The 12 Best Joyce & Hopper Moments on ‘Stranger Things’ (PHOTOS)
“You were right.”
Hopper and Joyce had interacted plenty before this scene, but this marked the first time it seemed like they really connected. After finding out Will’s body was fake, going to Hawkins lab and ripping his trailer apart, Hopper went back to Joyce and told her she was right, and had been the whole time.
“You heard her!”
A small scene, but it informs their supportive relationship later on in the show. When the two go to the police station after hearing Jonathan was in custody, Joyce angrily demands the officers remove her son’s handcuffs. Instead of pushing back, Hopper orders his men to do what Joyce says.
Saving Will
Much of the “shared trauma” part of the Hopper/Joyce relationship was formed here. Not only did Hopper talk Joyce through an anxiety attack as they entered the Upside Down, but he helped her find Will and bring him home.
“How’s Bob the Brain?”
Here’s where we got our first glimpse of the “jealous” mode Hop would be in for most of Season 3. Though he said he was happy for Joyce in her new relationship with Bob Newby, the sentiment didn’t quite ring true—and he brought up Bob’s unflattering high school nickname, just for good measure.
Talking about old times
If “shared trauma” came from finding and rescuing Will, “history” was expanded on here. As they share a smoke at Joyce’s kitchen table, the two recounted their high school exploits (though the show never clarified whether they were dating or just good friends). The way Hopper looks at her in that scene could probably melt even the Demogorgon’s heart.
Saving Hopper from the Upside Down
Joyce moved mountains—and more accurately, turned her house upside down again—to rescue Hop when Will told her he was in danger. It all culminated in a sweet scene where she, panicked and holding him close, asks if he’s okay… with Bob right beside them. Awkward.
A quiet moment
After losing Bob at Hawkins lab, Joyce sat alone, grieving, in Will’s room. Hopper found her and sat down on the floor, sharing the silence and letting her know she wasn’t alone. It’s a small scene, but important to their relationship; no matter how much they argue, Joyce and Hopper will always be there for each other.
Spending time together outside the Snow Ball
As these two protective parents waited outside Hawkins Middle School for their soon-to-be teenagers, they had a moving conversation about grief. Hop told her that while the pain never goes away, it gets easier, and she leans into him as he wraps a comforting arm around her. How sweet!
Helping Hopper express his emotions
Much of Season 3, for Joyce and Hopper, is spent bickering and dancing around their feelings for each other. At the start, though, Joyce is helping an overprotective Hopper find a way to talk to his daughter and her boyfriend without being overbearing and intimidating. Even though he doesn’t end up taking her advice, it shows how well they work together.
“You have people who care about you right here, in Hawkins.”
Probably the most emotional, non-heartbreaking Joyce and Hopper moment in Season 3. When the pair go back to the lab to investigate Joyce’s theory about the magnets and find it empty, she ponders whether she’s losing her mind… and she also seems to be pondering moving out of Hawkins. Hopper encourages her not to leave, telling her she has people (him, though he doesn’t say it) who care about her there.
Holding hands
After Murray Bauman did the same thing to Hopper and Joyce that he did to Jonathan and Nancy, there was a palpable change in the Joyce-Hopper dynamic. They seemed to be accepting their feelings for each other, as shown when Joyce reached for Hopper’s hand on the spinny fair ride.
A date
Finally! After a season of squabbling and burying their emotions, these two decided—after admitting they make a good team—to go on a real, actual date. Which totally happened, if you don’t watch the last half-hour of the season finale.
[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for Stranger Things 3.]
Stranger Things 3 served up plenty of thrills, chills and romance — though most of the couples in question were broken up for a lengthy stretch of episodes. “I dump your ass,” was a very real concern for the younger crowd.
But there’s another pairing fans had seen develop over two seasons that finally seemed like it was getting somewhere: Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Hopper (David Harbour). While Joyce was still mourning Bob (Sean Astin) at the season’s start, it definitely looked like there was something between her and the Hawkins chief of police. And as the season went on, even with all the name-calling and eye-rolling and constant bickering, that became clear.
Where will they go in Season 4 (assuming, y’know, that Hopper was “the American” in that Russian cell)?
Let’s take a look at a few of the best moments between this will-they-won’t-they — but in Season 4, they’d better — couple.
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