Things Max Kept From Billy

“Is defending Billy Hargrove really the hill you want to die on?”

Well yeah I’ve already planted my feet so like

It's been a pleasure clowning with you guys the past 4 weeks. I have one more theory to post and then I'm done. It's nice to know that even if we don't see Billy again, there's a tag full of people to commiserate with. And that Billy will live on in mulleted splendor in fanfic and fanart. No matter what the antis or the Duffers say, we know the truth about Billy and about all of the folks like Billy who are doing their best to recover from childhoods full of abuse, rejection, and abandonment.

Keep your heads up, guys. I hope the Friday release gives you everything you're hoping for. But if it doesn't, the tag is here for you.

With all the revived hype surrounding Billy from the latest S4 trailer, I’m reminded why I will forever be grateful that the role was given to someone like Dacre Montgomery. With all the speculation of Billy not only returning, but possibly returning as ANOTHER corrupted version of himself, Dacre is the only reason why I still have hope for Billy’s arc.

He is the reason why Billy is as complex and nuanced as he is in canon. Judging from past interviews, it seems like the Duffers were content to just let Billy be this two dimensional bully who’s an irredeemable maniac (and possibly still believe he is to some extent). But it was Dacre who humanized him. He understood that no one is simply born evil, that people like Billy have deeper issues going on in their lives. He suggested to add the scene with his dad abusing him and to give him a backstory of how he was abandoned by the only person who loved him. He demonstrated how all that shit twisted a sweet little boy into an angry, aggressive teenager. It would be enough to turn anybody into a Billy Hargrove.

Dacre gave the audience a reason to sympathize with Billy and demonstrated how he still has the potential to become a better person and overcome his toxic ways.

So, no matter what role Billy plays this season (whether it be alive, in flashbacks, or in some monster form), I trust that Dacre will put all his effort to maintain and continue Billy’s character development.

Stole this from an anti who was pissed because "trying to avenge his death" is now the only thing I will be thinking about until I see it happen

no offense but the relationship that y'all seem to think steve and eddie have is actually the relationship that jonathan and argyle have.

if i had a nickel for every time a creator told me that their teenage character who

grew up in a bad environment with a complicated relationship with his father,

was a bully, made mistakes,

was chosen by a great evil that wanted him to do bad things,

was afraid, wanted out but thought he didn't have anyone to turn to,

with his actions saved the heroes from certain death and showed he could have changed if given the chance,

was weak/not brave and someone who didn't deserve a full redemption, i'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice, right?

The way Stranger Things just ripped Argyle away from us is so cruel. It's not a complete friend group without 'The Stoner Who Has a Job and a Driver's License™️'

Nothing will get done w/o him.

Can’t believe I had to log on after a month just to post a common sense reminder-

properly tag ur shit

If I see one more anti billy post on the regular Billy tags without the proper hashtag, imma scream. Let me enjoy my content in peace.

Me seeing all these “Billy is coming back for S4” theories:

A fun fact about me is that I utterly loathe Stranger Things as a clumsy narrative and as a pop culture megalith—except in the areas where it concerns the 5-ish characters that were written with some genuine depth or pizazz and thus too good for the series to effectively explore.