There's a lot of mixing and matching in the Duffer Brothers' Stranger Things. Even within the main group of friends, there are times in the show when characters will find themselves pairing off; sometimes leaning on the friend that best suits what they are needing at that time, other times on the outs with them for some perceived wrong. For whatever reason it is -- humor, trust, chance -- characters couple up, sometimes more favorably than others.
Stranger Things now has three seasons out, soon--hopefully--to be four, so a lot has changed since the beginning of the show. For the most part, the core friends, of course, have kept together--and even had some additions to the party. But they aren't the only people fans are invested in. From leads to supporting characters, there some key pairings that fans either love to watch or dread seeing on screen.
Dustin and Steve form a touching relationship starting in season two of the show when they are brought together to track down Dustin's escaped pet Demogorgon.
They are the traveling buddies fans might not have expected to hit it off together, but the pair turn out to complement one another's personalities in very charming ways.
Police Officers Callahan and Powell are likely more recognizable to fans as the two semi-clueless men who follow beside Chief Hopper. Callahan and Powell are a hilarious addition to the show, be they small characters.
Their mutual commentary on Hopper's life and behavior, or just generally dragging themselves through small-town police work, provides endless amusement.
Will and Bob don't get much of a chance to form a deep relationship with one another, but in the small moments, they do share it's clear that they had the potential to become close.
Bob does a good job of handling Will during his time of stress following leaving the Upside-Down, and it helps that he is, much like Will's friends, considered a nerdy type of person, appreciating the things Will likes in a way Will's own father never does.
The Wheelers are an uncomfortable couple. They are the epitome of a vanilla suburban life in the most mundane of ways. While never showing explicit misery with each other, it's almost worse to see the lack of any strong feelings between them than if they fought.
Even when it comes to working together as parents they are not particularly successful--pretty much missing all cues that they have no idea what their kids are going through.
Nancy and Jonathan's partnership is a slow-burn. The show hints at a connection between the two during season one, and during their time fighting the Demogorgon they show their capacity to work together successfully.
When they actually come together, things aren't always easy, but they always come through showing that they bring out the better qualities of one another.
Kali might bring out the cool, badass side of Eleven in the way that she dresses her in fashionable clothes and showers her in rebellious ideology, but true fans know that Eleven didn't need any of that in order to be cool or tough.
Kali, like Eleven, is traumatized and complicated, but her cool-girl act and her relentless insistence on violence don't improve on Eleven's character, and they are better apart.
Steve changes a lot throughout the show, and by the time he gets to season three he's hardly recognizable as the same Steve from season one. Still, when he interacts with Robin, fans can quickly see that Steve's character could get even better.
Steve is a great character to have play off of other unique people, and the addition of Robin's character is probably the best Steve duo yet.
Some fans really love the Barb and Nancy friendship. However, there are also many reasons that this particular duo doesn't cut it for viewers. Barb isn't in the show very long, hardly long enough for fans to get to know her, and so Nancy's grief doesn't play as well.
Before Barb dies, she and Nancy share cliched, generic high school conversations wherein Barb mostly expresses awkward, sheepish insecurities about Nancy making popular friends and Nancy acts the naïve innocent. As sad as her death is for Nancy, fans weren't given much to mourn.
Hopper and Eleven's relationship emerges in season two and sets on a track that fans instantly love. It's lovely to see Hopper able to step into a father role after fans became accustomed to his tragic past and the fact of how lonely his life is.
Hopper becomes the ideal guardian for Eleven, and the combination of their stubbornness and affection for one another is a pleasure to watch.
Billy and Max are a painful pair to watch. Viewers become very aware that the cause of their toxic relationship is due to the influence of their parents, causing Billy to behave horribly to Max.
However, the end of season three, when Max displays genuine despair at Billy's death, leaves viewers wondering if there could have been hope for their relationship had he lived.
