| “ | Remind me, when do they become reasonable human beings again?
— Ted Wheeler, 1986
|
” |
Ted Wheeler is a recurring character in Stranger Things, portrayed by actor Joe Chrest. He is the perpetually exasperated - and perpetually clueless - patriarch of the Wheeler family.
History[]
Background[]
Ted Wheeler was born around 1938.[1]
Sometime in the 1960s, Ted married Karen, although Nancy believed they weren’t truly in love and that they married merely to conform to the ideal of the "perfect nuclear family”. The couple had three children: Nancy, Mike and Holly.
During his adulthood, Ted managed to get a high-paying job, providing enough income to sustain his family and purchase a sizeable home on Maple Street. Karen did not appear to work, and appeared to be frustrated by the domesticity that had come to define her day-to-day experience. Ted had a somewhat strained relationship with both Karen and his children.
1983[]
On November 6, 1983, when his wife, Karen told their son Mike to end a Dungeons & Dragons campaign with his friends, Ted told Mike to listen to his mother.
The next day, while Ted and his family were eating dinner, Karen mentioned that she was not going to let Mike and Nancy out of the house until Will was found. Mike argued with his mother, who looked to Ted for support. Ted barely acknowledged her.
Nancy argued with her mother about being confined to the house. Nancy got angry that she was under 'house arrest just because Mike's stupid friend got lost on the way home'. This statement angered angers Mike. Mike then told their parents about Nancy's new boyfriend, Steve, which caused Nancy to call Mike a douchebag and leave the table. During this argument between Nancy and Mike, Nancy swore twice, to which Ted said, "Language!"
Karen called for Nancy to come back to the table, but she did not. Karen then started to comfort Holly. Ted blamed the argument on Mike. Mike had an outburst and left the table. Karen turned to Ted and sarcastically told him that she hopes he was enjoying his chicken. Ted asked her, "What did I do?" as she leaves the table with Holly.
Ted remained largely oblivious to the strange events which took place in the fall of 1983. Like Karen, he had no idea that an escaped test subject from the nearby laboratory was living in his house for a number of days. On November 12, 1983, when agents arrived at their house to search for evidence relating to the girl, he trusted them, telling Karen that they were "on their side" - however, Karen appeared more conflicted about the agents' presence in their home. Later that day, Ted and Karen went to Hawkins Middle School to find Mike safe after Dr. Brenner's and the Demogorgon's deaths, and after Eleven's disappearance. On the night of November 13-13, Ted and Karen went to the hospital where Will was recovering from his ordeal. When Will regained consciousness, Ted was asleep in the hospital waiting room before Mike and his friends went to see Will.
One month later, Ted was seen sleeping in his chair, when his daughter gave a new camera to Jonathan Byers. Nancy then cuddled up on the sofa with Steve Harrington.
1984[]
September[]
In September, one of Ted's co-workers apparently shared rumors about "a Russian girl" in Hawkins, catching the interest of Murray Bauman.[2]
October[]
On October 29, 1984, Ted was seen in the kitchen with his wife and Holly, watching Nancy chase Mike for taking change from her piggy bank. Ted ordered his children to stop running in the house. On the next day, while eating at the dinner table, Ted and Karen told Mike to put some of his toys in two boxes for an upcoming yard sale. When Mike protested that the toys had emotional value, Ted responded that the toys were "chunks of plastic."
Four days later, while eating breakfast with his family, Ted heard Nancy say she was planning to go have a sleepover at a friend's house for the weekend. Nancy asked her mother if this was okay and Karen said yes Karen and Ted were unaware that Nancy really planned to expose role of Hawkins Lab in the death of Barbara Holland.
On November 3, while Karen was on the phone, Ted answered the doorbell. Dustin was at the door, and asked if Mike was home. Ted said Mike is over at Will's. Dustin said he can't reach anybody at Will's so he asked if Nancy was home. After asking his wife, Ted said that Nancy was supposedly at Ally's and commented that this children do not live at home anymore. Annoyed, Dustin called Ted a son of a bitch for being such a big help. Ted reprimanded Dustin for using foul language as he watched Dustin leave.
On November 4, while Karen took a bath, she heard the doorbell ring and asked Ted to answer the doorbell. Ted was fast asleep in his chair. Annoyed, Karen got out of the bath, put on a robe and answered the door, and met Billy Hargrove.
