Stranger Things Keeps Making Hopper’s Survival Reveal Worse
The recent Stranger Things season 4 trailer gives audiences a new look at Jim Hopper, but only reaffirms that revealing his survival after season 3 is a mistake. Hopper's death is one of the biggest moments in the Netflix series so far, but the streaming giant can't seem to build up any anticipation for his return in a meaningful way. Showing Hopper off in the new season 4 trailer just further proves how Netflix should have kept the lid on David Harbour's return as Hopper to the series in the newest season.
Jim H0pper is introduced in Stranger Things season 1 as the grumpy Chief of Police of Hawkins, Indiana, and an old friend of Joyce Byers. Season 1 reveals that Jim lost his young daughter, Sara, to cancer. Left devastated, he becomes reliant on alcohol and prescription drugs, in addition to casual sex. During Stranger Things season 2, he informally adopts Eleven and forms a close bond with her. This is strengthened in season 3, when the two take on a full father-daughter relationship. Hopper is seemingly killed during the season's climax, when the key, the device the Russians use to open a portal to Stranger Things' Upside Down, explodes. However, a mid-credits scene heavily implies Hopper is alive in Russia, as soldiers refer to "the American" when feeding a prisoner to a Demogorgon. Hopper is then seen working in the snow in the season 4 trailer.
Revealing Hopper's survival completely destroys any excitement and surprise that might have accompanied his Stranger Things season 4 reappearance. The tease at the end of season 3 is already enough to imply that Hopper survived, so his appearance in the season 4 trailer is completely unnecessary, and only serves to undercut the character's return. By giving viewers a good look at Hopper in the Stranger Things season 4 trailer, Netflix has made one of the show's biggest moments far less impactful.
Season 3's conclusion already emotionally undercuts itself with regard to Hopper's death. The season ends with a moving monologue by Hopper, accompanied by footage of Stranger Things' main cast of characters learning to move on. By immediately following this up with a pretty obvious tease (who else would be "the American," after all?), the show makes its season 3 ending far less emotional. The character's reveal in the trailer for Stranger Things season 4 just makes this issue worse. It gives viewers reassurance that such a popular character is alive and well, instead of letting the audience grieve. If Hopper's reconciliation with Eleven and Joyce Byers in season 4 had been kept a secret, it would have arguably been much more powerful than it will be.
Reviving Hopper in such a cynical way also cheapens his role in Stranger Things season 4. It is highly likely that Hopper will survive the events of both season 4 and season 5, as killing him now would feel both strange and unearned. Unlike other Stranger Things deaths, like Barb Holland and Bob Newby from seasons 1 and 2, the show's immediate hint that Hopper is alive reveals that his death is nothing more than a stunt to trick viewers into feeling sad. It also acts as a marketing ploy to help make season 4 more enticing. Had Hopper been absent from the season 3 mid-credits scene and the Stranger Things season 4 trailer, his return to the series could have felt far more organic and less like a cheap twist to manufacture emotion.
Stranger Things season 4 premieres on May 27 on Netflix.