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Tammy Thompson. I wanted her to look at me. But ... she couldn't pull her eyes away from you and your stupid hair. And I didn't understand, because you would get bagel crumbs all over the floor. And you asked dumb questions. And you were a douchebag. And-And you didn't even like her and ... I would go home ... and just scream into my pillow.
— Robin to Steve Harrington, July 4, 1985

Robin Buckley,[4] portrayed by Maya Hawke, is a main character in the third and fourth seasons of Stranger Things, and the main protagonist of the book Stranger Things: Rebel Robin. She is the co-worker and best friend of Steve Harrington.

In the summer of 1985, Robin began working at the newly-built Starcourt Mall's ice cream parlor, Scoops Ahoy, with her former classmate, Steve Harrington. Robin often poked fun at Steve's fleeting popularity and failure to woo over female customers. When Steve and his friend Dustin Henderson attempted to decipher an intercepted Russian code, Robin helped them translate, and figured out that Russians were using the mall's food chains and businesses to smuggle supplies into Hawkins. Eventually, the three discovered that the Soviets had carried out an elaborate scheme; Starcourt Mall was merely a front to conceal the construction of an underground Soviet base. With the assistance of Erica Sinclair, the group snuck into the base, where they discovered the Soviets had developed a means to travel to another dimension. Upon their return to the surface, Robin, Steve, Dustin and Erica got involved with the fight against the Mind Flayer and the possessed Billy Hargrove. After Starcourt burned down, Robin and Steve would get jobs three months later, at the local Family Video.

By the spring of 1986, Robin was still patiently enduring Steve's rants about his complicated love life, while harboring a massive crush on Vickie, a fellow member of her school marching band.[5] However, her attention was captured by more pressing concerns when a string of mysterious murders shocked Hawkins. Robin, Steve and Dustin investigated, with Robin befriending Nancy Wheeler and Eddie Munson in the process. They learned the deaths were possibly linked to an infamous massacre from 1959, and eventually discovered a gate to the Upside Down at Lover's Lake. After travelling through and getting stranded in the Upside Down, Robin, Steve, Eddie and Nancy eventually escaped and reconvened with their younger allies. After discovering Vecna's true identity and motives, the group made a plan to stop the supernatural threat, with Robin, Steve and Nancy staging an attack on Vecna. Despite their best efforts, the group were unable to prevent Vecna's fourth gate from opening, wreaking havoc across Hawkins.

Two days later, Robin volunteered to help victims of the "earthquake", accidentally encountering and bonding with Vickie in the process. Later, Robin watched in fear as the Upside Down’s spores began falling across Hawkins.

History[]

Background[]

Robin Buckley was supposedly conceived by Richard and Melissa Buckley in the back of a VW van on the Oregon Coast one evening.[1]

Born , Robin was raised in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. She mentions being in a variety of extracurricular activities in her youth, including playing the French horn in band since she was five years old; she also learned to play the trumpet at an unknown point. Robin played on the soccer team, and acquired fluency in French, Italian, Spanish and Pig Latin, and learned small bits of Russian. At some point while playing soccer, her team's goalie, Beth Wildfire, was injured when another player slid into her knee and caused the bone to stick out of it.[1][6]

By 1983, Robin began attending Hawkins High School, where she was labeled a band dweeb. She knew of students such as Nancy Wheeler (who she labeled a priss) and Steve Harrington (who she labeled a douchebag), though neither one of them would acknowledge her existence. Shortly after the presumed death of Will Byers and the disappearance of Barbara Holland, Robin was starting to show signs of dissatisfaction with her life in Hawkins. One day she heard a reminder through the school PA system about the memorial for Will Byers, which she paid little attention to. After leaving class, she asked permission from her teacher Mr. Hauser if she could hang out at his room to help stave off her onset of nervousness. Mr. Hauser humored her, letting her practice her French lessons which she was reciting to herself. They soon got into a discussion about life in Hawkins and the current events. According to Robin, it was her theory that Barbara Holland had actually ran away from Hawkins.[1]

Around 1984, in Robin's sophomore year, she was placed in Ms. Click's (or as she and her bandmates referred to her as "Mrs. Clickity Clackity") first-period History Class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, where she sat behind Steve himself. Over the course of the class, Robin grew to hate Steve for his tardiness, negligence to notice her, gross eating habits of getting crumbs of his bagel sandwich all over the floor, his frequency to ask dumb questions, and especially his cocky behavior. But what infuriated Robin the most was that her crush, Tammy Thompson, was obsessed with Steve, despite him not being interested in her, and would often cause Robin to go home and scream into her pillow.

1985[]

Working at Scoops Ahoy[]

When the Starcourt Mall opened in 1985, Robin got a job at the Scoops Ahoy. Steve Harrington was forced by his father to also get a job at the ice cream parlor due to not having the grades to attend college. Robin still held animosity towards Steve from his years in high school and would often tease him from due to his constant failure to pick up girls, often referring to him as "Dingus".

On June 28, Steve's younger friends Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Max Mayfield, and Will Byers arrived at Scoops Ahoy, requesting Steve. Robin informed her co-worker that his "children" were here. When the power at the mall suddenly went out, Steve repeatedly tried to get the lights back by flicking the light switch on, much to Robin's annoyance. However, the lights went back on and Robin went back to work with Steve.

S3E1-Robin6-Whiteboard

Robin spending most of her time at work pestering Steve.

The next day, when Steve repeatedly attempted to (unsuccessfully) pick up dates while on the job, Robin poked fun at him, running a tally of his successes and failures on a whiteboard labeled "You rule; You suck" while calling him a "dingus". Robin also mocked him for having to wear a sailor hat which he believed was the reason he was failing to get a date where he decided to take it off. When Steve again tried to pick up another date, Robin, in disgust, put another tally under "You suck" board behind Steve's back.

Intercepting the Russian transmission[]

On June 30, as Robin sold ice cream, she met Dustin Henderson who asked to see Steve. She watched as Steve and Dustin greeted each other with a special handshake, which led her to sarcastically ask Steve how many children he was friends with. She continued to serve ice cream as Steve and Dustin talked where she overheard Dustin say out loud that he intercepted a secret Russian transmission on Cerebro (due to Steve not hearing him).

S3E2-Robin18

Robin wanting to help Steve and Dustin.

As Robin gave out ice cream samples to Erica Sinclair who kept asking for more, Robin tried to call in Steve to take over for her which he doesn't respond as he's trying to translate the recorded Russian transmission. Robin entered the back room to get Steve and found that her board tallying Steve's flirtations had been erased and replaced with Russian to English letters. She exclaimed that her tallies were very important, but Dustin countered what he and Steve were doing was more important. Robin then revealed that she knew about the Russian transmission and said that they had not been able to translate it because the Russians used an entirely different alphabet, much to the boys' surprise. When Steve prevented Robin from taking the recording, she revealed that she wanted to help them as she was fluent in four languages; Spanish, French, Italian, and pig Latin (which she briefly used to make fun of the boys) and had been in band for twelve years. Robin begged to help, saying she was just bored and did not want credit which the boys agreed to as Steve gave her the recording. As Steve served ice cream, Robin listened to Dustin playing the Russian message over and over again where she managed to translate the first sentence saying, "The week is long."

S3E2-Robin31-Dustin-Steve

Robin and the boys discovering the source of the Russian transmission.

