David Harbour

Pull out couch jokes notwithstanding, romance is likely not the first thing you think of when someone mentions ‘Stranger Things’. Nevertheless, it seems that love may be in the air when the acclaimed supernatural drama returns to Netflix for its third season.

Speaking to TV Guide, David Harbour – who plays Hawkins police chief Jim Hopper – teased that his character’s arc in the upcoming season would include a degree of vulnerability and “new languages of intimacy.” Though he doesn’t explicitly mention a romance, the implication is clear:

“I think we’ll start to see him take more risks with these new languages of intimacy and vulnerability and maybe we’ll start to see that he has needs that he hasn’t expressed before. That’s exciting to watch him open up in that way. Of course he’s going to flail and be horrible at it too, which is always fun as well.”

So who’s the lucky lady? While it could very well be a new character, it’s worth remembering that Hopper has maintained a low-key flirtation with Winona Ryder’s Joyce Byers, though the two have thus far remained firmly in the realm of the platonic. When asked about the possibility, Harbour’s answer was pointedly coy:

“That’s a good question. I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”

Time will tell, but to be sure, stranger things have happened in Hawkins.

‘Stranger Things’ has been renewed for a third season by Netflix. No premiere date has been announced at this time, though the early word is that it may not arrive until 2019. The new season will feature returning stars Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Priah Ferguson, and Charlie Heaton alongside newcomers Cary Elwes. Jake Busey, and Francesca Reale.