Hopper & Eleven s3

I think it’s so interesting how Hopper was extremely overbearing towards Eleven at the beginning of the season because of her relationship with Mike and once he thinks he’s succeeded in breaking them up, he doesn’t really even mention her. Time passes very strangely on this show. I know season 1 was a week, and season 2 had a similar time frame (maybe not, I have a bad memory) but he’s been gone for at least a day, and unlike in season 2, he’s made no efforts to contact her. Even Joyce is the one that when she realizes that the Russians are trying to reopen the gate, she says “I’m going to check on our children.” Maybe it’s the writers’ fault, or maybe the fast paced nature of the situation leaves very little room for being able to remember to call and check in, but he really just leaves Eleven alone for days at a time, and expects her to be fine, but when he comes back, he goes back to treating her like this kid who needs to be reliant on him and his rules. At least Joyce can lull herself into a false confidence that Jonathan is primarily taking care of Will (given that Jonathan has his own life and he sometimes loses track of Will as well), and she even calls Karen to make sure Will is okay.

It’s possible it just hits close to home because I was raised to be super independent, but once I went off to college, when I came back home on weekends, it’s like I had to fight for every single scrap of independence all over again, because my freedom was no longer convenient for my family. When it was on their terms, my independence meant, getting myself up for school, finding my own way to school, buying my own school clothes and supplies, and figuring out how to apply for college. But when I came back from college, my independence took shape in the form of wanting to hang out with friends, going out late, and just moving with a little less restrictions given that I was older.

Obviously the situations aren’t the same, as Eleven is on the younger and she still needs guidance and support, but Hopper as a character is struggling to be consistent in that support which makes it more harmful than helpful.