This article contains spoilers for season 2 of Stranger Things
Oh Barb. Poor dead Barb. Dead then seemingly forgotten then fervently remembered Barb.
Because everyone loves getting behind a quirky cause, the sort that prompts Internet "banter" and 1,000 word pop culture thinkpieces, there was a cult outrage when due respect wasn't paid to our dearly departed Barb, who became collateral damage to the wider science fiction. When Netflix announced a second season of Stranger Things, the question on everyone's lips was: would Barb be back? Or at least mentioned?
It was soon confirmed by both the cast and producers that Barb was indeed dead, and never to return, and the subject is addressed head on in first episode of the new series. But Barb looms large over the entire season, and though she may be gone, she is far from forgotten.
It was because many viewers felt they could identify with the character, because she was so normal, that she created such a frenzy. She was a bit awkward, she looked like someone who wouldn’t judge you for eating a burger – because she’d be tucking in too, and she wasn’t a secret hottie who was one make-over away from looking like a glamour model.
When she was killed off, mostly to illustrate the true threat of the Upside Down, a campaign to get Justice for Barb swept through the internet (followed, inevitably, by a smaller "who cares about Barb?" backlash). It was enough to secure the actress, Shannon Purser, an Emmy nomination for her brief role. And for the poor creators, it meant they faced constant questioning about her fate and whether it was fair.
When interviewed by Uproxx in July last year, the Duffer brothers gave their thoughts on the subject:
Ross Duffer: “What about Barb?” became a constant refrain. We said that almost every episode as we were writing season one. I think what it boils down to is we’re not following Barb’s parents, or her family. So what it boils down to is Nancy cares so much about Barb. It’s not that other people don’t, but that everyone else is connected to Will in an extremely personal way. It’s not that Barb’s forgotten, but that the characters we’re following are focused on finding Will.
Matt Duffer: I’m surprised and also not surprised at the outpouring of love for Barb, because that was something everyone felt on set. The fact that people aren’t really following up on her disappearance to the same degree they are with Will makes her that much more of a tragic character.
Eventually they confirmed that there would, indeed, be justice for Barb and that her memory would be suitably honoured on the show. Whether the plot in season two is what the Duffer brothers and executive producer Shawn Levy had planned all along (if indeed, anything had been planned before) or has been tinkered with to please the fans, it’s not entirely clear.
But, fortunately, the presence of Barb doesn’t feel shoehorned in. She’s Nancy’s motivator for the entire series, who reflects the frustration at her friend being so neatly forgotten. She goes on her own mission for justice. And we see her forced to lie about what happened to Barb’s parents, who are so desperate to find her that they put their house on the market to pay for a private investigator.
It proves as positive for Nancy’s character as it does for the viewers. The experience has toughened Nancy, she’s no longer quite the meek, impressionable, doe-eyed teenager. Her commitment to justice means she doesn’t just follow Steve around. She’s brave enough to head off on her own (or, at least, with Jonathan) and to try and take down a shadowy branch of the government.
Of course, by the end, the truth comes out and Barb is indeed given a send off. But what is in the coffin? Is it Barb herself or is it empty and merely a symbolic? Perhaps that we’ll find out next year.
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