A month later, Ted attended the funeral of Barbara Holland with his wife and daughter Nancy.
1985[]
During the summer of 1985, Ted's consistent laid-back attitude finally caused Karen to almost have an affair with Billy Hargrove at a motel. However, on June 29, Karen stopped herself from starting an affair with Billy after she saw Ted asleep in his chair with Holly on his lap. This reminded her that despite his laid-back personality, he still cared deeply for their family. She abandoned the idea of having an affair.
Ted was later seen attending the Fun Fair with Karen and Holly and watching the 4th of July fireworks from atop the Ferris Wheel. Karen told him she slipped the operator five dollars as a bribe in order to secure the best seats to see the fireworks. During the fair we see that Ted was visibly shaken by even the mildest of rides and seemed very uncomfortable in The Rotor. After riding the Rotor, Ted watched Jim Hopper and Joyce Byers run off together in a hurry, unaware they were being pursued by Russian hitman Grigori. When Karen noted they made an odd couple, Ted remarked that there's always one for everyone, putting his hand on his wife's shoulder, which caused her to roll her eyes in annoyance.
1986[]
By the spring of 1986, Ted remained just as lackluster as he was before, referring to Mike's D&D club, the Hellfire club, as the "high-school dropout club". He and Karen were adamant that Mike returned home at 9:00 P.M. since his flight to Lenora Hills, California, was leaving at 6:30 A.M., with Ted mockingly saying Mike wouldn't see his "sweetie pie". As Mike sarcastically remarked how difficult it would be to spend a week without his family, he and Nancy left angrily, causing Ted to ask Karen when their children would become tolerable human beings again.
As a string of murders began to plague Hawkins, Nancy and Mike's friends stuck together and slept in the basement. At breakfast, Karen commented to Dustin how sweet it was he and everyone were sticking together. Ted chimed in by saying they could try staying at someone else's house for a change, but Karen dismissed him and told Dustin he was welcome at any time, causing Dustin to proclaim she was like family. As Karen offered Dustin pancakes, Ted chimed in once again by sarcastically telling Dustin to take them for their worth. Though Karen glared at him, Dustin took advantage and complied, loading his dish with pancakes, much to Ted's surprise. As the kids left, Dustin leaned over Ted to grab another pancake, apologizing and he ran off, causing Ted to flip his newspaper in annoyance.
When the third victim of the killings, Patrick McKinney, was reported, Karen and Ted watched the news bulletin in shocked, with Ted rhetorically asking where the military was since they had a serial killer on the loose. When Ted, Karen, and Holly attended the town hall meeting to discuss the murders, Ted's lap was loaded with donuts as Jason Carver, leader of the Hawkins High basketball team, declared that the person behind the murders was Eddie Munson, leader of the Hellfire Club, and his accomplices were his club members - including Mike. The Wheelers - alongside the Sinclair family and Claudia Henderson - raced back to the house only to find the kids gone. Claudia asked if they were truly suspecting their children were involved with Eddie, causing Ted to remark that anything was possible at that point. Karen snapped at him, telling him that their children weren't murderers, to which Ted accused her of twisting his words around, before he whispered to Charles Sinclair and told him she did that regularly. When Dustin, Lucas, and Max were picked up by the police, Ted scolded them for playing in the dark, saying they were lucky they weren't shot. As the trio struggled to tell a continuous story on where Nancy was, Ted suggested throwing them in jail to make them talk, causing the Sinclairs to yell at him for wanting to throw Lucas in jail and causing an argument to break out, only for Chief Powell to put an end to it. Later on, after Powell and Callahan interrogate Max and let her go, they explained to the parents Nancy and the others went out for a midnight swim. They suddenly realize that the kids were missing, discovering that they crawled out through Nancy's bedroom window, took the Wheelers' old bikes, and slashed the police cars' tires. Ted and the other parents bolted outside, watching helplessly as Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Erica biked off.
Two days after the gates opened and caused Hawkins to become destroyed, Ted sat in his chair watching the news bulletin calling what was perceived as an "earthquake" to the public as a doorway into Hell itself as a result of the Hellfire Club. Ted repeated the news to Karen, who was unamused about the growing hysteria, but Ted remarked that it was what the news did best, becoming indistinguishable from the tabloids.
