Attention! Contains SPOILERS for season 4 of the TV series “Very strange things”.
Viewers of the 4th season of “Very Strange Things” criticized the new season for allegedly changing the entire character of Robin, but this criticism was absurd. After Robin was introduced in the third season of Very Strange Cases as Steve’s agile sidekick, Robin quickly became a member of the Very Strange Cases gang and joined Steve, Dustin and Erica on their side in the fight against the mind eater. Russian Russian characters proved to be infinitely useful to the group, helping to decipher intercepted Russian messages and thinking quickly after being captured by Russian soldiers.
Robin’s character has also been widely praised for accurately representing the LGBTQ+ community. The character was not defined by her sexuality, her personality and her own life, but the screenwriters still made sure that the real trials of gays in the 80s could be discussed in full. Maya Hawke’s powerful portrayal of the character only added to that, and consequently, the character quickly became a cult fan favorite.
Then many viewers were disappointed when in season 4 of “Very Strange Things” Robin seemed to become much more absent-minded. It seemed to some that the scriptwriters removed her ingenuity in favor of a clumsy comedy, having stumbled upon a successful investigation, rather than provoking it. However, although there were indeed some changes in her character, any criticism leveled against Robin for this was unfounded. Robin didn’t change any more than any other character in season four, and any changes in how she interacted with the other actors could easily be attributed to character development or the addition of comedy to her character.
Viewers first saw Robin in season 4 of the TV series “Very Strange Things”, when she chatted incoherently with Steve about the romance in her life, and it immediately seemed that she had become much less balanced than in the previous season. This chaos never subsided, which led many to criticize the sudden change of character. However, in many ways, this amplification of chaos made sense. Between seasons, Robin met Steve and the others as closer friends. Most likely, in the third season, she had a guard, especially considering the neglect she felt for Steve when they were younger. She simply relaxed this vigilance and therefore showed more of her true face to the group in a conversation for season 4 of “Very Strange Things”. Maybe then Robin always had a frivolous side that we didn’t see in the season. 3, and this change was just a matter of character development. After all, Robin has always had chaotic moments right from the moment she appeared, like when she created a board to count Steve’s failures with women at Scoops Ahoy instead of actually doing her job.
Moreover, Robin never really lost her wits in season 4 of “Very Strange Things,” she was just wrapped up in Maya Hawke’s incredible comic moment throughout the fourth season. It was Robin who made the dramatic speech to gain access to the Pennhurst Psychiatric Hospital during Nancy and Robin’s collaboration. She was also the first to find her way into Creel’s house by throwing a brick at the door. The only difference between these witty moments and those of the third season is that the later ones were used for comic relief. This did not detract from her intelligence or her place in the zeitgeist as an LGBTQ+ icon. So all the changes were superficial and in no way different from the changes we saw in other characters like Lucas, who transformed from a dedicated nerd to a popular basketball player with very little explanation.
After all, it would be hard to argue that Robin’s character in season 4 of “Very Strange Things” has changed not only superficially. These changes can be explained by the development of her relationship with other equally brilliant characters of the series. It may also be due to the Duffer brothers’ need to create a good story; the tiny nuances of her character were sacrificed to huge intertwining storylines. In any case, there’s no denying that Robin is still a fan favorite character. Any criticism of her proposed changes is simply absurd.