By the time the mall closed, Robin had managed to translate the first part of the message which read "The week is long, the silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west." Steve believed that the translation was incorrect, but Robin assured him she translated it correctly and agreed with Dustin that it was a coded message. As Robin and Dustin planned to translate the rest of the transmission, they made guesses on what it could mean until they noticed Steve stopping at one of the mall's toy carousel horses. When Steve activated it, Robin jokingly asked if he wanted a ride until Dustin recognized the carousel's music from the recorded Russian message. Robin believed that Russia could have carousel horses like this one, but Steve was doubtful as the carousel horse was an "Indiana Flyer" and thought the message did not come from Russia, but rather from Hawkins within the mall, much to Robin's and Dustin's shock. With this knowledge, Robin continued to translate the rest of the Russian transmission while Steve and Dustin searched for any Russians lurking in the mall the next day. As Robin listened to the message, she received orders not to give Erica any more ice cream samples, due to her abusing Scoops Ahoy's food policy. Once Robin translated the entire message, she tried to figure out the meaning of it until she got a delivery from Lynx Transportation. However, Robin noticed that the Lynx Transportation delivery man had a "silver cat" symbol, thus being the "silver cat" referred to in the message. Upon discovering this, Robin ran out to the center of the mall where she figured out the other hidden elements of the message, such as the Imperial Panda restaurant ("A trip to China sounds nice"), the Kaufman Shoes store ("if you tread lightly"), and the mall's giant clock ("when blue meets yellow in the west"). This gave Robin the conclusion that Russians were to make a delivery for Imperial Panda and Kaufman Shoes at the mall at a certain time which she informed Dustin and Steve.

After the mall closed later that night, Robin and the boys spied on some deliverymen unloading Imperial Panda and Kaufman Shoes boxes from a truck during a rainstorm. They watched as the men put the boxes into a secret loading dock filled with more boxes. Robin and the boys were nearly caught, but they managed to escape and were able to confirm to confirm the deliverymen they spied on were Russians.

S3E4-Robin, Steve, and Dusting asking Erica

Robin, Steve, and Dustin requesting Erica's assistance.

After some spying, the three came to the conclusion that in the mall's loading dock there was a large Russian presence. With no way to access the supplies without getting a keycard, Robin improvised and took both her and Steve's tips to secure a Starcourt Mall map, revealing airducts that led into the supply room. As no one in their group was large enough to fit, the three convinced Erica to crawl and open the door from the inside for them, promising her a lifetime supply of ice cream in exchange for her "valuable services".

When the mall closed later that night, Robin and the boys sat on the roof and watched the loading dock as Erica started making her way into the vents. Robin kept in touch with Erica and guided her through the vents, using Dustin's supercom. Eventually, Erica managed to arrive at the secret room and after confirming there were no guards or booby traps, Robin and the boys watched Erica open the door. Once inside the room, Robin and the others opened an Imperial Panda delivery box where Steve pulled out one of its contents, a container of a strange green substance. When the room suddenly moved, Robin decided it was time to leave and took the container from Steve with the intent of studying the substance inside.

S3E5-Robin holding elevator wall

Robin as the elevator goes down beneath Starcourt Mall.

However, Dustin and Erica could not open the door as the buttons were not working and the room sank underground, revealing the room to be an elevator. The group started screaming as the elevator kept going down at a fast pace. When the elevator finally stopped moving, Steve attempted to open the door by pushing on the buttons, but Robin revealed that they could not open the door due to it being electronically locked and they would need the Russians' keycard to unlock it. Erica starts to berate Robin, Steve, and Dustin for putting her in this situation, only to be taken aback when Steve rages at her. Dustin suggests they could climb out due to noticing a hatch on the elevator's ceiling, only to discover they are thousands of floors below the mall, leaving them unable to climb to the surface. With no other options, Robin and Steve tried to figure out another way to open the door as Dustin and Erica fell asleep, but they could not find a different way to get the elevator to work, leaving the group trapped all night.

The next day, as the group was still trapped in the elevator, Robin worked at the elevator door's button panel until she noticed some urine seeping into the inside of the elevator as Steve went back onto the roof to go the bathroom. Robin asks Steve to redirect his urine in another direction, which he does only to leave a trail of urine in his attempt, leaving Robin disgusted. When Robin suddenly notices Erica trying to open a container of the green substance, she stops her and tells the little girl they don't know what kind of substance is in the container. Erica then states she wants to drink the substance rather than die of dehydration, despite Robin pointing out that the substance is not water. Their conversation was soon interrupted when Robin heard some Russians driving a kart, prompting Robin to inform Steve and Dustin before she and Erica join them in hiding from the Russians on the roof. Once the Russians leave, Steve uses the container of the green substance to hold the elevator door open so they can escape where Robin crawls out of the elevator behind Dustin. After Steve manages to exit the elevator, the door crushed the container, revealing green substance to be radioactive material when dissolves into the floor where Robin jokingly asks Erica if she still wants to drink the contaminated substance. When Robin and the others see have entered an underground base, they have no choice, but to walk into the base.

Robin, Steve, Erica, and Dustin continue walking in the secret base, as they lack the transportation the Russians had. Eventually, upon reaching the main area, Erica pointed out a communication room, which they intended to hijack. However, Robin notices a machine opening a portal to another dimension, something that Steve and Dustin already have knowledge of and experienced before. Before Steve and Dustin could reveal to Robin and Erica on how they know and seen a portal like this before, the Russians eventually discovered them and, while helping Dustin and Erica make their escape, Robin and Steve were captured and interrogated for their affiliation, as the Russians presumed they were American agents.

Escaping the Soviet base[]

The next day, Robin was dragged into an interrogation room by her captors with her hands tied together. When Robin noticed a bloody and bruised Steve unconscious on the floor, she frantically asked General Ozerov what he did to her friend, only for the general to slap her across the face. Robin and Steve were then tied against a chair where Ozerov taunted her over her concern for Steve. This angered Robin, causing her to spit defiantly into Ozerov's face, only for the general to silently warn her that he was going to make her regret her action. As Ozerov and his men left the room, Robin angrily demanded them to release her and Steve before starting cry desperately for help.

S3E6-Do you even remember me from that class?

Robin recounting her time resenting Steve in school.

Eventually, Robin's cries for help woke up Steve, much to her relief. Noticing a pair of scissors on a table, Robin and Steve attempted to get to the table by hopping over in order to grab the scissors and escape, but they ended up falling to the floor upon their third attempt at hopping. Lying on the floor, Robin began to lose hope of escaping, despite Steve's reassurances. Robin then recounted their time in Mrs. Click's history class and confessed even though she despised him, she wanted to be popular and accepted just like him. Robin heard Steve confess being popularity isn't as great as she thought as he had been influenced by other popular students who were mean to others which can cause you to not put much effort in what you're going to do after high school. Robin was surprised to hear Steve wishing he knew her more in school, but both were happy they got to spend time together while they worked at Scoops Troop. Suddenly, Ozerov returned and upon noticing the two teens on the floor, he taunted them for failing to escape before ordering his men to pick them up. Robin and Steve were then painfully injected with truth serum by Russian doctor, Dr. Zharkov in an attempt to force them to explain how they found and got into their base.

After being rescued, Robin and Steve boarded in a loading car that Erica and Dustin had stolen. While sitting in the back of the car, the high Robin and Steve complained about the speed of the car and asked if they were in the Indy 500, despite Dustin not driving so fast before laughing hysterically. When Dustin crashed the car into some barrels near the elevator, the collision caused Robin and Steve to get their heads banged against the car. As the high Robin and Steve recovered from the collision, they were urged by Dustin and Erica to get out of the car, before Dustin proceeded to use a keycard to open and activate the elevator so they could escape from the base.

S3E7-Robin laughing hysterically

Robin laughing hysterically under the effects of the truth serum

However, once in the elevator, the high Robin and Steve began to play around where Steve pretended to surf on a dolly, much to Dustin and Erica's confusion. When Steve fell off the dolly, Robin laughed and watched Dustin examine him, discovering the Russians had drugged him and Robin upon finding Steve's eye pupils to be dilated. When Dustin tried to snap Steve out of the drugs' effects, asking him if he was going to die, the high Robin decently told Dustin everybody dies and it was only a matter of how and when. After being shocked for a moment, Dustin asked him where he had parked his car, causing Robin and Steve to feel hungry for some food at the mall's food court. Though Dustin promised to give the older teens as much as food as they want, on the condition Steve revealed where he parked his car, Steve revealed the Russians had stolen his car keys while being held captive by them. This caused Robin and Steve to laugh hysterically again as Dustin and Erica worried how they were going to escape from the mall.

