plot are all great (some of the Real World plots like escaping the GULAG are a bit weak), but what makes it memorable and so watchable is that the characters are:
- Well written and
- Well performed
Every single main character is a fully three-dimensional person on paper and on-screen, and that is what makes a good show great. Even the minor characters have nuance and intrigue. This is why we come back to the show
I so loved how they flipped expectations with Steve.
Honestly Steve is my favorite part of the series and when I rewatch, his ( and later Robins) are the parts I actually watch in full while skimming the others. Honestly them with Erica in season 3 was like peak awesome characters working together moment for me.
Same they made season 3 my favorite because of that ❤️
STEVE HARRINGTON RULES!!!! ❤
I liked steve from season one. I get that he was supposed to initially come across as the stereotypical mean jock but I never truly got that vibe from him. It suprised me how many disliked him before season 2 came out. Steve with the kids is great but he also needs friends his age...one of the reasons why I really wanted Eddie to stick around as the newest addition to the group.
I love it when someone uses not one trope, but a lot of tropes and be creative with it
Steve is so GOATED I love the guy, I hope he stays being who he has been the last couple seasons
Steve is one of the best characters on the show.
Steve is on my top 5 favorite Strange Things characters. I will be incredibly pissed off if he gets killed off in Season 5.
Yeah, I'm considering warning my neighbors when the season comes out. Just in case, so if they hear any blood curdling screams they won't call the police.
Just cause he is a fan favourite is already a good enough reason to kill him off. Im sick of the "bullet proof vest" that makes likeable characters untouchable.
@@greyLeicester the writers have shown that they're not above killing likable characters. Eddie bit the dust after one of the most epic scenes in the series after all
@@MrMeh23 Eddie was a way for them to cheat and have their cake and eat it too. They were able to have their "Dustin holds his older mentor in his arms as he dies a hero" moment with Eddie, so now they don't have to do it with Steve.
If they do it now, it's just going to be a retread of the Eddie scene which would be lame.
@@MrMeh23 lol the writers are cowards, the fact that Max or nobody else in the main cast died is proof enough
This is a really good video, interesting and well argued, big fan.
Steve is the 🐐
Eddie is the designated hitter 🐐
Steve had my heart the minute he cleaned off that movie marquee.
I love how every video ive seen on steve the person narroting even simps for him😭
Ooookay! When I clicked on this video I was skeptical that it was sorta click bait. But this was a GOOD and thorough breakdown of the arch of Steve Harrington and some of the character influences. Steve is arguably one of the best archs on the show and Keery has served him to us on a silver platter. I adore Steve Harrington and like so many I was hooked on his character evolution after Season 1. Thank you for a great video.
Steve was my favorite character right from the photo reveal. Literally everything he does shows that he's not all that bad. It's such a high school drama in the first season, and they wrote the turmoil of figuring things out really well.
They're gonna kill him off in the last season in some heroic painfully sad way
They most likely will, since he was originally supposed to die in Season 1
STRANGER THINGS!! I really miss this show! And Steve is my favorite!
i grew up in the 90's watching 80's movies with my father.
and when steve and billy went face to face, that was just it for me man what an awesome faceoff the vibe of it.
It’s crazy the audience fell in love with steve to a point where the writers didn’t anticipate, so much so that when they wrote billy I feel like they made him as awful as he was so that he’d be absolutely irredeemable to the audience.
Great video
I love the originality of instead of having a stupid jerk boyfriend, they had a boyfriend who was a jerk from peer pressure. He shows how peer pressure can really change a person.
Steve is my favorite character on the show. He deserves to have his RV full of a wife and kids dream.
steve also gets me kicking my feet and giggling whenever hes on screen so thats a plus
i stand by that season 1 is unparalleled fiction. It is SO well written, it is SO suspenseful, filled with character development, quirky people, twists and turns, and originality. I reallllly love the first season.
It's almost like good writing makes things great
Steve turned out to be one of the best characters EVER
To me Billy worked because of his relationship with his sister. Sure he bullied her but it always has an underlying care for her. In the end he did not save 11 but his sister by saving 11.
This channel is so good
Loved how you mentioned 4400
Yes I really liked Steve even at the start but he is even better now. I hope he gets with Nancy because she is cool
For me personally it will always be his iconic bat-flip scene! That was the moment I was hooked and I knew I'd root for him through anything 😅
I Know everybody love Eddie but I feel like Steve deserve way more attention than he gets in the show he is one of my favorites character❤️😍
I loved Steve from the beginning. It's probably partly because he was a romantic rival to Jonathan and I did and still do think Jonathan is a disgusting creep.