Personality[]
Ted Wheeler is extremely laid-back which affects the relationships he has with his wife and children, he was often at work which meant he had little time to spend with his family whilst his wife did. Unlike Lonnie Byers, Ted is often oblivious towards any situation his older children are going through, despite trying to be there for them no matter such as being the first one to suggest speaking to Mike after Will's "death". He does act like a normal, typical father by criticizing not only his children, but their friends for use of bad language. Ted also holds some trust and respect for his country's government when the Hawkins Laboratory agents came over to their house; assuring his wife that they were "on their side."
His massive disconnect from his family and seemingly lack of interest in their lives does not come from a lack of care about them, and he is never intentionally malicious, callous or neglectful. Rather, Ted is a well-meaning but simple man. While it doesn't take much to make him happy, it also means he is not a complex person or a deep thinker. He naively believes without question that the government is a just system to be trusted & that if you follow the "rules" everything will be fine. Ted, like many others at the time, believes that happiness is the American Dream of a pretty wife, kids, a nice house and stable job with which to provide them said safe & comfortable life. As a result he finds it hard to understand his families deeper feelings and needs, as well as when they are in danger, as since they have the nice house, family & security they must be happy & safe.
Ted is very oblivious and has trouble knowing when he has done something wrong (e.g when the family were arguing at the dinner table discussing Will's disappearance). He has a job that affords for his wife to stay at home and live in a 2-3 floor house.
Relationships[]
Familial[]
Ted and Karen met sometime during the 1960s. Nancy theorizes that they didn't marry out of love, with Ted liking Karen's youthfulness while Karen liking Ted's background and large income. Together, they started the typical nuclear family in Hawkins.
In 1983, when Will Byers disappeared, Karen forbade Nancy and Mike from going out after dark, causing a dinner argument that Ted only interjected in when Nancy swore. His blaming of Mike for starting the argument and lack of empathy regarding Will angered Karen, who took Holly and left Ted at the dinner table, saying, "I hope you're enjoying your chicken, Ted". Ted nonchalantly asked what he did. When a corpse originally told to be Will Byers was recovered at the quarry, Ted held an emotional Karen's hand as they watched the live coverage from the television. When the Wheeler home was invaded by agents in search of Mike, Karen became emotional and distrustful towards the agents, but Ted told them to trust them, naively saying that the government was on their side.
In 1984, their marriage had been more or less the same, until one night Karen angrily got out of her bath to answer the door after Ted failed to do so due to being asleep. Her anger quickly melted when meeting the handsome Billy Hargrove, a classmate of Nancy's in search of his stepsister Max. The two established a neutral attraction towards one another before Billy left.
In 1985, Karen's frustrations over her loveless marriage nearly caused her to pursue an affair with Billy, who asked her to meet her a local motel for "swimming lessons". Before a well-dressed Karen left, she hesitantly took off her wedding band. But she stopped when passing the living room and seeing Ted sleeping with Holly on his lap, and realized how selfish she was being. A few days later, Ted and Karen took Holly to the Fun Fair for the Fourth of July, teasingly making Ted go on the Ferris Wheel because "torturing him was fun". They watched the firework show with Holly from the top of the Ferris wheel after Karen slipped the carney a $5 bill. Later on, after getting off the Gravitron, Karen commented how Joyce and Hopper made an odd couple. Ted, putting his arm around Karen, said, "Well, you know what they say. Someone for everyone". Karen sighed in disappointment.
In 1986, Ted sarcastically asked Karen when Nancy and Mike would become tolerable "human beings" again due to them entering high school. When Mike and Nancy's friends began sleeping over in the basement, Ted openly told them that they should try sleeping over at another house, but Karen dismissed him and told Dustin that they were welcome anytime. As Karen offered Dustin pancakes, Ted sarcastically remarked that he should take them for all they're worth, causing Karen to glare at him. When a string of high school students were being murdered, Ted and Karen were concerned due to the main accusers of the murders were Hawkins High's Hellfire Club, which their son and his friends were apart of. At the Wheeler home, Ted suggested that anything was possible if their children were involved with Eddie Munson, the leader of Hellfire and suspect of the killings. Karen snapped at him and told Ted that their children aren't murders, causing Ted to say that she was twisting his words and whispering to Charles Sinclair that she does that regularly to him. When Dustin, Lucas, and Max are being interrogated, Ted suggested giving them a little jailtime to loosen them up, causing the Sinclairs to accuse him of blaming Lucas. Karen attempted to deescalate the situation and say that Ted didn't mean it like that, but this causes a massive argument throughout the room. Two days after Hawkins was destroyed from an "earthquake", Ted told Karen of the news broadcast saying that the rifts were considered "a gateway to Hell", causing Karen to sarcastically reply that more hysteria was just what they needed, and Ted adding that the media has now become indistinguishable from the tabloids.