When the elevator reached the surface, Robin, Steve, Erica, and Dustin exited out of the elevator, where the high Robin and Steve enjoyed the fresh air. When Dustin and Erica saw two Russians guards approaching them and armed with guns, they grabbed the high Robin and Steve and retreated into the mall. Upon entering the mall's movie theater, Robin and Steve were ordered to sit in some seats and not go anywhere so they could lay low from the Russians.

S3E7-Robin revealing she didn't have a crush on Steve

Robin and Steve talk in the bathroom

Robin and Steve then leave for water and then subsequently throw up from the drugs. In a heartfelt confession, Robin reveals that she envies Steve's ability to naturally charm women, as she wishes she had the same pull, coming out to Steve, who accepts her. Dustin and Erica discover them and set out to leave, only for the Russians to trap them within the mall by blocking off the exits.

Defeating the Mind Flayer[]

As they hide out from the Russians in the food court, the display car in the middle surprises the Russians who were about to find them when it suddenly honks. On the second floor, the Party reveal themselves where Eleven telekinetically throws the car at the Russians, saving Robin, Steve, Erica and Dustin. Robin is confused to what happened and meets Eleven, Nancy Wheeler, and Jonathan Byers. However, before they can catch their breath and share their stories, El collapses in pain from a bite in her leg, which is revealing to be congealing into a small monster from within her. In panic, Robin, still not understanding what is going on, tries to recount a story about her soccer teammate Beth Wildfire getting injured, but Steve tells her she is not helping, which Robin apologizes for. After a failed attempt to cut it out by Jonathan, El instead pulls it out psychically, which Robin watches in shock and awe. The monster is then killed off by the arrival of Police Chief Jim Hopper, Murray Bauman, and Joyce Byers.

Stranger-Things-season-3-screenshots-Chapter-8-The-Battle-of-Starcourt-017

Robin learning of the Upside Down.

Once everyone is reunited, Robin learns of how Will Byers got trapped in and got rescued from alternate dimension called the Upside Down where the former Hawkins National Laboratory was responsible due to opening a Gate to the Upside Down through Eleven who was a former test subject at the lab. Robin also learns that last year Will was possessed the monstrous ruler of the Upside Down, the Mind Flayer until he was freed from his possession with the help of his friends and family before the Gate to the Upside Down was closed. Now, the Mind Flayer had returned to Hawkins through the Gate the Russians are opening under the mall and built itself a body for his severed fragment to kill the Party where it had managed to injure Eleven by biting her leg. After coming up with a plan to stop the Russian key to cut off the Mind Flayer's mind from its makeshift body, Robin, along with Steve, Dustin and Erica, head back to Dustin's transmitter to help Murray navigate the ducts of the Russian base, joined by Joyce and Hopper. Around the same time however, the Mind Flayer's proxy body, the Spider Monster arrives to kill the Party, Nancy, and Jonathan, leading to Steve and Robin to return to the mall. Steve crashes the car against the flayed Billy Hargrove's, incapacitating him momentarily, in a move that stuns Robin. When the Mind Flayer's proxy body comes out of the mall by climbing onto to the roof, Robin is horrified at the sight of the abomination before she and Steve leave with Nancy, Jonathan, Lucas, and Will to escape from the creature. As they drive with the creature in pursuit, Dustin finally manages to get in contact with Suzie in order to get Planck's constant, she is just as shocked as Steve that she is real. Noticing the Monster has turned around, the gang follow it back to Starcourt and save Eleven using Lucas' fireworks. The Monster is finally killed upon Joyce closing the Gate. With the military arriving, the mall is closed down and the event is covered by a fake story of a fire that had killed the fallen people inside.

Getting a New Job[]

Three months later, on October 4, Robin and Steve go for a new job together in downtown Hawkins at the Family Video store. While Robin easily wins the position, Steve is not immediately hired, until Robin points out Steve's charm will attract "dozens" of women to their store.

1985-1986[]

A new romantic interest[]

By the autumn season, Robin became a senior in high school. As Tammy Thompson had graduated from high school, Robin moved on from her and started to become romantically interested in her classmate and fellow band mate Vickie. Her crush on Vickie was noticed by Steve and despite his support, Robin was unsure to pursue Vickie and how to act around her, as she did not know if Vickie would be attracted to her.

1986[]

Falling in Love[]

On the last day of school before spring break, March 21, Robin carpooled with Steve as she applied on some makeup to get ready for a basketball pep rally. As Robin applied her makeup, she barely paid attention to Steve voicing his disapproval of committing a relationship with a girl that only involved having sex. Robin simply told Steve his love life was getting more complexed due to him getting tons of dates from female customers while working at Family Video. As Robin continued to get ready for the pep rally, she denied to Steve about being concerned with impressing Vickie. Though Robin stated did not know for sure what Vickie's sexuality was, Steve advised her to pursue Vickie, believing her to be the right girl and a lesbian, due to having paused and returned the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High at fifty-three minutes and five seconds, much to Robin's disgust.

After their talk, Robin was dropped off at Hawkins High School by Steve who then left to go work at Family Video.

Searching for a Dark Wizard[]

S4E2-Robin and Steve watching the news

Robin and Steve watching a news footage dealing with the brutal death of a high school student.

On the first day of spring break, while working at Family Video, Robin talked her talk with Vickie last night to Steve, describing her laugh as perfect when she agreed with finding Tammy to have voice of a Muppet funny. Robin then discussed how she was nervous on how to speak to Vickie as she knew she had a problem in talking too much and being unable to stop talking until someone tells her to stop. Once Steve pointed she was doing it right now during their talk, Robin released some stress, feeling hopeless to pursue Vickie. When Steve expressed he felt the same way in getting a new girlfriend, Robin expressed she wished she and Steve could just "combine" so their problems would be solved as Robin had trouble with interacting the girl of her dreams while Steve had trouble figuring what type of girl he wanted despite going on lots of dates. After deciding to have Family Video's morning be Doctor Zhivago, Robin went to turn on the TV to play the movie, but instead, she and Steve watched a live news coverage of a Hawkins High School student being found dead at Forest Hills Trailer Park this morning.

They were eventually confronted by Dustin and Max, who needed their computer to locate the address of a drug dealer, "Reefer Rick." They explained that Eddie became the main suspect of Chrissy Cunningham's murder and he went missing shortly afterwards. The older teenagers accompanied their younger allies to said address and during nighttime, they found Eddie hiding under a tarp of the abandoned home. A frantic and panicked Eddie pinned Steve to a wall and threatened him with a broken beer bottle, but Dustin reassured him that they were there to help him, pointing out that he was familiar with Robin due to her affiliation to the band, with Robin mimicking playing an instrument to try to ease Eddie's doubts.

Once Eddie calmed down and released Steve, he proceeded to explain that during his drug deal with Chrissy, she suddenly became unresponsive and her body began floating in the air before all of her limbs were horribly broken and her eyes were crushed into the back of her skull. Knowing the authorities would not believe his version of the events, he ran away, which he began regretting to do. Though Eddie believed the quartet was thinking that he was insane, they reassured him that they believed in his side of the story. Reluctantly, Dustin divulged the existence of an alternate dimension known by them as "the Upside Down" and how they have fought its creatures and monsters numerous times in the past. When asked if he had noticed anything paranormal, Eddie described Chrissy's inability to answer him as if she were in a trance but he and Dustin link this to a spell or a curse, namely Vecna's curse. When questioned over who was Vecna, Dustin and Eddie responded that Vecna was an undead but powerful dark wizard.

On March 23, the mutilated corpse of Fred Benson, Nancy's colleague in Hawkins High newspaper, was found in an unknown road and recovered by the authorities. After Nancy finished speaking with the new Police Chief Calvin Powell, Robin and the others took her to the trailer park where they told her about Vecna being Fred and Chrissy's killer and their theories on how he attacked his victims with curses or spells while being unsure if he was doing the Mind Flayer's bidding or not. When Nancy began to question why Fred and Chrissy were killed, Robin listened to Dustin and Max list all of the last locations Fred and Chrissy were before their deaths, including the trailer park. When Nancy revealed how Fred immediately started acting weird when arriving at the trailer park yesterday, Robin had asked what she meant by that where Nancy described his behavior as scared, nervous, and upset. Robin then heard Dustin reveal Max said Chrissy was also upset, with Max saying she found Chrissy crying in the girls' bathroom at school hours before her death. At this, Robin noted how serial killers usually stalk their prey before killing them and theorized Fred and Chrissy could have seen Vecna before they died. When Steve commented on how he would mention seeing a monstrous killer to someone, Robin heard Max reveal she had also noticed Chrissy leaving the office of their school counselor, Ms. Kelley before finding her in the bathroom, making Robin and her friends realize Ms. Kelley might had information on Chrissy encountering Vecna before her death.

