
The dramatic confrontation turned out to be a distraction, with Steve’s romantic competitor, Jonathan, unexpectedly arriving to help just in time, setting up the group’s ultimate win. Everyone survived – a conclusion some critics found a bit too convenient, especially since the episode aired on New Year’s Eve. The story then jumps forward 18 months, showing the group reunited on a rooftop. Steve is the only one still living in Hawkins, where he’s become a popular baseball coach and sex education teacher, and dreams of having a large family. He seems like the kind of person who will be a permanent fixture in the town, and whose death will one day be front-page news in The Hawkins Post.