Steve harrington was definitely my fave character in stranger things
Steve's friendship with Robin is my favorite relationship in the show. They make each other better people.
I absolutely adore Steve Harrington. He became my favorite right at the end of season 1 with his turn to come back and save Nancy and Jonathan. He's only gotten better every season since then.
One thing I did want to point out about the video. In Better Off Dead, John Cusack played Lane Myer, the guy who was getting bullied by Roy. You showed the wrong character on that one.
He's literally the only thing I liked on season 1 of stranger things. He's actually the main reason why I binged the rest of the show to catch up with everyone else. Steve Harrington for me, is the character that makes Stanger things a seriously good tv show
Thank you SO much for the flashing lights warning! It truly means a lot and can save someone's life
I hope that they make Steve and Jonathan friends in season 5. I also hope they give Johnathan a better character arc.
nah the reason billys heel turn works before he dies is because it's realistic you expect the idea of oh he's got a redemption arc but ...no this time much like reality not every one gets to redeem themselves it's okay if it leaves mixed feelings for Billy
That makes sense, for me i just felt bad that he didn't get that chance to do so. I'm sure that's just a me thing😅. They gave a us a reason as to why he is the way he is, it doesn't make any of it ok but understanding the reason gives you some kind of hope that he can change(until he dies of course). Again that might just be me though 😅
@@theartoforangehat Billy's actions simply made more sense after the reveals. It doesn't justify the way he's treated Max and others of course, but like any human, since when is any person ever fully "redeemed"? It's a lot more human to have mixed feelings about it. It's hard for people to fully hate Billy when he literally gave his life for someone he barely even knew, something we didn't even know he was capable of. Taking his only moment of vulnerability and showing what's really going through his mind a little. Knowing his mother was the only one who seemed to care about him but ended up abandoning him to stay with his abusive father, leaves some really heavy and conflicting emotional wounds that are extremely difficult to heal. I still think the other stuff he willingly did to bully and hurt Max is terrible though.
Steve's one of my favorite antagonists turned protectors along with James Junior Rennie from Under the Dome
Best mom on tv! Seriously though Steve is hands down the best character in the show.
Steve definitely has one of the best character arcs in the series. Makes me worry for season 5 😭
"Nancy asks him to leave and he runs away like a coward" is a funny way of saying Nancy pulled a gun on him and screamed at him to go.
Actually, they had zero tricks up their sleeve. The duffers themselves said Joe was "so adorable" they HAD to make Steve nicer cause he wasn't convincing as a "mean jock".
steve is going to be in "The Babbysitter 3" then he can babysit and also be crayzeee
i was four when the first season came out, wow time flies
"They're not babies" is simply not a response to "I'm not babysitting."
That's just the term, it's just what it's called when you watch someone else's kid(s) and you're not working in actual childcare settings.
I needed this video bc while I knew I used to hate Steve and that he was my favorite character in season 4, there’s been so much time between seasons and I haven’t gone back and rewatched them so I honestly couldn’t remember when I started to like him.
He's the best mom in the show.
Well made!
Goated guitar channel
We love mother Steve 💖
I am a HUGE Steve fan. I absolutely looove Steve and his progression in the show!! I’m really excited to see what season 5 has in store for Steve and everyone else as they battle Vecna one last time!!
You mention Better Off Deads character Ray Starlin but show John Cusack who played Lane Myer in the film
I always liked Steve from the get go. but was sure he was going to get killed off by the end of season 1. When he came back to fight the demogorgon, I was so giddy. I genuinely had not seen that coming and was an instant fan. To the point where I was genuinely worried for him in season 4. He is by far my favourite character in Stranger Things
The fact that Steve has a (mostly) blunt signature weapon is great because I call it "The Babysitter's Club".
Steve had the best arc on the show and he's easy the best character because of it.
Can you PLEASE make a video on the chronicles of Narnia movies from the 2000s?!
i just love steve. and i think it’s hilarious that his character was supposed to be killed off in season one until joe keery pulled his charm out- ugh. love it.
all i’m hoping for is that stancy isn’t end game😭‼️
I liked it. He grew up, chilled out and realized he had more to offer as a person than just being a jock bully and that his relationship with Nancy was vital to his happiness.
steve had the best arc in the series, and is arguably the best character too. What scares me is the final season is bound to drop a major character, and if it's steve im gonna lose my mind.
Ngl Steve is definitely my favourite of the show