Hawkins is right now a hotbed of chaos and fractured worlds. But beneath all the cosmic disturbance, a tender sapling of human emotion called love not only survived but thrived.
Stranger Things Season 5 is tying up all the loose ends pretty quickly, with every character facing their demons head-on. And Max and Lucas shared the most beautiful arc of all.
Despite breaking up briefly ahead of Stranger Things Season 4, the duo steadily find their way back to each other, with Max calling Lucas her “boyfriend” once again in Season 5, “Chapter Six: Escape from Camazotz.”
Sure, it was Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” that brought her home, but it was Lucas’ gentle touch that kept Max alive.
Lucas and Max: Stranger Things’ Only Couple That Still Makes Sense
Somewhere between all the portals, prophecies, and upside‑down science experiments, most of Hawkins’ romances quietly fell apart.
Nancy and Jonathan feel like they are still trying to remember why they worked in the first place.
Joyce and Hopper are held together with duct tape, trauma, and whatever spare time the apocalypse leaves them.
El and Mike have been stuck in the same “I love you/I don’t know how to say it” loop since the Snow Ball.
Max and Lucas, however, actually grew.
Their story isn’t fireworks and declarations; it is slow apologies, stupid jokes, and a boy who keeps showing up even when it hurts.
Lucas waits through the coma, the guilt, and the distance, choosing to be Max’s anchor instead of her fixer.
He learns that love isn’t about swooping in to save the day — it is about holding her hand when the day can’t be saved.
By the time she runs “back up that hill” and falls into his arms, you realize they are the only couple in this show who actually earned their reunion.
And Max’s comeback makes it very clear: it wasn’t the 1985 hit song that gave her hope, it was Lucas holding her hand, which she felt even when she was stuck in Vecna’s memories.
Are Max and Lucas Going to Survive?
Here’s the cruel joke: Stranger Things finally gives Max and Lucas something resembling peace, then immediately hangs a neon “Do Not Get Attached” sign over their heads.
Lucas spends most of the season pushed to the sidelines, without getting much action.
Max, meanwhile, can barely move, speak, or swing a nail‑bat. She survives, but she isn’t battle‑ready by any stretch.
The Duffers have been very clear that the finale will hurt, and the pattern is obvious: big deaths, bigger scars.
Steve has “tragic hero” written all over him.
Hopper feels like a walking last‑season goodbye, and even Eleven’s fate doesn’t feel guaranteed when every plan involves her burning herself down to stop Vecna.
Max and Lucas might make it out alive, but the show has never promised anyone a clean escape — especially not the kids who keep standing between Hawkins and the end of the world.
For now, we can only wait for the finale to arrive on New Year’s Eve, as Mike and Co. prepare for one last campaign, hoping to end Vecna for good.
Stranger Things’ final chapter airs on December 31 on Netflix.
Are you ready for the final chapter?
Which Stranger Things couple are you most worried about losing in the finale?
Do you think Max and Lucas actually get their happy ending, or one last heartbreak?
Share your theories (and your emotional damage) in the comments.
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