Nancy and Robin headed to Hawkins Public Library to do some research on Victor Creel and his family's massacre, whose causes of death were exactly the same as Chrissy and Fred's. Robin continously bothered Nancy by venting out her flaws, namely the state of her social profile, and kept reassuring her that she and Steve did not have feelings for one another. Nancy finally became impressed when Robin discovered an article detailing the massacre they were searching for, which occurred in 1959. According to the article, Victor believed a demon was haunting his family and tried to have a priest to exorcise it, only for it to retaliate by murdering his family and leaving him as the sole survivor. Even though the court deemed Victor to be insane, the girls realized Vecna was responsible for the deaths of the Creel family. Upon informing Dustin of their discovery, Robin and Nancy were instructed by him to meet him, Steve and Max in the high school immediately.

Once Robin and Nancy arrived at the school, they heard Max reveal that she had found a mysterious grandfather clock in one of the hallways, only to reveal she experienced a vision of the clock as she had been under a trance. After Dustin noted how Max's trance was similar to the state Chrissy was in before she died from Eddie's descriptions, Robin and the others heard Max state that her trance was not the only thing they should be concerned about. When inside Ms. Kelley's office, Robin heard Max reveal that both Fred and Chrissy consulted in Ms. Kelley for help as they both were suffering both extremely bad headaches, sleep deprivation, nightmares, and night sweats. In addition, Max revealed later on, both Fred and Chrissy started having terrifying visions of any dark secrets and trauma they had experienced which had gotten worse over time before they were eventually killed. This caused Robin to identify these ailments as the symptoms of Vecna's curse. Robin then heard when Fred and Chrissy started suffering from these symptoms before hearing Max confess she too had been having these same symptoms for five days now. This made Robin and the others realize Max was Vecna's next target and because of Fred and Chrissy dying twenty-four hours after their first vision, Max would likely be killed tomorrow.

The revelation was cut short when Robin and her friends hear a noise outside the lobby. When Steve goes out to investigate, Robin and the others follow him outside the lobby, only to be startled and surprised when Lucas reveals himself. Robin watched Lucas warn Dustin of his basketball teammates, Jason Carver, Patrick McKinney, and Andy hunting for Eddie before she and the others tell Lucas about Vecna and how Max was now in danger of being murdered by the entity.

The next day, Nancy and Robin decided to infiltrate Pennhurst Hospital to interview Victor Creel, forging new identities as college students looking to interview Victor for their thesis in schizophrenia. Upon entering Nancy's room, Robin admired her stuff, such as her Tom Cruise poster and her ballerina music box. Buckley was especially dismayed to have to wear one of Nancy's feminine garments and complained about being uncomfortable with it along the way. Though their meeting with Dr. Anthony Hatch initially went rough, Robin persuaded him to allow them to interview Victor with an improvised speech of her time in "summer camp." As they walked down the cells in the basement of the facility, the girls listened as Hatch explained that each person had its favorite kind of music, which could reach inner parts of the brain that words could not. The girls arrived at Victor's cell and while the latter initially did not want to talk to anyone, they guaranteed that they believed in his side of the story and that they had strong beliefs that the entity that murdered his family had returned. After some consideration, Victor ultimately agreed to narrate his family's life before the events of 1959-- the great-uncle of Victor's wife Virginia had left a small fortune following his passing, which allowed Victor, Virginia, and their children, Alice and Henry, to purchase a manor in Hawkins and start a new life there. Though Victor, Virginia, and Alice found their new home to be wonderful, Henry, who Victor described as a "sensitive" boy, appeared to "sense" something was wrong.

After a month of peace, dozens of animals throughout the neighborhood appeared fatally mutilated and despite the police's beliefs that they were the result of a "wildcat," Victor believed a "spawn of Satan" was responsible. Shortly afterwards, Victor, Virginia and even little Alice began having "waking, living nightmares," with Victor haunted by his indirect role in the death of a family in France during his time as a soldier, which was manifested with a baby crying inside a crib in flames. In a dinner of the family, Virginia was suddenly lifted into the air and was severely mutilated by a mysterious entity, prompting Victor to try to take his children to safety. Unfortunately, he found himself in another memory of his time in war until the "voice of an angel" allowed him to return to reality, where he found Alice's lifeless body and an unconscious Henry. Victor was declared the responsible and incarcerated in Pennhurst, where he unsuccessfully tried to join his family in death by blinding himself, only to be stopped by guards of the facility. He then put himself in a curling position in his bed and began humming a peculiar song, ignoring Nancy's question over the "angel" that saved him.

Before they could get a response, they were confronted by Hatch, who escorted them out and tried to have them arrested upon learning of their fake identities. As they left the facility, Robin recognized the song as "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" by Ella Fitzgerald and remembering Hatch's lesson in regard to music and its effects over the human brain, the girls realized that the song saved Victor from Vecna's spell and music could also be used to save Max from his wrath. Acting quickly, the girls managed to escape from and evade the authorities before driving away. Lucas, Dustin, and Steve ultimately aided Max in escaping Vecna and his curse by playing her favorite song over her Walkman.

The next morning, Robin, Steve, and Lucas were woken up by Nancy who told them they had to go to Victor Creel's house due to Max having drawn a picture of it as she had seen it in Vecna's minds cape while being cursed by the entity. Upon arriving at the abandoned Creel house, Robin watched Steve and Nancy start removing the boarded up-front door with hammers they had brought. Robin watched Steve, Nancy, and Dustin discuss on how the house held some significance to Vecna and what clues they could possibly find such as why Vecna killed the Creel family, why he has returned, and how to stop him before he tries to kill Max again.

S4E5-It's just a clock

Robin, Dustin, Max and Nancy at the abandoned Creel House.

Though Steve and Nancy were able to remove the board covering the door, they found it locked until Robin suggested they use a brick to get into the house. Once they broke the door's stained-glass window, Robin and her friends were able to enter the house. When discovering the house's electricity to be dead, Robin and her friends pulled out flashlights they had brought to help them with their search. Peeking into one of the rooms with Nancy, they noticed all of the house's furniture was still intact which Robin guessed the horrific deaths of the Creel family scared people enough to not consider any value the furniture possessed. Robin and Nancy were then called into a hallway where they and their friends found an old grandfather clock in the hallway which Max recognized as the one she saw in her visions. Though Robin nervously tried to assure the others that the grandfather clock was normal, this prompted the gang to split up in groups of two, with Robin partnering up with Nancy where they went upstairs to investigate while being joined by Dustin and Steve.

Once it had become night-time, the teens arrived to the attic, where they detected some strange activity in the room's electricity. A short while later, their flashlights exploded one by one, leading them to realize there was something occurring in that house but in the Upside Down.

On the next day, Robin and the others heard news of the death of Patrick McKinney, with Eddie once again viewed as the culprit for a crime that he did not commit. On their way through the woods to find Eddie, Robin tried to talk to Nancy over her distant relationship with Jonathan, only for Nancy to repeatedly say that nothing was going on between them, not wanting to push through such subject. Robin insisted that she just wanted her friends to find their happiness, allowing the friendship between the two girls to become official. Once they reunited with Eddie at Skull Rock, Robin and her friends listened to Eddie describe how he witnessed Patrick's death last night. When Nancy checked the time when the attack occurred on Eddie's watch, she and Robin realized the exact same time when the flashlights in the Creel House exploded, allowing the group to realize Vecna was using the Upside Down version of the Creel mansion as his base of operations. With this information, Robin and her friends started discussing ways to kill Vecna until Nancy reminded them that they still cannot kill Vecna as they had no way to get into the Upside Down.

