While Stranger Things season 5’s finale may have wrapped up a lot of loose ends, the long-awaited ending completely forgot about one iconic supporting character. Considering the size of the Stranger Things cast, it is a minor miracle that the show managed to give most of its main characters meaningful roles in the finale.

Mike, Eleven, Dustin, Will, Max, Lucas, Joyce, Hopper, Murray, Robin, Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, Derek, and Holly all played a pivotal role in thwarting Vecna’s and the Mind Flayer’s plan, and only Kali lost her life in the process. Of course, Eleven’s Stranger Things finale fate was left ambiguous, and she may have also died in the blast.

However, El wasn’t the only one whose ending went unexplained. While the fate of Millie Bobby Brown’s character was never made explicit, she did play the main role in season 5. Another fan favorite character was less lucky, as she was forgotten entirely in season 5 and went unmentioned in the finale despite once playing a central role in season 3.

Stranger Things Season 5’s Ending Never Even Mentions Suzie

Dustin’s girlfriend of two seasons, Gabriella Pizzolo’s Suzie, doesn’t appear in season 5 at any point. Furthermore, when Dustin gives a triumphant speech at the finale’s graduation, he earns the romantic attention of a popular girl in his grade and appears to reciprocate her flirtations. As such, viewers can reasonably surmise that the couple broke up offscreen.

This might not seem all that devastating, as few teen romances can survive the hardship of long distances, let alone all the trauma that the Hawkins crew have been through. However, longtime fans will know that Suzie’s absence is uniquely devastating for two reasons. For one, with her Never Ending Story sing-along, Suzie indirectly saved everyone’s lives in season 3.

For another, it was Suzie’s chirpy sweetness and resilience that seemingly rubbed off on Dustin in seasons 3 and 4. Throughout both outings, Dustin managed to help Steve and, later, Eddie to save the day from attacks by the Mind Flayer and Vecna, respectively.

Suzie made Dustin a more understanding friend and a more constructive character, so it was sad to see her absence from season 5. Pizzolo’s character made a major impression in her two brief appearances in seasons 3 and 4, although she and Dustin never actually appeared onscreen in the same location.

Dustin didn’t even share the screen with Suzie in her second appearance, when Mike, Argyle, Will, and Jonathan visited her home during their cross-country road trip in season 4. Despite this, Suzie’s secondappearance prompted calls for a Stranger Things spinoff series of her own focused on her chaotic family life.

Dustin and Suzie Seemingly Broke Up Offscreen

Season 4 had a markedly darker tone than the goofy, cartoonish season 3, from Eddie’s persecution by jock bullies to the gruesome deaths of Fred, Chrissie and other local teens. However, despite this distinct tonal shift, Suzie’s second cameo brought back the same quirky charm and offbeat humor as her first appearance.

This makes it all the more tragic for viewers to realize in retrospect that Dustin and Suzie must have broken up off-screen at some point. Dustin’s season 5 part 1 was already devastating, as he took Eddie’s death harder than the rest of the gang and blamed himself for the tragedy.

Viewers watched Dustin alienate himself from his friends and Steve, but finding out that all of this was preceded by a breakup with Suzie made the storyline even sadder all over again. Stranger Things season 5’s finale could have revealed that the pair were still together via her appearance at the graduation, but the show went with a sadder twist.

It made sense to reveal that Dustin and Suzie broke up, as this goes some way to justifying Dustin’s bleak outlook in season 5. However, while the twist might be fitting for Dustin himself, it didn’t necessarily do justice to Suzie’s potential as a character. Pizzolo’s scene stealer was beloved among the fandom, and season 5 sold her short.

Stranger Things Season 5’s Missing Character Highlights The Show’s Biggest Problem

Image courtesy of Everett Collection

Of course, this fate didn’t just befall Dustin’s erstwhile love interest. There is a plethora of supporting characters who Stranger Things forgot about in season 5, from Dr Owens and Argyle to Max’s mother and El’s mother, Terry Ives. The show has a massive, ever-growing cast that, in retrospect, it was never going to be able to keep track of.

Thus, it is not all that shocking to discover that wrapping up Vecna’s Stranger Things story meant the show effectively forgot a string of supporting stars from seasons 2 and 3. To make matters worse, the series also introduced new characters in this outing, only to dismiss them as well.

The bullies who brutally assaulted Dustin in the cemetery were never mentioned again, despite causing serious injuries to one of the show’s heroes. Like Dustin’s Stranger Things love interest, Suzie, these characters served their plot function but then vanished from the show without any meaningful conclusion to their role.