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Season 5 of Stranger Things promises the resolution of a lot of storylines. One still left hanging is the love tension between Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers. Their relationship has existed since the very first season, but has never been conclusively established. A dinner date at Enzo's that went unfulfilled, talked about in Season 3, has come to represent their unfinished tale.
Joyce and Hopper share a common history that dates back to their childhood in Hawkins. They meet again in the early years as they combat supernatural forces as a team. During Season 3, things between them headed in the direction of romance.
Hopper asked Joyce to dinner at Enzo's, the local Italian eatery. But dinner never transpired. Joyce became preoccupied with solving mysterious occurrences and forgot about dinner. Hopper was visibly distressed, and the scene remained unresolved.
Later, after Hopper was in prison in Russia, he reported that thoughts of that dinner kept him alive. Still, Season 4 did not leave them time to think about this. Now, as the series moves into its last act, fans wish for closure—not only in the overall narrative, but in character arcs like this one. Whether or not Hopper and Joyce ever do get their dinner is something many will be waiting to see.
The relationship history of Joyce and Hopper
Joyce and Hopper's relationship started as a trust-based partnership. In Season 1, Hopper was one of the only ones to trust Joyce when she kept saying her son was alive. With time, they developed a stronger friendship as they encountered more perilous scenarios.
By the third season of Stranger Things, the relationship had blossomed into overt romantic tension. Hopper's dinner invitation to Enzo was the tipping point. He brushed it off as "not a date," but the implication was obvious. Joyce's failure to attend the dinner and Hopper's response showed his emotions. Hopper guarded Joyce throughout the season and hid his emotional vulnerability with frustration.
In between these flashes, there were always bigger threats intruding on their narrative: demogorgons, Russians, and the Upside Down. The non-existent dinner was used as a metaphor for all that they had not yet communicated or consummated as a couple.
What happened in Stranger Things Season 4
In Stranger Things Season 4, Joyce and the others believed that Hopper had died, but he had survived and was being kept in a Russian prison. Joyce organized a rescue operation, and after numerous challenges, they were finally back together. Reunification was emotional, but it wasn't the focal point of the season.
The situation in Hawkins spiralled out of control. Vecna was a new threat, and a majority of the characters were sucked into immediate danger. There were glimpses of Joyce and Hopper's moments together, but there wasn't a conclusive resolution to their love story. No reference was made to the lost dinner at Enzo's.
Official sources and interviews regarding Stranger Things Season 5 have now confirmed that both characters will be back and have significant roles. Yet, up to this point, nothing has confirmed whether their relationship will be handled more openly this time.
What fans expect from Stranger Things Season 5
Viewers who have watched Stranger Things since Season 1 are not just invested in the fight against the Upside Down. They are also invested in the characters' paths. For Hopper, that is more than staying alive. That is healing and finding peace. Joyce is the possibility for that.
The dinner at Enzo's became a symbol. It symbolized what Hopper and Joyce could've had if it hadn't been interrupted all the time. Towards the end of the show, fans would wish to see a moment, no matter how short, where they do have that dinner.
It does not have to be dramatic. Even a small scene or a definite confirmation that the dinner did occur would seal this loop. With most of the young couples on the show already receiving space for their stories, fans have observed that Hopper and Joyce's grown-up relationship has not been given the same space.
The bigger picture for Hopper's character
Hopper's is a tale of profound loss and individual transformation. From losing his daughter and wife to bonding with Eleven and defending Hawkins, his is a story of redemption and growth. Reconnecting with Joyce was part of that. Getting closure about their relationship is another.
If Season 5 puts Hopper in danger again, like the other seasons, it can also be his final opportunity to achieve personal happiness. A dinner with Joyce, or even a clear move towards a relationship, would provide his character with the emotional closure that has been put off for so many seasons.
The creators of Stranger Things have stated that they scripted the whole narrative from the beginning. That means wrapping up major character arcs in a sense of completion. Concluding Joyce and Hopper's relationship would fit into this plan.
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It’s time Hopper and Joyce finally get their table at Enzo’s, and the ending they deserve.
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