When Dustin's compass began going haywire, Robin heard Dustin strange electromagnetic activity was causing his compass to malfunction, which he revealed the possibility of a new gate being opened somewhere nearby as portals to the Upside Down have electromagnetic fields. With this news, Robin and the others started to venture to find the gate. Upon arriving at Lover's Lake, later that night, Robin, Eddie, Nancy, and Steve hopped onto a canoe to investigate whereas Lucas, Dustin and Max would remain on guard. Nancy, Robin, and Eddie watched Steve volunteer to swim down to find the gate at the bottom of the lake, right as Robin discards a cigarette from Eddie, finding smoking gross. When he came back up to report his findings, Robin, Nancy and Eddie suddenly watch Steve get dragged back into the water, prompting her and the others to swim down after him and enter the Upside Down through the underwater gate.

Finding Steve attacked by Demobats in the Upside Down, Robin, Nancy, and Eddie rescued him and proceeded to fight off the Demoboats. Once the creatures had been killed, Robin asked them if they thought any of the bats had rabies, which she admitted was her greatest fear. When more Demobats arrived, Robin and her friends were forced to retreat into the Upside Down's forest as the creatures were blocking their only exit out of the dimension. The four travelled to the Upside Down version of the Wheeler home for Nancy to grab her guns, but after finding some chemistry notes from sophomore year and a toy that she had given to her cousin Joanna, Nancy discovered that her home and the rest of the dimension were "frozen" in November 6, 1983, the exact date when Will was kidnapped by the Demogorgon shortly after Eleven opened the "Mothergate," meaning her guns did not exist. The four of them eventually managed to get in touch with Lucas, Erica, Max and Dustin through some golden particles in the kitchen and all teens decided to travel to the Munson family trailer, where there was a gate they could use to return to the real world.

All teens travelled to the Munson trailer through bicycles in the Wheeler home's garage and succeeded in opening the gate completely. Once the younger kids created a rope through some tied sheets and placed a mattress of their allies' safety, Robin and Eddie passed to the other side, deeming the experience "fun." However, Nancy was pulled into Vecna's curse before she and Steve could escape, with Vecna having learned of their presence through one of his Demobats. Steve urged them to find any kind of music to free Nancy from the spell, but none of them could find anything. Fortunately, Vecna decided to spare Nancy, who had made some discoveries while possessed by the creature. The group retreated back to the Mayfield family trailer and spent the night there.

Fighting Vecna[]

The next morning, Robin and the others listened as a disturbed Nancy revealed Vecna's identity as Victor Creel's son Henry, who had somehow developped psychokinetic abilities and murdered his own mother and sister, leaving his father to be blamed for their murders and incarcerated in Pennhurst Hospital. Henry was then taken into Dr. Martin Brenner's custody and became One, the very first test subject in Hawkins Lab, which would eventually include other children, including Eleven, who also shared Henry's abilities. Afterwards, Nancy detailed the future Vecna had shown her-- dark clouds taking over the sky, downtown on fire, a giant creature with a gaping mouth, and hundreds of monsters slaughtering her family, friends and fellow citizens. Once she informed the group of four gates tearing Hawkins apart, Max and Lucas realized that Vecna had been hinting at the four gates the whole time with his signature clock and he only needed one more victim to create the final gate.

When Nancy insisted they had to return to the Upside Down to kill the creature, after obtained weapons and equipment for the mission, everyone objected to the proposal where Steve and Robin tried to reason that there was no way they could match Vecna in strength and power but Dustin and Lucas realized that Vecna should possess the same "weaknesses" as Eleven given their status as psychokinetic test subjects, deducing that his physical body was vulnerable whenever he chased his victims through their minds. Though Robin agreed with the plan, she pointed out they do not know when or who Vecna will attack next until Max joined the conversation by revealing that she was still cursed by the entity and offered to ditch her Walkman to lure him back to her. Despite knowing the risk, Max guaranteed that she would survive once more as long as they destroyed Vecna before he could kill her. At this, Robin and the others reluctantly agreed to have Max use herself as bait in order to kill Vecna.

After Eddie hot-wired his neighbors' van, the gang went to the War Zone, a store outside of Hawkins that contained all the supplies needed to face Vecna and his minions. Inside the store, Robin spotted her crush, Vickie, and attempted to talk to her, only to watch her boyfriend, Dan, apporoaching and kissing her, causing Robin to walk away in embarassment. The teens managed to get everything they needed, despite encountering an increasingly deranged Jason Carver and his basketball teammates also purchasing weapons to kill Eddie. Upon finding an open field to prepare their weapons, Steve and Robin were seen preparing some Molotov cocktails. Eventually, Robin confessed that she had these feelings of constant worry and doubt, fearful that they might not survive this battle. However, she and Steve ultimately agreed that they had to try everything to save themselves and the rest of humanity from complete annihilation and toasted to killing Vecna/Henry/One. Once everyone was ready, they all drove back to the Creel House, where Max, Erica and Lucas were dropped off. Meanwhile, the others returned to the Munson trailer and crossed the Gate back to the Upside Down. Nancy, Steve and Robin went to search for the Creel House whereas Dustin and Eddie remained in the Upside Down version of the Munson trailer to prepare their part of the plan.

Along the way, a worried Nancy told Robin to slow down and avoid stepping on any possible vine, which would undoubtedly alert Vecna of their presence due to the hive mind. Upon finding the mansion, Nancy, Steve and Robin alerted Erica, who signaled Max and Lucas that the trio was ready. Once they signaled that they had received the message, Erica told the trio that Max was going to initiate Phase Two by luring Vecna into her mind. Though it took a while for Vecna to take the bait, he eventually possessed Max again when she admitted there was a part of herself that wanted her stepbrother Billy out of her life forever.

Lucas signaled Erica that it was time to initiate the third phase and Nancy instructed Dustin and Eddie to begin Phase Three, which involved Eddie playing Metallica's Master of Puppets to lure the Demobats away from the Creel mansion. Seeing their opportunity, Nancy, Steve and Robin infiltrated the house, only to find the staircase covered with vines. The three teens successfully evaded all vines along the way and prepared to break into the attic to finish the plan. Unfortunately, a small earthquake caused them to lose their balance and fall to the ground. After the earthquake passed, Robin was attacked and pinned to a wall by some vines, causing her to call out for Nancy and Steve's help. However, more vines overpowered both of them and they were also pinned to the wall behind them before more vines began suffocating them.

An unknown amount of time later, Robin, Steve and Nancy were freed from the vines' grasp and dropped to the floor. Unbeknownst to them, in Kamchatka, Russia, Murray Bauman and Chief Jim Hopper had burned some Demodogs and an adult Demogorgon with a flamethrower, weakening everything connected to the hive mind, including the vines and Vecna himself. After catching her breath, Robin remarked that while she did not believe in a higher power or divine intervention, what had just happened was a miracle. With no more obstacles in their way, the trio grabbed their weapons and entered the attic, where they found Vecna suspending in the air and connected to some vines. Steve lighted a Molotov cocktail and threw it at the creature, causing him to lose his connection to the vines on his back and fall to the ground. When Vecna stood up to his feet, Robin threw her own Molotov to deal even more damage to the creature before witnessing Nancy shooting him several times with the shotgun she had purchased in War Zone. Nancy's fifth shot ultimately threw Vecna off the window and he collapsed on the ground outside the house. They rushed outside the mansion, only to find the creature gone, which left them in shock and concern.

A few minutes later, they heard Vecna's grandfather clock chime four times, which allowed them to deduce that despite their best efforts, Vecna had succeeded in killing Max. They did not have much time to grieve over their fallen friend because of an earthquake occurring in both worlds. In the real world, the four curse gates rapidly expanded throughout Hawkins, just like in Nancy's vision, and converged in town square, destroying countless buildings and killing dozens of residents. All teens managed to return to Earth safely thorugh the gate.

