According to David Harbour, there was one Stranger Things plot detail concerning his character Jim Hopper that was shitcanned after it made him too unlikable.
We’re talking season one, so this post is basically spoiler-free at this point. Remember one sleepless night, when Hopper gets up in the middle of the night to have a dart and a ~mysterious~ woman tells him to come back to bed?
We later find out that she’s the Hawkins librarian (identified only as ‘Marissa‘), and is rightly pissed at the police chief for never calling her back. Fair’s fair.
But then we literally never return to her. The scenes with her and Hopper paints a portrait of at least some kind of intimacy, and then she just… disappears. Man, this show really has some problems with characters just fading from the picture, huh.
Anyway, one fan reached out to Harbour on Twitter to find out just what the hell happened to her.
“What happened to that girl you were with in season one??” she asked. “Who was she? Where’d she go? Why was she there for like 3 seconds?”
“One of Hopper’s one night stands,” he replied, by way of explanation – before he dropped this bombshell:
“Funny story, in an early draft he picked her up at Will’s search party, but too classless, even for Jim.”
That’s right. Gruff (but ultimately caring with strong parenting instincts) Hopper was originally going to pick up a one night stand while he was meant to be searching for a missing child.
Rewatching Stranger Things from the very beginning, it’s hard to reconcile the caring, grieving police chief with the jerk spends the first episode joking about banging his subordinate’s wife and ignoring a frantic Joyce Byers for his preferred activities of “coffee and contemplation”.
If he’d used Will’s search party as an excuse to get laid… well, it would have been harder to redeem him.
@DavidKHarbour what happened to that girl you were with in season one?? who was she?? where’d she go?? why was she there for like 3 seconds?
— natasha🪽 (@stardustasha) November 5, 2017
one of hopper’s one night stands. funny story, in an early draft he picked her up at will’s search party, but too classless, even for jim😛 https://t.co/dfy19pqv14
— David Harbour (@DavidKHarbour) November 5, 2017
And since Harbour was in a friendly mood, other people started hitting him up with questions.
@DavidKHarbour Since you are Twitter-active today, where was the dog in S2? I need answers, I need closure. 🙁
— Kelly Kiefer 🇺🇦 (@kellyclicker) November 5, 2017
The dog was let go after the first season. Emotional problems. Wouldn’t come out of his trailer, threw coffee at assistants. Was too much😞 https://t.co/KTNL4SVmrD
— David Harbour (@DavidKHarbour) November 5, 2017
Mews however was an absolute doll. Justice justice justice justice.😻
— David Harbour (@DavidKHarbour) November 5, 2017
@DavidKHarbour what happened to your tie sir pic.twitter.com/4OMAD7RZFj
— maria (@julietsburke) November 5, 2017
Hop dresses up to take Jane for her ‘night out.’ My silly idea. Judiciously and thankfully removed by Duffers by the time we got to coverage https://t.co/MOo7fMOvgk
— David Harbour (@DavidKHarbour) November 5, 2017
@DavidKHarbour would Hop give Mike the whole “don’t hurt my little girl” speech? or a “keep her safe” + pat on the back?
— ʚ jas ɞ | SHINEE 15YRS + SVT 8YRS ! (@USSATEEZ) November 5, 2017
As uncomfortable as it will be for both of them, kinda seems like he has to, doesn’t it? https://t.co/UtsNJbjGoU
— David Harbour (@DavidKHarbour) November 5, 2017
Justice for mews, indeed. But let’s be real: Marissa had to be forgotten in order for Hopper and Joyce to (hopefully one day) realise they are madly in love with each other and live happily ever after.
FYI, if you like Stranger Things but aren’t following Harbour on Instagram, then I just don’t know if you can even call yourself a fan. It’s actually the greatest thing on the internet right now.
Never, ever, ever, ever, ever change.
