Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Stranger Things series finale.

Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer revealed whether Joyce and Hopper were ever aware that Vecna, aka Henry Creel, went to school with them. The hit Netflix series ended on New Year’s Eve with a series finale that ran over two hours and showed Henry/Vecna finally being defeated, with Joyce beheading the villain.

After the Stranger Things finale was released, the Duffer Brothers spoke with Variety about how the series ended, including Henry’s connection to Joyce and Hopper. The stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow reveals that all three went to school together several years before the events of the Netflix show.

Ross believes that Joyce and Hopper did have a conversation about this topic at some point between the events of seasons 4 and 5. The Duffers knew they needed to “walk a fine line” because most viewers were not able to see the play.

If Joyce and Hopper had started talking on the show about having gone to school with Henry, it “would have been confusing” to audiences who aren’t aware of the play’s storyline.

“I’m sure there was. We had to walk a fine line with the play — we don’t want to frustrate, because so much of our audience is unable to see it. To have them start talking about it would have been confusing in the context of someone who hasn’t seen the play. But I’m sure they did have that conversation.”

Matt added that he and his twin brother made sure to craft the final season as if The First Shadow didn’t exist. In other words, the play does not require viewing to understand the show’s events. “That is how the season was going to play out regardless,” he explained.

“We really needed the final season to be exactly as it would have been without the play. The play is Henry’s backstory after he’s infected by the Mind Flayer. But this is how the season was going to play out regardless.”

The First Shadow is meant to be an extension of the world the Duffer Brothers created, with the play revealing Henry’s backstory after being infected by the Mind Flayer.

The revelations in the play add many extra layers to the overall story, especially to one particular scene in the Stranger Things series finale, when Joyce uses an ax to behead Vecna. Knowing their shared connection, as revealed in The First Shadow, this means that Joyce killed her former classmate.

The Duffers considered different options regarding which character would claim that moment, and it just “felt right” for it to be Joyce. The scene also worked as a full-circle moment for Winona Ryder’s character because she used an ax way back in season 1.

After Vecna/Henry was defeated, the characters were finally able to move on with their lives, with the kids graduating from high school and Joyce getting engaged to Hopper.

Eleven’s fate was left a little open-ended, though. Even though it seemed clear that she died after sacrificing herself, Mike Wheeler shared a story/theory that revealed what might have happened if Eleven actually lived. The Duffers are perfectly happy leaving Eleven’s fate ambiguous for viewers.

Joyce, though, finally got to experience a payoff that was very deserving of her story arc. The First Shadow play might not require viewing to understand everything on the show, but it’s fascinating to think Joyce went to school with Henry, and then these two characters ended up in the positions they did at the very end.

Stranger Things may be over, but the theorizing and reactions won’t be ending anytime soon, especially since the Duffers left audiences with plenty to think about after the series finale.

Stranger Things season 5 is available to stream on Netflix.