The Beginning of the End[]

Since the earthquake left dozens of people homeless, Robin arrived in Hawkins High School to see what she could do. She ultimately decided to make sandwiches and found Vickie already in the kitchen. Robin learned that she and Dan had broken up and the two girls began bonding thanks to their shared "runaway train" mouths and discombobulated personality as they prepared sandwiches for those in need, with Steve witnessing this from a distance. A few minutes later, the Party, their allies and the other Hawkins citizens witnessed unusual white particles falling down the sky, with the Party and their allies realizing that the Upside Down was beginning to invade the Earth through the Gates created by Vecna.

Personality[]

Described as an alternative girl, Robin is shown to entertain herself by teasing others and being sarcastic. In comparison to Steve, Robin is more realistic and speaks the truth, rather than worrying about how her actions will jeopardize her image, something she admits she doesn't really have. She reveals to Steve that even though she comes off as cynical, she admits she does want to be accepted for who she really is. Robin is also talented in music, soccer, and fluency in multiple languages, which comes to Steve and Dustin's benefit when deciphering the Russian code coming from Dustin's radio. Another trait that shines through overtime is her compassion for the people close to her; while initially riding on Steve for peaking in high school and ignoring her, she soon grows to care for him - to the point where eventually admits her true sexuality after Steve admits liking her romantically. Robin is also shown to be a good negotiator, helping Steve get a job at Family Video after Keith shows some hesitance.

During her time at Scoops Ahoy, Steve mentioned Robin to be "hyper"; it's likely this side of her is hidden when around people Robin doesn't know. A year after the destruction of Starcourt Mall, Robin enjoyed the company of Steve and his friends while trying to get closer to them, especially to Nancy Wheeler. Even after learning of the Upside Down, Robin was quick to accept them and was willing to help stop the alternate dimension's evil monsters from terrorizing Hawkins.

Similar to Max Mayfield, Robin's clothing style is less strict about following traditional gender norms: her new job at the video store has a more relaxed dress code. The clothes she wears typically don't adhere to her body and run large and have a masculine edge, such as slacks, dress shirts, blazers and ties. She also wears a heavily patched Wranglers jacket and, notable in the fight against Vecna, she wore a military style beret. In certain situations, she is seen in more feminine attire (notably entirely borrowed from Nancy), when she accompanied her to Pennhurst Mental Hospital to interrogate Victor Creel. Yet, Robin was willing to go along what she disliked in order to question Creel so she and her friends can stop Vecna and his killing spree.

Abilities[]

  • Multilingualism: Robin is very intelligent and has fluency over three languages such as Spanish, French, and Italian. When listening to a Russian transmission, Robin is able to translate and learn the language, showing her capability in learning a new language and picking up small clues that relate to the Russian message, showing she is academically intelligent. Her intelligence is also streetwise as she's able to quickly gain ideas whether they work or not.

Relationships[]

Non-Familial[]

Around 1983, Robin attended Miss Click's history class alongside popular boy Steve in Hawkins High School. Though Steve didn't know her during his years in school, Robin disliked Steve incredibly due to him being late to class, making a mess by eating food, and causing her crush, Tammy Thompson, to ignore her. A year later, in the summer of 1985, Robin got a job at the newly built Starcourt Mall's ice cream parlor, Scoops Ahoy, alongside Steve, who was forced by his father to get a job there due to not having the grades to go to college. Initially, Robin takes joy in watching Steve fail to impress female customers and failing school while Steve disliked Robin for snarky behavior and attitude towards him. However, Steve's friend Dustin Henderson claims that to have intercepted a secret Russian communication, Robin assists the pair by decoding the Russian language.

As they discovered the Russians to be in Hawkins and operating in the mall, Robin and Steve started to form a friendship. While held captive for their interrogation by the Russians, Robin and Steve are clearly seen to care about each other’s well-being and enjoy each other’s company, talking and laughing together while alone. Once rescued, the duo shared an emotional moment on a bathroom floor where Steve decided to confess his love for Robin. Robin awkwardly tells him that while she really likes him as a friend, her romantic feelings belong to a fellow female classmate named Tammy Thompson. Though initially shocked, Steve is not upset in the slightest, rather saying that Tammy Thompson is a total dud to her hobby and lack of musical talent, causing the two to laugh, making Robin happy that Steve accepts her for who she is. They remained best friends after the battle at Starcourt Mall and are seen three months later getting a new job at Family Video together, with Robin helping Steve get the job.

After nearly a year of working for Family Video, Robin tried to comfort Steve over his inability to engage in a genuine relationship with a girl while Robin herself was uncertain over whether she would be capable of admitting her feelings to fellow band member, Vickie. They joined the Party in the hunt for Eddie as well as the conflict against Vecna. As the gorup was buying weapons to kill Vecna, Robin spotted Vickie in the store and tried to talk to her, but the arrival of Vickie's boyfriend Dan caused Robin to stop in her tracks, leading Steve to console her. The two talked over how they were the only ones willing to prevent Vecna's plans to destroy the world and agreed that they had to try their best to save everyone they loved from Vecna's wrath. Despite setting the creature ablaze with Molotov cocktails, he ultimately managed to escape and open a gigantic passage between Hawkins and the Upside Down through his curse gates. The incursion began with white spores falling down the sky, which was witnessed by Robin, Steve and their friends and allies.

Robin first met Dustin when he and Steve greeted each other after the latter returned from Camp Know Where, asking Steve how many children he was friends with. When Robin overheard Dustin revealing to Steve that he intercepted a secret Russian transmission, Robin offered to help translate, revealing her fluency in several different languages, which Dustin accepts. As they worked together in deciphering the Russian code and discovering the Russians were in Hawkins, Robin would form a friendship with Dustin. Before she and Steve were captured by the Russians, she made sure Dustin and Erica were able to escape. However, Dustin and Erica came to their rescue and escape the base together where Dustin protected and cared for Robin after she and Steve were drugged with truth serum until they were cured. While driving the Toddfather to get to Cerebro, Robin commends Dustin for lugging it to the middle of nowhere just to talk to his girlfriend. The two later continued working together in stopping Mind Flayer with Robin promising to stay in touch with him. When Dustin confirmed his girlfriend's existence, Robin was shocked and amazed at this, but like the others, beyond confused with the couple's duet to the theme song of "The Neverending Story".

In 1986, Robin and Steve joined Dustin and Max in searching for Eddie Munson, who was believed to be responsible for Chrissy Cunningham's murder. They learned of the existence of a creature, whom they nicknamed Vecna, that was killing teenagers throughout Hawkins. Robin assisted Nancy in interrogating Victor Creel, a survivor of one of Vecna's attacks, and instructed Dustin to find Max's favorite song, which freed her from the creature's curse. While investigating strange electromagnetic activity in Lover's Lake as a result of a gate being formed there, Robin told Dustin that his compass had gone from "wonky" to unbelievably worse. During the plan to kill Vecna, Dustin assisted Eddie in distracting the Demobats with metal music whereas Robin joined Nancy and Steve in infiltrating the attic where Vecna was located. Vecna managed to survive, albeit gravely injured, and succeeded in completing his plan to merge the Upside Down with Hawkins and the rest of the world.

Erica was a frequent customer of Scoops Ahoy who annoyed Robin as she kept asking for samples of different flavors of ice cream. However, when Dustin couldn't fit into the air vents to get to the secret room at the mall, Robin asked for Erica's help as she was small enough to fit in through the vent. Erica, agreed to help, on the condition that she gets free ice cream for life, which Robin accepted. As Erica climbed through the vent, Robin guided Erica to the secret room and seemed relieved when Erica made it out of the vent and entered the room safe and sound. When trapped in the secret Russian base underneath Starcourt, Robin helped Erica and Dustin escape when they were spotted by Russians, leaving Robin and Steve to be captured. However, Erica and Dustin managed to come to their rescue and escape the base together, protecting the older teens as they were drugged with truth serum until they were cured. Both Robin and Erica continued to work together in helping stop the Mind Flayer.

In 1986, Erica served as the communicator between groups during the plan to destroy Vecna, informing Robin, Steve and Nancy when Lucas and Max were ready to lure Vecna into Max's mid and when Max had been possessed by Vecna for a second time.