Nancy is Ted's eldest child, though like the rest of his children, Nancy has little to no emotional attachment to her father.
In 1983, when Karen forbade Nancy and Mike from leaving their house after dark due to Will Byers' disappearance, Nancy began to argue with her mother, with Ted only interjecting when Nancy swore. In the field with Jonathan, Nancy commented how her parents never loved each other, and dismissed his and Karen's desire to start the typical nuclear family lifestyle. When governments agents arrive in search for Mike, Karen worried if Nancy was involved in his disappearance as well, but Ted was skeptical that Nancy of all people would be with Mike.
In 1984, when Nancy chased Mike after he took money from her piggybank, Ted only interjected by yelling at them that there was no running in the house. When Dustin arrived asking where Nancy was, Ted asked an annoyed Karen on the phone for Nancy's location, and Ted sarcastically told Dustin that their children don't live with them anymore.
In 1985, when Karen told Nancy that she didn't know where she got her nature to fight back from, Nancy jokingly said it was from Ted. Three months later, as Nancy and Jonathan bid farewell, Nancy playfully suggested that he could stay in her basement and hide in a tent like El, causing Jonathan to reply that her father would "love it", hinting he doesn't approve of Jonathan.
In 1986, Ted sarcastically asked Karen when Nancy and Mike would become tolerable "human beings" again due to them entering high school. When a string of murders began to plague Hawkins, Ted wasn't shown to be nearly as concerned of Nancy's well-being as opposed to Karen, grabbing donuts at the town meeting and not factoring out that Nancy could be involved with Eddie Munson, the suspect of the murders. When a shaken Nancy told her friends the future vision Vecna showed her, she began to cry when describing her family's deaths, but noticeably didn't include Ted, possibly showing that Nancy doesn't have as much love or attachment to Ted compared to Karen, Mike, and Holly.
Mike is Ted's middle child and only son, though like the rest of his children, Mike has little to no emotional attachment to his father.
In 1983, when Karen forbade Nancy and Mike from leaving the house after dark due to Will Byers' disappearance, a dinner argument erupted that caused Nancy to storm off. Ted blamed Mike for starting it due to desiring to look for Will, causing Mike to snap at him and say that he's the only one that cared for Will. Ted, nonchalantly eating his dinner, said that he was being unfair and they did care. Mike, flabbergasted, stormed off in frustration. When a body that was claimed to be Will Byers is pulled from the quarry, Ted asked Karen if he should talk to a grieving Mike, but Karen said he'll talk to them when he's ready. For Will's "funeral", Ted helped Mike get dressed, though when Mike complained that he was choking him when fixing his collar, Ted said that it was supposed to be tight. When Mike became wanted by government agents, Ted wasn't nearly as concerned to find him as opposed to Karen, believing that the government would handle it. He and Karen reunited with him at Hawkins Middle.
In 1984, when Mike began to act out and steal money from Nancy, Karen punished him by forcing him to fill two boxes worth of toys for the their yard sale, with Ted dismissing Mike saying that he had emotional value to them by saying they were just hunks of plastic. When Karen attempted to explain to Mike that their patience has been waning thin for how many times he has acted out, Ted told Mike that he was "on the bench" and that he would've been kicked off his "team" a long time ago, leaving Mike visibly confused and unimpressed by his father's analogy. When Dustin arrived asking where Mike was, Ted asked an annoyed Karen on the phone for Mike's location, and Ted sarcastically told Dustin that their children don't live with them anymore.
In 1986, Ted refers to Mike's D&D club, the Hellfire Club, as the "high-school dropout club", and was adamant on Mike coming home early so he get up early for his flight to California, with Ted commenting that he wouldn't be able to see his "sweetie-pie" if he didn't comply. Ted then sarcastically asked Karen when Nancy and Mike would become tolerable "human beings" again due to them entering high school. Similar to Nancy, Ted had little to no concern over Mike's absence in comparison to Karen, who tearfully reunited with him on the lawn following the town's destruction.
