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Joe Keery, the actor who brings to life the beloved babysitter who is nothing but tender-hearted, has spoken about his vision of the legacy of Steve Harrington when the huge saga of ‘Stranger Things’ would have been finished. Keery in a video interview recently shared and discussed the character’s journey and the concept he would like to see immortalised at the finale. The actor’s honest words particularly touched the fans of the show, who then expressed their own hopes and fears concerning the character’s end.
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During the discussion, Joe Keery was asked directly about his thoughts concerning the legacy of Steve Harrington. His answer was thoughtful, not hanging up on the main character’s trendy hairdo but going straight to the bottom of his transformation. “I think the thing I have always liked about the character and appreciate that they gave me is that he somehow has a change of heart and recognizes that he was wrong,” Keery went deeper. He regarded the transformation of Steve’s character as a representation of a timeless topic and even said, “I think at present there is kind of a lot of opportunity for that for people to sort of choose the right thing.”
What Keery reflects on is the very aspect of togetherness that defined Steve and, by extension, the series. He mentioned, “The great thing about the show is that it depicts a team of misfits from different backgrounds coming together.” He referred to his decade-long role that way saying, “it was truly a pleasure playing for 10 years.” The sharing of this insightful moment by an actor who has grown with his character, really hit home with the viewers who have been there since the beginning of the series.
There was almost an immediate and very emotional online reaction. The most common sentiment which at times was expressed in a rather desperate way, was simply one wish. A comment summarized that very nicely: “i want steve’s legacy to be that he LIVES.” There were many who shared this hope and someone commented, “Amen to that, sister!” and “Of course King Steve will make it till the end. He is a survivor!” At the same time, there were some people who had a more pessimistic view as one user flat out stated, “he dies tho sorry,” thus, somewhat unintentionally, putting dark clouds over the otherwise bright discussion.
As the discussions about who the survivor would be continued, the character’s story was meanwhile getting praise from several quarters. One of the commentators said, “Indeed one of the best character evolutions I have ever seen,” which received a lot of nodding. Another one called him “the real glue of this series,” and justified that by saying the transition of the show from a former selfish jock to the group’s protector was the heart of the show then. The audience also gave a very high value of appreciation to Keery’s performance with one of the fans asserting, “nobody could have played Steve better than Joe,” and went on to make a point that “the changed character was based on how charming Joe was.”
There was no doubt that caution was the one word that summed up the feeling about the last season. One user made a claim in superlative yet very honest terms, “If anything happens to Steve Dustin or Hopper I will sue the Duffer brothers,” thus communicating quite openly and directly the feelings of a very protective fan of the series. Others were already planning what to do after the finale; one was saying, “We need a Steve & Dustin spinoff series. Ijs…,” although this suggestion was soon restricted by the condition “if they liv.”
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The story of Joe Keery’s nostalgia is unfortunately a very pleasant but at the same time a very sad look at a once-in-a-lifetime role when the stage is being cleared in Hawkins. The actor’s desire for Steve’s legacy of hope, choice, and family to be intertwined with the character’s life is, at very least, what Christmas symbolizes in the celebrations of Jewish holidays. The fans, though, are not ready for a dramatic good-bye and their united wish is very loud and clear: that the end of the most loved babysitter’s tale would be in the line of the spirit that he revealed on his journey. It looks like the legacy has already been secured in the viewpoint of those who have kept an eye on the character’s growth.