In 1983, Robin sees Nancy and Steve on a date in the theater but is only able to make out Steve due to the darkness. She sees Nancy rush out of the theater in tears and follows, thinking that she might be Tammy Thompson. Instead, she finds Nancy in the bathroom, weeping. Despite not knowing her well and feeling resentment towards her for "stealing" her former friend, Barbara Holland, Robin feels the need to defend her. Thinking that Steve did something to cause her to cry, Robin offers to kick Steve out of the theater. Nancy explains that it is not Steve's fault and that she is actually upset about Barbara's disappearance.

In July of 1985, she and Steve discuss if they've ever been in love, Robin scoffs when Steve mentions Nancy's name, labeling her a "priss". As Robin attempts to process what is happening, Nancy questions who she is, and Robin introduces herself. When the Mind Flayer invades the Starcourt Mall, Nancy tells Steve and Robin to get into the station wagon after totaling the Todd-Father. The two assist the gang in defeating the Mind Flayer using Lucas' fireworks.

In the spring of 1986, after discovering and informing Nancy of an entity called Vecna who was murdering young teenagers around Hawkins, Robin joined Nancy in investigating Victor Creel at the Hawkins Public Library. Although Robin was initially unintentionally annoying to Nancy, Robin managed to prove her worth to Nancy by finding a newspaper article, detailing a connection between Vecna and Victor Creel.

Later, Nancy and Robin hatch a plan to pose as psychology students in order to sneak into Pennhurst Asylum to speak to Victor Creel, despite Robin being dismayed to wear Nancy's clothes during this endeavor. Robin convincing Dr. Anthony Hatch to let them speak to Creel impressed Nancy, where the two girls silently gave each a high five before they discover Creel's backstory and realize that music is the key to saving someone from Vecna's clutches. When the Hawkins gang goes to investigate the Creel house in person, Robin in searching the house for clues.

While going to meet Eddie with supplies at Skull Rock, Nancy and Robin walk alongside each other in the woods. They discuss Nancy's relationships with Jonathan and Steve, Robin stating that she "wants happiness for her friends". Nancy asks if that makes them friends officially, and Robin agrees, thereby cementing their bond.

When Nancy jumps into Lover's Lake after Steve is pulled down into Water Gate, Robin pleads with her not to go. Inevitably, Nancy jumps in and Robin jumps in after her. Once they are inside the Upside Down, Nancy and Robin battle two Demobats together. When one of them grabs Nancy, Robin pulls it off of her, thus saving her life.

When the trio of Robin, Steve, and Nancy return to the Upside Down, Nancy is concerned that Robin will accidentally step on the vines. When they reach the Upside Down version of the Creel house and see that it is riddled with vines, Robin becomes scared and holds Nancy's hand before she is reassured by Nancy. The two would go to temporarily defeat Vecna before they managed to escape from the Upside Down again.

In the summer of 1985, Robin referred to Max and her friends as Steve's "children" when they arrived at Scoops Ahoy to sneak into the movie theatre. Later, the two reunite when Max came to Robin's rescue before the two worked together to fight the Mind Flayer's avatar.

In the spring of 1986, Max and Dustin arrived at Family Video needing Robin and Steve to help them track down Eddie Munson, who was accused of murdering Chrissy Cunningham. Robin was shown to be ecstatic when Max told the group that Eddie could've been hiding at Reefer Rick's house, but she couldn't figure out where his address he'd be. Robin and Max worked to track through Family Video's rental records of all the Ricks listed, pinning down Reefer Rick at Lover's Lake. There, the girls joined the group in finding Eddie in the boathouse, explaining the force that killed Chrissy was related to an alternate dimension. When Robin and Nancy arrived at Hawkins High, Robin was visibly concerned when she and the others realized that Max was Vecna's next target. When the group heard a noise, Robin shielded Max as Lucas bolted in and scared the group.

The next day, Robin joined Nancy to pose as a college student to track down Victor Creel and help Max free herself from Vecna's curse, saving Max's life when she and Nancy discover music was Vecna's weak spot. Robin soon helped Max investigate the Creel murders and protect Max from Vecna's grasp. While on their way to Skull Rock, Robin observed Lucas and Max talking from afar, gushing over how cute they were and how they were the one bright side in their "doom and gloom" adventure. Robin later joined Max in the battle to kill Vecna, and was visibly horrified when Vecna's clock chimed four times, realizing Max was gone. Though Max is brought back to life and placed in a coma, it is unknown what Robin's reaction was to Max's state.

In the summer of 1985, Robin referred to Lucas and his friends as Steve's "children" when they arrived at Scoops Ahoy to sneak into the movie theatre. Later, the two reunite as their groups clashed at the Starcourt Mall. Lucas and Robin work together to save Eleven using Lucas' fireworks to burn the Mind Flayer.

In the spring of 1986, Robin watched Lucas play basketball in the school's championship game, cheering for him as he scored the winning shot. When discovering Max was cursed by Vecna at Hawkins High, the group jumped back in fear when bumping into a frantic Lucas. The two would work together to investigate the murders of the Creel family and protecting Max from Vecna's grasp. While on their way to Reefer Rick's, Robin ranted how they'd have to tell Eddie just how "screwed" he was due to their inability to access Vecna physically, but Lucas chimed in by saying she should change her wording. While on their way to Skull Rock, Robin observed Lucas and Max talking from afar, gushing over how cute they were and how they were the one bright side in their "doom and gloom" adventure.

Robin and Eddie have been hinted to have been acquainted with one another, with Dustin telling Eddie he knew Robin "from band".

In the spring of 1986, when Eddie was accused of the murder of Chrissy Cunningham, Robin joined in on helping Dustin, Max, and Steve prove his innocence, using rental files from Family Video to find where Eddie was hiding, pinpointing his drug dealer's cabin near Lover's Lake. Finding a shaken and distraught Eddie in the boathouse, Robin joined the others calming him down and explaining that they'd believe his story. Eddie explained how Chrissy levitated and was killed by an unseen force, and the others explained how an entity - dubbed "Vecna" by Dustin and Eddie - from an alternate dimension was most likely responsible. The next morning, Robin and the others arrived with groceries to give Eddie, explaining that they tapped into the police's radio and while Eddie's name had yet to be revealed to the public, it was only a matter of time before he was named in the public and become wanted. Robin explained to a confused Eddie that the talk of an alternate dimension was legitimate, explaining their previous battles while admitting she had only one encounter as opposed to the group's multiple.

When driving to Reefer Rick's, Robin complained to Nancy how she couldn't stand to see Eddie's "dull" eyes break once they told him that they had no way to get to Vecna physically. Discovering Eddie had relocated to Skull Rock after Patrick McKinney's murder, the group go back to Lover's Lake when realizing a "snack-sized" Gate had opened to the Upside Down. The four teenagers used a boat to row towards the Gate, with Robin using Eddie and Steve's heads to lower herself on. When Nancy dived into the water to save Steve, Robin prepared to follow suit. Eddie frantically reminded her that she put Nancy in charge, but Robin smugly remarked she made that up as she dived in, causing Eddie to reluctantly follow her. In the Upside Down, while the group planned to go to Nancy's house to get guns, the force of the Upside Down shaking caused Eddie to hold on to Robin as they both fell to the ground. The two worked together to get to the Wheeler house and bike towards Eddie's trailer once the kids told them that they could go through the gate created from Chrissy's death. When the kids put Eddie's stained mattress underneath the hole, Eddie said he didn't know where those stains came from, and Robin eyed him in disgust. When carjacking a couple's RV, Robin told Eddie that she wasn't crazy about the idea of Eddie driving, but was left confused as Eddie said Steve was driving while referring to him as "Big Boy". That night, Robin and Eddie joined Dustin, Nancy, and Steve climbing through the Munson trailer's gate to enact the plan to take down Vecna, going their separate ways after going through the plan one final time. How Robin reacted to Eddie's death is currently unknown.

