The streaming world is abuzz with anticipation over the upcoming final season of Netflix’s wildly popular sci-fi/fantasy series Stranger Things. However, as it often feels these days, it doesn’t mean that we get to have nice things.
Perhaps echoing the tension in the adoptive father-daughter relationship their characters share on the show, reports have surfaced that David Harbour was the subject of a months-long investigation into claims of harassment and bullying by co-star Millie Bobby Brown. While there were no allegations of sexual misconduct involved, Millie Bobby Brown reportedly kept a personal representative present on the set of Stranger Things during the shooting of the final season.
The news about the harassment and bullying claims may put a bit of a damper on Stranger Things Season 5 for some, but they can take solace in the fact that there is no evidence of a lawsuit having been filed. If one is in the works, Brown’s complaints about Harbour’s alleged behavior and the subsequent investigation conducted before the filming of the final season of Stranger Things will have laid the groundwork that could play an important part.
These Go to 11
When it debuted in 2016, few could have predicted how the Netflix series Stranger Things would take the country by storm and firmly embed itself into pop culture. Created by brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, the show weaves elements of fantasy, mystery, and science fiction into a plot set in a small American town in the 1980s. Mainly centered on a group of misfit teens trying to find a brother who has vanished into an unknown referred to as the “Upside Down,” it also features the relationship between Police Chief Jim Hopper, played by Harbour, and Brown’s Eleven, a young woman with psychokinetic powers who has escaped from a secret government facility.
The success of the Netflix show has been a tremendous boon for the Stranger Things cast, with Harbour and Brown benefiting the most with big Hollywood roles. Harbour, a longtime character actor, has become one of the leads in the newest generation of Marvel superhero movies. Brown has starred in the “Enola Holmes” movies as well as other lead roles. Still, both are best known for their roles in Stranger Things.
The relationship between the characters of Hopper and Eleven is complicated. Hopper, who has battled with alcoholism since the loss of his daughter, adopts Eleven after evil is temporarily thwarted at the end of the first season. As Eleven grows older, she and Hopper clash about his overprotectiveness and her desire to live a more normal teenage life. Their bond continues to fray as they, along with the others, battle villains like the Mind Flayer and Vecna, figures from the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
Judging by Brown’s claims, the tension spilled into real life as well. Brown, who is married to actor and model Jake Bongiovi, supplied “pages and pages” of accusations about Harbour’s bullying and harassment in submitting a formal claim to the network. Netflix has declined to comment on what the “months and months” of investigation did or didn’t reveal.
The episode is part of a trying time for Harbour, who also finds himself getting roasted on social media by fans of his estranged wife, singer Lily Allen. Allen’s latest album is reportedly based on the breakup of their marriage over Harbour’s alleged infidelities. At least the 50-year-old actor isn’t facing a lawsuit. Well, not yet.
Questions About a Safe Harbour
No details have been shared about the kinds and severity of the harassment and bullying that Harbour was accused of. It is possible that both sides want to downplay the issue, as the debut of the last season is only weeks away. Accusations like these can test theories like “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.”
If Brown does decide at some point that the abuse she endured warrants legal action, her previous actions may aid her in court. Filing formal complaints can help to establish a pattern of abuse to aid legal claims. If not freely offered, Brown would likely be able to subpoena the results of the investigation from Netflix with a fair chance of success. Testimony from witnesses to the alleged behavior would further strengthen a lawsuit.
For fans, wrapping up the beloved series is likely to be a bittersweet conclusion. For Brown, no longer having to be around her fictional adoptive father may be the happiest ending of all.
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