Over the course of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things' three seasons so far, plenty of ship wars have been waged, especially within the teenage generations of characters. But when it comes to the series' adult leads, the feuding over romantic relationships is much more noticeably absent - and that may be due entirely to the fact that the two primary romantic options are just both so absolutely wonderful.
In the second season of the series, resident mama bear Joyce Byers is in love with Bob Newby, a kind-hearted RadioShack employee who tragically dies to save everyone. But for all three seasons, and in the third season in particular, a romance is teased between Joyce and Hawkins Police Chief Jim Hopper - before Hopper perhaps meets his own untimely fate. We're taking a look at which man is really best suited for Joyce.
Hopper: They understand each other
Few people can keep up with either Joyce or Hopper, given their respective levels of intensity and the wavelengths they operate on at all times. But each and every scene between these two is sparking with banter, chemistry, and heat.
These two speak their own language, have their own shorthand, and make each other smarter and better investigators and parents. It's no wonder that they turn to each other for advice as often as they do, and that Hopper offers Joyce a job by his side.
Bob: He keeps her grounded
After all that Joyce and her family endured in the first season, her relationship with Bob in the second season provided her with a much needed escape and reprieve. Though she would still have to contend with Will's trauma and continued possession by the smoke monster, as well as Hawkins Lab's secrets, Joyce could always count on Bob to be right by her side.
Even when Bob didn't know the full truth, he was always there for Joyce, to comfort her, make her laugh and smile, and remind her of what life is meant to be like.
Hopper: They have history together
Though all three of these characters share a history together of being past classmates in Hawkins, it's clear that there's much more to the story than what we know about Joyce and Hopper's past relationship.
Noteworthy scenes in the second season in particular find the two reminiscing about their teenage years, sharing cigarettes and causing trouble during their high school days. It's unclear whether anything ever became of their adolescent spark, but in either case, that spark hasn't gone anywhere.
Bob: He became a hero for her & her family
When season two first began, Bob Newby was just about the nerdiest character in the entire series, and not at all someone you would expect to become a hero before season's end. But through his relationship with Joyce, and the love he came to have for her family, Bob became more than just a RadioShack employee: he became Bob Newby, superhero.
With his knowledge of computer programming, Bob at first proved that his legacy as Bob the Brain allowed him to become a hero in his own right. But it was his tragic sacrifice, as he found himself attacked by the Demodogs, that allowed Joyce and her loved ones to escape Hawkins Lab and survive.
Hopper: He was the first one to believe her
After Will disappears in the series' first episode, Joyce becomes committed to learning the entire truth about his disappearance. Even after the town and Hawkins Lab want her to believe Will has died, Joyce refuses to give up, no matter how on edge and out of her mind it may make her appear.
But while everyone else either thinks she's crazy or finds themselves totally concerned for her health, Hopper is the first one who realizes Joyce has been right all along. He tells her that she was right, and that she was never crazy at all.
Bob: They're adorable together
While Hopper and Joyce may have a natural heat and chemistry that can't be beat, there's no denying that Joyce and Bob were absolutely adorable together in every scene they share - dare we even say adorkable.
Bob was absolutely goofy, soft, and sweet, and he brought out a natural light in Joyce that the series had never really been able to show before, given all that she had been through. These two had a sweetness in each and every one of the scenes they shared, something that the series has been sorely lacking since.
Hopper: They rein each other in
As we've already stated, Joyce and Hopper are a perfect team together, whether as parents or as investigators. A large part of what makes them such a good team, in addition to knowing one another for as long as they have, is their ability to rein one another in when no one else can.
Time and again, these two talk each other down from the metaphorical ledges, and even occasionally quite literally save each other's lives by pulling them out of dangerous situations and tending to their wounds.
Bob: He wanted a life outside of Hawkins with her
Season three may have ended with Joyce's shocking decision to move her family out of Hawkins, to an unknown destination at that. But long before Joyce's choice, Bob was expressing interest in building a life together with her, somewhere far away from the town so associated with the pain and suffering the Byers family had endured.
Bob wanted to build a life with Joyce in Maine, where he hailed from, which showed his real belief in their relationship, and the future they deserved to have together.
Hopper: He sacrificed himself to save her
As season three revealed, Bob Newby wasn't the only man willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good - and for the love of Joyce and her kids. In the third season finale, Hopper makes the impossible choice to sacrifice himself to save the town of Hawkins, allowing himself to be detonated along with the explosives in Hawkins Lab.
And all the while, he never once broke eye contact with Joyce, offering her a tearful, heroic smile. Hopper's need to protect Joyce and those they love reflects one of the most truly selfless moments in the entire series.
Bob: He's still with her, even now
Bob may have been tragically and gruesomely killed toward the end of Stranger Things' second season, but his legacy still lingers even throughout the series' third season. While Hopper is more forward about his flirtation with Joyce in the season's first few episodes, Joyce is clearly still stuck on her relationship with Bob.
She observes rituals they shared together during their relationship, eating dinner all by herself and watching Cheers, all while imagining better times when Bob was still with her. Bob's memory is always going to be with Joyce, and has changed her for good.