In 1986, Robin began acquiring a crush on Vickie, a clarinet player in the Hawkins High marching band, though she was hesitant to pursue her feelings due to both fearing she'll be a "town pariah" if Vickie rejected her while not even knowing what Vickie's sexuality was. Robin remained skeptical as Steve hypothesized that Vickie "liked boobies" since she returned Fast Times at Ridgemont High to Family Video paused during the infamous scene where Phoebe Cates removes her top. While performing at the school pep rally, Robin performed next to Vickie and stared at her, only to look away when Vickie noticed. At the basketball championship, Vickie joined in on Robin saying that Tammy Thompson sounded like a Muppet while she performed the national anthem off-key. Vickie whispered that she sounded like Kermit, while Robin chimed in that she thought she sounded more like Miss Piggy, causing Vickie to giggle, much to Robin's elation. Robin almost slipped that she had a crush on Tammy, but covered for it by saying that they took a massively hard class together, beginning to ramble. She eventually stopped and asked if Vickie had said anything, and Vickie simply replied she hadn't, causing Robin to sigh in relief. Later, they cheered together when Lucas won the game for Hawkins High.

The next day, while working at Family Video with Steve, Robin gushed over her chemistry with Vickie, but admitted that she didn't know when to stop rambling, saying her mouth was like a "runaway train". A few days later, when stocking for supplies at the War Zone, Robin stopped to see Vickie shopping. Steve encouraged her to speak to her, but Robin stopped in her tracks when Vickie's boyfriend, a Purdue University student named Dan, jumped-scared Vickie from behind and began kissing her. Vickie noticed a saddened Robin from afar as she ran off. Dan asked who she was, and Vickie simply said it was someone from band, but Vickie looked back in concern.

Two days later, Robin bumped into Vickie while volunteering to make PB&J sandwiches at Hawkins High. Vickie proved to be flustered over Robin's presence, admitting that she's scatter-brained over the town's "earthquake" and how awful her relationship with her now ex-boyfriend was since he ditched her following the destruction. Realizing she began ranting over something so insignificant, Vickie is comforted by Robin as she mentioned how her mouth was like a "runaway train". Robin said she understood what she meant, causing the girls to laugh as they made sandwiches together. Later on, they watched in concern as particles from the Upside Down began to fall into Hawkins.

In the fall of 1983, Robin and Tammy shared a history class together, where Robin began to harbor a crush on her. However, this proved to be frustrating since Tammy was too obsessed with Steve Harrington to even notice Robin, despite Steve not giving Tammy the time of day.

In the summer of 1985, Robin revealed her crush to Steve, who teased her for liking Tammy of all people due to her aspiring dreams of being a singer despite being tone-deaf and "sounding like a Muppet".

In the spring of 1986, Robin lost interest in Tammy and began crushing on her fellow bandmate, Vickie. Tammy returned to her hometown from Nashville, Tennessee, to perform the national anthem for the Hawkins High basketball championship. Robin and Steve were visibly shocked, making eye contact with one another and agreeing that Tammy did indeed sound like a Muppet as Tammy sung The Star-Spangled Banner off-key. Robin began snickering about Tammy's performance to Vickie.

Appearances[]

Season Three appearances
Suzie, Do You Copy? The Mall Rats The Case of the Missing Lifeguard The Sauna Test
The Flayed E Pluribus Unum The Bite The Battle of Starcourt
Season Four appearances
The Hellfire Club Vecna's Curse The Monster and the Superhero
Dear Billy The Nina Project The Dive
The Massacre at Hawkins Lab Papa The Piggyback

Video games[]

Video game appearances
Stranger Things: The Game Stranger Things 3: The Game Stranger Things: Puzzle Tales Stranger Things: The VR Experience
Dead by Daylight Fortnite Smite Roblox


Memorable quotes[]

  • "Hey, dingus! Your children are here."
  • "And another one bites the dust. You are O for 6, Popeye."
  • "How many children are you friends with?”
  • "Can you redirect your stream, please?"
  • "I can't believe I'm gonna die in a secret Russian base with Steve 'The Hair' Harrington."
  • "I feel like my whole life has been one big error."
  • "We all die my strange little child friend. It’s all a matter of how... and when.”
  • "Ew, gross. Stop saying boobies."
  • "I just thought that by 'shot in the dark', you were being modest, or hiding something super solid up your sleeve that you were gonna wow us with later. But this is really, truly, a shot in the dark. Like, we are snipers with blindfolds on who've been spun around fifty times."
  • "Oh, my God, you have a Tom Cruise poster! You have a Tom Cruise poster."
  • "Holy shit, there's a little ballerina in here."
  • "Also, this bra that you gave me is really pinching my boobs."
  • "If there's a spider nesting in there, you're never gonna find it 'til it lays eggs and all the babies spill out."
  • "Platonic with a capital 'P'."
  • "Steve, can you taste the air?"
  • "Dustin your compass has gone from wonky to wonky with a capital aaaaah."

Behind the scenes[]

Her character was first revealed on March 2, 2018, when it was announced that she would be portrayed by actress Maya Thurman Hawke. Her character was described as "an alternative girl who is equal parts sharp and playful. Bored with her mundane day job, she just wants a little excitement in her life… and gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a dark secret in Hawkins."[7]

Gallery[]

View Gallery For this subject's gallery, see Robin Buckley/Gallery.


Trivia[]

  • Robin is a lesbian, making her the first confirmed LGBTQ+ character on the show.[8]
  • Following Season 3's release on July 4, 2019, @strangerwriters revealed Robin's last name, 'Buckley', through a series of cryptic tweets.[4] The account spelled out the surname, via the first letters of the following seven tweets:
    • Better pay more attention, we already told you Robin’s last name.’
    • United States of Erica’
    • Cuteness overload’
    • Kids being kids’
    • Looking for?’
    • Eleven probably needs a hug’
    • You know who you gonna call.’
  • Francesca Reale, who portrayed Heather Holloway, originally auditioned for Robin. The two would eventually co-star together in the 2022 Netflix film Do Revenge.[11]
  • Maya Hawke has helped design pieces of Robin's outfits.
    • In the third season, Maya Hawke personally drew doodles on Robin's red Converse sneakers.
    • In the fourth season, Maya Hawke personally handpicked the patches on Robin's Wrangler jacket.
  • Robin is the first older teenager seen riding a bike, whereas the other teenagers drive; she reveals in "The Monster and the Superhero" that her lack of a driver's license stems from being poor.
  • In "The Battle of Starcourt", Robin says that her top three favorite films are Children of Paradise (1945), The Hidden Fortress (1958), and The Apartment (1960).
  • Robin states in "Dear Billy" that it took her six months longer for her to walk compared to other babies.
  • Costume designer Amy Parris has said the pattern on the white blouse Robin wears between "The Dive" and "Papa" featured equality symbols to symbolize Robin's sexuality; the blouse features triangles, a symbol taken from Nazis identifying queer people and rebranded as a symbol of protest during the 1970s, and streaks that resemble the equality sign, a symbol taken from the Human Rights Campaign established in 1980.[12]
  • Robin mentions in "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab" that rabies is her number one fear.
  • Robin may possibly be either an atheist or agnostic, as she mentions in "The Piggyback" that she doesn't believe in a higher power or divine intervention.
  • Robin is the fourth main character from Stranger Things to have a book explaining her backstory; the first being Martin Brenner, the second being Jim Hopper, and the third being Max Mayfield. The book is called Stranger Things: Rebel Robin.
    • According to Rebel Robin, Robin was 15 (and a half) on September 10, 1983. This would place her date of birth roughly around March 10, 1968. This also means she celebrated her 18th birthday immediately prior to the events of season four.
    • Furthermore, Robin is the first main character of Stranger Things to have a six-part scripted podcast centered around her, and voice acted by the character's actor. The podcast serves as a companion piece to Rebel Robin.
  • Many fans speculate Robin may be neurodivergent; she has a number of idiosyncratic traits, such as a self-professed lack of a conversational 'filter', and heightened discomfort when wearing particular items of clothing. Some specifically claim Robin is autistic, while others believe she has ADHD.
  • She has appeared in every episode since her debut, not including the first two seasons.
  • Robin and Suzie Bingham are the only new living characters that was introduced in Stranger Things 3 reappear and return in later seasons.

References

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