Stranger Things Season 3: 5 Massively Missed Opportunities

Max Mayfield's brother may have been getting up close and personal with that slimy manifestation of the Mind Flayer but she, well, she was busy getting between the show's most important relationship. Yeah, when you put it like that, she didn't do all that much, did she?

When Eleven turned to her for advice, the pair took the opportunity to form a surprisingly endearing friendship that spawned a number of feel-good moments throughout the season (the 'Material Girl' montage was a particular standout), but it quickly lost sight of what it was - with Max attempting to paint Mike (who had been forced to lie by Hopper) as some kind of possessive woman-hating boyfriend who attempted to control Eleven and even took pleasure in alienating her from others.

Sure, this may have been an effective way of forcing Mike to admit to everyone that his concerns stemmed from the fact that he loved Eleven and never wanted to lose her again, but it only ended up painting Max as an unintentional manipulator who abused Eleven's powers by pushing her too hard. She was wrong about Mike's intentions and, in the end, Mike was right about El over-extending herself.

Hardly a character assassination by any means, but it certainly didn't do Max any favours, simply because it just didn't feel like we were watching the same badass Mad Max from the previous season. And, given that Billy was at the centre of the story, she should have had something more meaningful to do.