Stranger Things Really Didn't Need To Explain Sara Hopper's Death
Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things season 4, volume 1!
Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 provided more details into the death of Jim Hopper's (David Harbour) daughter, Sara, but the explanation wasn't needed. Ellie Graham first portrayed Sara Hopper in Stranger Things season 1 when the series provided insight into Hopper's earlier life. Not only did he have a daughter, but he was married to a woman named Diane. However, his family life was clouded in tragedy following Sara's cancer diagnosis.
Stranger Things never revealed the specifics of Sara's illness, but the show implied that her health rapidly deteriorated. After living in Hawkins, the Hopper family relocated to New York. Flashbacks briefly showed Sara's cancer worsen before she tragically passed away at just 7-years-old. Following her death, Hopper and Diane divorced, with the former moving back to Hawkins, where he later became the chief of police. Sara's death left Hopper in a deep state of grief, revealing that he turned to alcohol to deal with his loneliness leading up to the events of Stranger Things season 1. In season 2, Hopper became El's guardian, which was later made official with faked documents listing «Jane Hopper» as El's name.
Related: Stranger Things Season 4's Episode Lengths Are Ridiculous
El's presence continues to give Hopper another chance at being a dad, but that never implied he would ever forget Sara, and rightfully so. Still, Stranger Things oddly felt the need to further explain Sara's death, which essentially made the scenario worse. While any death surrounding a child would have been tragic, the series used season 4's «Chapter Five: The Nina Project» to paint a clearer picture of Hopper's loss and guilt. Hopper shared with Dmitri
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