Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things Season 5, so consider yourself warned. Stream the whole series with a Netflix subscription.
It’s been a few weeks now since Stranger Things officially came to an end after five seasons, and there’s plenty that fans are still debating: What happened to Eleven? How did Max graduate on time after spending nearly two years in a coma? Why was Linda Hamilton’s role so badly botched? Did Rockin’ Robin and Vickie stay together? The Duffer Brothers weighed in on this last question, and I’ve got my own thoughts on the matter.
Vickie (Amybeth McNulty) was introduced in Season 4 as a member of the Hawkins High School band who Robin (Maya Hawke) had a crush on. By Season 5, the two were officially (but secretly) an item, and Vickie even got in on some of the Vecna-fighting fun. So did this traumatic experience bring Robin and Vickie closer or drive a wedge between them? Ross Duffer told EW:
We do that flash-forward in Mike's story and we bring them up to a certain point, and then we want to leave it a little bit up to fans in terms of where these characters end up ultimately. Do Robin and Vickie stay together? Maybe, maybe not.
So, just like the fate of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Ross and Matt Duffer are letting each individual fan decide if they think the couple lasted, despite admitting that they did talk about the characters’ futures. However, as Ross mentioned above, there are some hints.
Vickie didn’t attend the graduation with Robin in the epilogue, and she wasn’t seen or mentioned by name either, which some fans are taking to mean they broke up. That theory is only strengthened when Robin talks to Steve, Nancy and Jonathan about “overbearing significant others,” though it’s unclear if she’s referring to her own love life or Steve’s (Joe Keery).
Matt Duffer offered his own slightly more-decisive take, saying:
From my point of view and from everyone I knew in high school, what percentage of couples remain together after they leave for college? Extremely low. Max and Lucas survive because their love is that deep, but very few others do. But, you never know.
His response is still noncommittal, but he makes a valid point. While Nancy and Jonathan did end their relationship, Max and Lucas’ bond was strong enough to endure, and Joyce and Hopper got engaged. All of these decisions make sense narratively to me, and that’s why — in my opinion — the right choice would be to break up Robin and Vickie.
Both young women are so, well, young, and they’re still discovering themselves. It’s far more realistic that despite sharing something beautiful (and, at times, horrifying) as teenagers, they would continue to evolve when they go to college, move out of Hawkins and meet other people. As Matt Duffer pointed out, not a lot of high school sweethearts survive that.
I also really don’t like it when a book or TV series shows its characters in the future having not made any new friends, found new hobbies, dated anyone else, etc. I want the people I’ve invested so much time in to live big, full lives that aren’t confined to one specific chapter.
That’s just me, though, and by not giving a definitive answer to the Robin-and-Vickie question, the Duffer brothers are fine with letting everyone call that ending for themselves.
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