Stranger Things: 5 Best & 5 Worst Characters
4. Joyce
Winona Ryder's portrayal of Joyce was stellar, playing the part of the devastated mother clinging onto any sign that her child may still be alive. She makes it incredibly easy to empathise with her struggle, feeling her frustration that no one will believe her as well as her intense drive to find her son no matter what everyone else says.
Her motherly instincts make her the driving force behind the plot as she pieces together the clues about Will's disappearance, and even in the face of unknown horrors her only fear is for her son and what he may be going through. As a working single parent she epitomises the struggle that many people go through in order to give their children what they need, and we feel every bit of hope and heartbreak that she feels.
As an audience we are with her all the way, seeing the paranormal events that others aren't present for, and she makes the conclusion of the series hugely satisfying when she is finally reunited with her lost boy.