cara buono on stage at fan expo portland

Stranger Things may have come to a close at the start of the year, but there is still plenty to learn about Netflix’s biggest sci-fi show ever. One of the more controversial talking points in Stranger Things history came in the second and third seasons between Karen Wheeler (Cara Buono) and Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery). There was some serious sexual tension between Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Nancy’s (Natalie Dyer) mother and Max’s (Sadie Sink) brother, though it never progressed to anything concrete, at least on screen. Now, Buono is here to clarify what happened and Karen’s motivations behind it all.

Collider’s Maggie Lovitt recently hosted a "Main Character Energy" panel at Fan Expo Portland with Stranger Things’ own Cara Buono, and she asked about Karen’s relationship with Billy. She began by setting the record straight on Billy’s age, saying, “Well, I always like to state that he is over 18. So there was nothing illegal going on. I haven’t delved too much into the age difference there.” She continued, explaining that it was never in Karen’s heart to cheat on Ted, and more her searching for attention, “I sort of looked at it as probably like a mom who’s not too happy and feels like no one sees her and got some attention — but then was never going to go through with it… I like to think she thought about it later on.”

One of the audience members during the panel proceeded to ask if everything that transpired between Karen and Billy was all scripted, or if the two did any improv on set. She told fans:

“No. All of that was 100% scripted. There was no improv at all. It was another thing where I heard a rumor, ‘Oh, they’re writing this thing with you and Billy,’ and I was like, ‘What? What is it?’ And you know, to this day, I don’t even know why that happens, because I mean, I loved it, and I know it was funny. Especially the scene in Season 2 where he comes to the door. It’s such a funny scene, but it doesn’t contribute to the plot at all.”

Buono closed things out by further driving home the relationship’s irrelevance to the plot: “If you took it out of the show, it wouldn’t have affected the lore at all. But it just kind of gives a little backstory… I like to call it an interlude. It doesn’t really connect to the plot — but it just gives you something about her… It was a lot of fun. Especially how he looks just like the romance novel when she was reading in the tub.”

How Many ‘Stranger Things’ Spin-Offs Are in the Works?

The Duffer brothers have only officially confirmed the existence of one live-action Stranger Things offshoot, but it will feature entirely new characters and a new story. The only thing from the original show that will be featured in the spin-off is the rock that a young Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower) found, which seemingly gave him his powers. However, at this time, it’s unclear when it will be released as it’s only in the earliest stages of development. A Stranger Things animated show will be released this summer.

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‘Stranger Things’ Star Sets the Record Straight on Karen and Billy’s Spicy Relationship [Exclusive]