The excruciating wait for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things continues, but fans have reason to celebrate as the Duffer Brothers have reportedly begun the writing process for it. Throughout the heart-pounding season 4, many fans were nervous some of their favorites wouldn’t survive their encounter with Vecna and the dark forces of the Upside Down, but thankfully, many did.
A shining light within all the gloom and doom is Robin. Played by Maya Hawke, she catapulted to fan favorite status quickly in season 3 and hasn’t left. People love her quirky, sarcastic, and bold personality, which is all best exemplified by these quotes.
“We all die, my strange little child friend.”
Season 3, Episode 7 - Chapter Seven: The Bite
At first, Robin seemed like every other secondary character upon her introduction. Many probably thought she was just going to be Steve’s coworker who would pop in to sass him periodically, but she quickly established herself as one of the main players, winning over audiences with her unique charm, vernacular, and how she treats her newfound friends. That’s the case here when a drugged Robin puts in her macabre two-cents as Dustin worries over Steve while escaping from the Russians beneath Starcourt Mall.
Lines like this are already entertaining on the page, but Hawke’s delivery takes them to a new level. At this point, she was just learning the truth of the doom she finds herself surrounded by, claiming it’s “all a matter of how and when”. Unfortunately, she’s since learned firsthand how shocking and horrific some deaths can really be.
“I feel like my whole life has been one big error.”
Season 3, Episode 6 - Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum
She and Steve had been captured by the Russians, and she had to endure seeing him tortured by them, yet she didn’t lose hope. At least, not until they tried to get themselves free and ended up falling down. This cracked open Robin and her insecurities came rushing out like water from a broken dam.
Not only is this moment something that many audiences can relate to on a deeply personal level, but it’s the best glimpse at how Robin herself views her life. She’d been someone living in the background, ignored by others who never even bothered to try to understand her. That led her to internalize her issues and feelings to the point that she thinks she was made wrong.
“Tammy Thompson. I wanted her to look at me...”
Season 3, Episode 7 - Chapter Seven: The Bite
The penultimate episode of season 3 was groundbreaking for Robin as it revealed some of her deepest vulnerabilities, solidifying the character’s hold on audiences’ hearts. Throughout the season, it could be seen that she was being developed into Steve’s new love interest after he and Nancy broke up. However, that was all dispelled when she came out to Steve as a lesbian.
It was beautifully handled by the cast and creators, showcasing an incredibly consequential and vulnerable moment in a person’s life and many were probably nervous to see Steve’s reaction. Thankfully, he embraced her and never looked back, making them best friends. This meant a lot to so many viewers, being able to see themselves even more readily in this show.
“Ou-yay are-yay ump-day”
Season 3, Episode 2 - Chapter Two: The Mall Rats
Along with her unique bits of wisdom, Robin also has some of the funniest one-liners. Frankly, her way with words is pure entertainment, especially compared to her cast mates and their reactions to some of the things that come out of her mouth. Here she’s enlisting herself to help Dustin and Steve decipher the strange messages they had discovered.
It’s a classic dig on Steve, continuing her trend of calling him a dingus when she says “you are dumb” in Pig Latin, and he believes it is Russian. In the end, she was right to insert herself into their business because she proved that her ears are little geniuses like she claimed. Of course, she didn’t know the stakes of the situation, but that never stopped her from making a quippy comment.
“Not everything has a happy ending.”
Season 4, Episode 8 - Chapter Eight: Papa
The show and the dangers Hawkins face changed exponentially in season 4 with the introduction of the series’ main and best villain, Vecna. Robin had already been forced to deal with the terrifying monster that attacked Starcourt Mall, but this horror was something new and personal. She was already relatively mature beyond her years, but now she understood the stakes.
This was the terrifying sentiment audiences had to deal with when starting up volume 2 of season 4 – though that might be from the people involved overhyping the carnage and death count. She was saying that compared to their upcoming war with Vecna, her unrequited crush on Vickie is unimportant and that she recognizes that not everyone is going to make it out alive.
“Ooh, I think I found our morning movie - Doctor Zhivago.”
Season 4, Episode 2 - Chapter Two: Vecna's Curse
Robin and make for an unlikely pair, yet one of the best duos throughout all of Stranger Things. That’s important to Robin’s subplot in season 4 especially – as she tries to build up the courage and ask out Vickie. While he’s the highly-desire heartthrob who has no idea what he wants, she is the insecure, shy girl who does but won’t act on those desires. Thus, she looks around the video store and finds the perfect film to encapsulate their dilemma, Doctor Zhivago.
Not only is it a subtle and poignant moment, but it just shows how good taste Robin has in classic cinema. It’s also a strange form of escapism, engaging with another story of doomed love so as to ignore her own. However, she and Vickie found themselves together at the end of the fourth season, clearly setting up something more for them in season 5.
“Took me six months longer to walk than all the other babies.”
Season 4, Episode 4: Chapter Four: Dear Billy
One of Robin’s best defining qualities is her reliability. She’s proven herself time and time again that she’s someone worth having as an ally for her wit and intuition. She puts that on display when she and Nancy visit Pennhurst Asylum to talk with Victor Creel. They are posing as college students and Robin’s passionately able to coerce the administration into letting them meet with Creel.
Unfortunately, the ruse doesn’t last, and they’re forced to flee from authorities, which leads to this gem when Robin’s explaining that she’s not that coordinated or good at running. It’s a funny quirk that sets Robin apart from the pack even more.
“We usually rely on this girl who has superpowers. But, uh, those went bye-bye, so...”
Season 4, Episode 3 - Chapter Three: The Monster and the Superhero
The team in Hawkins quickly rallied around newcomer Eddie Munson as they aimed to discover the new threat they were facing. When they were finally able to find Eddie she helps calm him down and explains their unique situation, adding in her particular anecdotes and idiosyncrasies. She doesn’t really explain anything in the most outright logical way, but that’s what makes her so funny.
This pep talk, while strange, still accomplishes its goal of establishing them all as allies. Thus, it helps lead Eddie on his heroic journey – going from the kid who hid away after witnessing Chrissy’s horrific murder to the man who dominated social media by playing the epic “Master of Puppets” solo and sacrificing himself to save Dustin.
“I think we’re mad fools, the lot of us.”
Season 4, Episode 8 - Chapter 8: Papa
Along with recognizing the tragic reality of what it could mean to go fight Vecna, Robin puts it plainly that it’s their responsibility. If they don’t do it, no one else will. They’re burdened with the purpose and knowledge of what’s to come, and no matter how ridiculous it, she’s not hesitating to back down.
Cowardly is not a descriptor that could ever be used to describe Robin. Though she obviously would like to be doing anything other than returning to the Upside Down to kill the devil, she’s ready to do so. That’s the mentality that many other characters are going to need to adopt in season 5 now that the barrier between the two worlds has broken open.
“You think you're so smart, but a couple of kids who scoop ice cream for a living cracked your code in a day”
Season 3, Episode 6 - Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum
Another perfect example of Robin’s inherent bravery was when she talked back to the Russian enforcers interrogating them below Starcourt Mall. Of course, she was drugged, so her lips were loosened, and they were torturing Steve so she let loose on them to stop them from hurting him further. Nevertheless, she was clearly proud of herself, and she deserves to be.
Robin doesn’t really back away from the difficult challenges ahead of her, especially when her life is on the line. It’s a great quality to have in a character and while fans were likely nervous for her in this moment, it’s a fun way for her to pat her own back, and Dustin came to their rescue shortly after that.