Stranger Things fans, rejoice! In a wonderful and surprising announcement, Shannon Purser scored an Emmy nomination for Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Barb, a fan favorite character. Is this even real life?
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For those who haven’t seen the freshman show because it’s too scary — yes, it really is terrifying — Barb is a supporting character with a big heart who just wants to protect her friend from growing up too quickly. But, in the third episode, she’s kidnapped by the monster terrorizing the town of Hawkins, and then the town kinda forgets about her disappearance for the rest of the season. Not cool, guys. It’s still unclear exactly what happened to her, but the very last episode shows a quick panning shot of a shell of Barb, supposedly lying dead in the alternate dimension called the Upside Down. Poor Barb.
Since the cult show hit Netflix, it’s attracted a lot of fan theories, fan art and, of course, fan love, including #JusticeForBarb. Tons of viewers lamented Barb’s early exit, and their dedication to propping her up as a true Stranger Things gem has become a part of this show’s fandom. Could this Emmy nomination be the justice that fans have been longing for in the past year? It looks like it!
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After Barb’s disappearance on the show, a legitimate #JusticeForBarb campaign grew online, and so did #TeamBarb. Creators, writers and directors of the show Matt and Ross Duffer, aka the Duffer Brothers, told Entertainment Weekly that Purser’s nomination is proof that Barb “won’t be forgotten. Shannon took this… it’s barely a three-episode role, and somehow turned it into what became this iconic character, so I don’t know how she did it.”
Purser herself tweeted surprise and excitement.
https://twitter.com/shannonpurser/status/885534822982012928
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Fans also rejoiced on Twitter at the surprise Emmy nomination.
HI @shannonpurser IS OFFICIALLY *EMMY* NOMINATED FOR HER ROLE AS BARB IN @Stranger_Things AND WE THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE NO #JusticeForBarbpic.twitter.com/ptJuHjNm90
— Ash Crossan 🔜 SDCC (@AshCrossan) July 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/miranfahal_/status/885529073740591104
Hahaha omg BARB from Stranger Things got an Emmy nom. Hollywood is adorable.
— Tissa (@dtissagirl) July 13, 2017
https://twitter.com/pdbutterworth/status/885525985071955971
So, even though Barb won’t be returning for Season 2 of Stranger Things — as far as we know — she truly will live on forever in the hearts and minds of all those fans because of the Emmys, and there’s no better way to achieve #JusticeForBarb.
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