Holly is Ted's youngest child, though like the rest of his children, Holly has little to no emotional attachment to her father.
Between 1983-1984, Holly was shown to be attended to more by Karen then Ted, with Karen feeding her, comforting her, holding her, and overall interacting with her more.
In 1985, Holly was found by Karen sleeping on Ted's lap in the living room, which caused Karen to restrain having an affair with Billy. For the Fourth of July, Ted and Karen took Holly to the Fun Fair, with Holly joining on her mother's teasing of making Ted get on the Ferris wheel because "torturing him was fun". The trio watched the firework show from the top of the Ferris wheel.
In 1986, when the Wheelers, the Sinclairs, and Mrs. Henderson search for their children, Erica broke the news to Mrs. Wheeler that the kids lied to her about going to the movies, causing Holly to sing, "Liar, liar, pants on fire", and Ted to sternly say her name.
Non-Familial[]
Ted is rather dismissive of his children's friends, most particularly Dustin.
In 1983, Ted allowed Lucas and Dustin to eat family dinner with them, but was visibly confused when Dustin slammed his fists onto the table to distract him from seeing Eleven wandering around.
In 1984, when Dustin arrived in search of Mike and Nancy, Dustin was visibly annoyed when he told Ted that the Wheeler phoneline has been busy and also when Ted showed no idea where his children were. When Ted sarcastically asked if he was done here, Dustin muttered, "Son of a bitch. You know, you're really no help at all, you know that?", causing Ted to scold him for his language.
In 1985, when El and Max made a spin-the-bottle type game on who to spy on, the bottle initially landed on Ted, but Max and El skipped him after deeming him "boring".
In 1986, Ted became annoyed when Mike and Nancy's friends began sleeping over in their basement. Ted told Dustin that they could sleep over at someone else's house for a change. When Karen dismissed Ted's comment and offered Dustin pancakes, Ted sarcastically remarked that he should take them for all their worth. Dustin, not skipping a beat, said "Okay!" with a smile and began loading his plate with pancakes, much to Ted's shock and annoyance. When Dustin, Lucas, and Max are interrogated by the police, Ted suggested to give the kids a little jailtime to get them to talk, causing the kids to glare at him.
Appearances[]
| Season One appearances | |||
| The Vanishing of Will Byers | The Weirdo on Maple Street | The Body | |
| The Flea and the Acrobat | The Monster | The Bathtub | The Upside Down |
| Season Two appearances | |||
| MADMAX | Trick or Treat, Freak | ||
| Will the Wise | Dig Dug | ||
| The Gate | |||
| Season Three appearances | |||
| Suzie, Do You Copy? | The Case of the Missing Lifeguard | ||
| The Bite | |||
| Season Four appearances | |||
| The Hellfire Club | |||
| The Nina Project | The Dive | ||
| The Massacre at Hawkins Lab | The Piggyback | ||
Video games[]
| Video game appearances | ||||||||||||
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Family tree[]
note: family trees are only visible on desktop.
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Memorable Quotes[]
- "What'd I do... What'd I doooooo?"
- "This is our government. They're on our side..."
- "That's strike 20! You’re on the bench son, and if you’ve been my couch, you would be lucky to still be on the team."
- "What happened to her hair? Oh my god - is she Russian?"
- "LANGUAGE!"
- "Understood. We're all patriots in this house."
- "Well, you know what they say. Someone for everyone."
- "You're lucky you didn't get shot!"
- "Threaten them with a little jailtime, maybe they'l loosen their lips."
Gallery[]
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For this subject's gallery, see Ted Wheeler/Gallery. |
Trivia[]
- His wife, Karen, has appeared in more episodes than he has.
- "Holly, Jolly" is the only episode of the first season that Ted does not appear in.
- "The Case of the Missing Lifeguard" is the only episode of Stranger Things that Ted does appear in without Karen appearing.
- Due to their casting as recurring characters, Ted, along with his younger daughter, Holly, are the only members of the Wheeler family to not appear in every episode of the first season unlike Karen, Mike, and Nancy.
- According to Jonathan in his argument with Nancy from "The Sauna Test", Ted makes six figures.