"Sort of the mother of this group": Ross Duffer reveals why Joyce was chosen to behead (spoiler) in Stranger Things finale

Stranger Things, with its final season, truly left a lasting impact. The aspect of watching the characters from the first season fighting against the evil forces and trying their best to save the world is not for the faint-hearted.

The finale episode of this series took the stakes further by bringing Joyce in for some intense action, which, if we look back into the series, never truly happened to this extent. Ross Duffer, while discussing the crucial climactic scene in the Stranger Things finale, discusses the reason Joyce was chosen for the task.

Please be prepared for the spoilers ahead.

Ross Duffer on choosing Joyce for beheading Vecna in Stranger Things Finale

It cannot be denied that Joyce “is sort of the mother of this group”, and from the beginning of the series, she has been the “protector” navigating through dangers to protect the children. Ross Duffer pointed out that choosing Joyce to give the final blow to end Vecna “felt right”. She has been “building up that anger” through the seasons because of the constant devastating moments she has been going through.

Hence, Joyce's beheading of Vecna became “a cathartic moment” as she is finally able to purge the immense trauma. He also adds that Joyce's beheading of Vecna is more about “remembering that this evil has caused them so much pain” rather than a “stand-up and cheer moment”.

Winona Ryder, while discussing the crucial scene in the Stranger Things finale, indicates that she “only did it twice” as it is not possible to “rehearse a scene like that”. It cannot be denied that she perfectly captured the essence of the scene through the final blow to end Vecna’s life, concluding the long chapter about Vecna’s wrath. From the beginning of the series, losing her young son affected her immensely.

Despite people not believing her about Will being alive, she was dedicated to bringing his boy back home safely. Though she is finally able to bring Will back, danger keeps arriving in their lives constantly. Watching Bob’s gruesome death also left a deep impact on her. She kept brewing the hatred and anger she had towards Vecna and channeled it while beheading him in the finale of Stranger Things.

Winona Ryder truly does a commendable job in bringing out the emotions that Joyce goes through throughout the series. From being a scared and worried mother to becoming stronger and fighting against the evil forces without any fear, Joyce’s character development leaves an impact.

It cannot be denied that Joyce is a crucial character in the series, helping the other characters navigate through the difficulties by providing a supportive environment. The constant emotional support she provided Will while he became ensnared by Vecna and the Mindflayer, along with being El’s mother figure when Hopper was missing, through it all, she was truly the “mother of this group”.

Throughout the Stranger Things series, there has not been any use of the F-word; however, only before beheading Vecna, Joyce uses the word. Matt Duffer indicated that they were waiting for “a real moment” when using this word would seem appropriate. Vecna’s beheading became the right moment for them to finally use the word to enhance the overall essence of the moment.

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