David Farnor | On 21, Aug 2016

Netflix’s original series, part-sci-fi, part-horror and 100 per cent 80s nostalgia, has swiftly become of the summer’s biggest hits, with fans left with one major question after the final episode: will there be a second season?

Warning: Spoilers for Season 1 follow. Read our spoiler-free review of Season 1.
 

Another question in many fans’ minds is: What about Barb?

Played by Shannon Purser, Nancy’s friend emerged as a surprising favourite character, with her clothes, attitude and hair sealing her identity as the walking epitome of the 1980s. (In a series stuffed with retro references, that’s saying something.)

But after she disappeared by Steve’s swimming pool, apparently snatched by the Demagorgon, things were looking bad for Barb. In the finale, Purser turned up one last time in the Upside Down as a corpse – confirming her tragic fate. And yet, as we got carried away discussing in our YouTube review of the show, nobody seemed to bat an eyelid.

Now, Matt Duffer – who created Stranger Things with his brother, Ross – has spilled some beans on the potential second season of the show, promising “justice” for Barb.

Speaking to IGN, Duffer ruled out the idea of her returning, but added: “Barb will not be forgotten. We’ll make sure there’s some justice for Barb.”

He also addressed the concern among fans that no one cares about Barb.

“People get very frustrated, understandably, that the town doesn’t seem to be really dealing with Barb. That stuff is all happening. We’re just not spending any screen time on it.

“It’s not like her parents are like ‘Oh Barb left.’ She died! Season 1 actually takes place over the course of six or seven days – it’s a really short period of time.”

What could justice for Barb look like? “Part of what we want to do with hypothetical Season 2 is to explore the repercussions of everything that happened,” teased Duffer.

One character who would make a return, though, is Brenner. The large-foreheaded villain, played by Matthew Modine, looked to be out for the count, following a corridor encounter with the Demagorgon in Season 1’s final episode, but we didn’t actually see him die. As a result, Duffer suggests that he would be likely to come back.

“I would say that if we were going to kill Brenner… as an audience member watching the show, if that was his death, that would be very unsatisfying to me – when the monster jumps on him and we cut away. He would deserve much more than that as an ending. So yes, there’s a possibility of seeing him again.”

So far, Season 2 of Stranger Things has not been officially confirmed by Netflix. “We always want to take some time to be thoughtful about the (renewal) process,” Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos told the press at the TCA press tour recently. But with the buzz that the programme has generated, it would be surprising if the show did not return.

Want more Stranger Things? Read our review here, or watch us discuss the possible survival of Brenner, Season 1’s other unanswered questions and our theories on Season 2 – plus our general love of all things Dustin:

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