*SPOILER ALERT*

*IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED SEASON 3 OF “STRANGER THINGS” DO NOT CONTINUE READING*

The last season of “Stranger Things” had every viewer on the edge of their seats. But the one episode that had everyone’s attention was the last one: episode eight, “The Battle of Starcourt.” It was an emotional rollercoaster with so many lives lost, like Alexei, Hopper, and others. But the one mystery of the final season is who the American is that the Russians held in their prison. The scene shows two Russian soldiers walking by a row of cells, and when one goes to open a door, the other says, “No, not the American.” They then take a prisoner from a different cell, to be fed to the re-introduced Demogorgon. 

After searching the web and interviewing Ledyard students, it was discovered that a wide variety of theories exist on who the American is that is held hostage. The most common theory is that Hawkins’ Officer Jim Hopper has to be the American prisoner. Junior Jonathan Regondola says, “It’s Hopper. He is the only character that does the action shots.” Others around LHS were interviewed and shared a few similar opinions about who the American may be, and they all seemed to say the same thing. Senior Lilly Cunningham states, “Of course it’s Hopper. There is no way they would kill him.” There are also connected theories spread around that it is also possible that after the blast, Hopper slipped into the Upside Down.

One unpopular opinion is that Dr. Brenner, also known as Papa, may be the prisoner held hostage in Russia. Inverse, a  “Stranger Things” fansite, explained how Dr. Brenner must be the American: “It’s tempting to think it’s Hopper, but Dr. Brenner makes a lot more sense. If he somehow escaped and made it to Russia, that could explain how the U.S.S.R. found out about the Upside Down in the first place and knew to focus on Hawkins, Indiana specifically.” Anything could be possible.

The popular opinion that Jim Hopper is the American held hostage in the Russain prison still stands. It gives watchers hope that he will be back. All the Stranger Things fanatics will just have to wait yet another year to find out who the hostage really is. Until then, the theories will continue to be made.

Madelyn DiFilippo, Staff Writer

Junior Madelyn (Maddie) DiFilippo is a staff writer for the 2019-2020 Colonel. She is a fencer, participant of the FFA, and an avid reader. When she’s not at school, you can find her at home binging Netflix Romcoms with her mutt, Lucy, or embarrassingly jamming out to her music.