‘Stranger Things’: Joe Chrest Was Bummed That Karen Almost Cheated on Ted
In Stranger Things, Joe Chrest plays the unwitting husband of Karen Wheeler. Although his character, Ted, is pretty clueless, it would have been rough if Karen Wheeler cheated on him. That nearly happened when she received an invite for “private swim lessons” with Billy Hargrove. Chrest himself was relieved when Karen didn’t go through with the affair in season 3.
Billy invites Karen for ‘private swimming lessons’ in ‘Stranger Things’ Season 3
In Stranger Things Season 3, Billy and Karen Wheeler have a flirty conversation where he invites her for “private swim lessons” later that night. “When we inch toward each other at the pool and things become more intimate, it was a real line to toe because it’s still a family show,” Karen actor Cara Buono told Glamour in 2019.
“Billy and Karen do have great chemistry—this very sexual attraction—so you balance that with the fact that there are other people around, other moms around, Karen’s daughter Holly is in the pool, and there’s an audience watching,” Buono said of the scene in season 3. “That way it’s thrilling to watch, but not uncomfortable.”
Joe Crest was bummed that Karen almost had an affair with Billy
A scene in Stranger Things Season 3 shows Karen preparing for her evening triste with Billy, but something stops her in her tracks. On the way out the door, Karen spots her husband Ted and their daughter Holly asleep in the living room together. In the next episode, it’s clear that she didn’t go through with meeting Billy.
Still, in an interview with Vulture, Joe Chrest agreed that he was bummed that Karen considered cheating on Ted. “It’s funny, because me and the other actors always speculated that Ted was the one having an affair. So it was pretty shocking to see Karen consider that. I think fans were relieved that it didn’t happen,” he stated.
While Chrest agrees that Ted can be a bit clueless, he believes his character tries his best to be a good father. “With that plotline, I was thinking … ‘Well, some people didn’t have the best dad, but they were much better at being a grandfather when they got a second chance,'” he said referring to the youngest Wheeler child, Holly.
“Ted was being a really good father to Holly, the youngest child. He was making pains to try to enjoy the fair in season three, even though all of the rides seemed to not agree with him. And always taking care of her while her mom was out ‘having coffee’ with ‘the girls.'”
Cara Buono asked the Duffer Brothers to make an important change
According to Glamour, Cara Buono had an important suggestion for the scene where Karen decides not to go see Billy. Originally, Karen was supposed to walk downstairs and only see Ted asleep. It was Buono who requested that the Duffer Brothers add Holly to the scene.
“There are few things that really spark a strong feeling for me, but it was important,” Buono told Glamour. “I immediately said to them, ‘You have to put Holly in there.’ If not, it might give her pause. But to see Ted with their daughter, it’s like, ‘That’s my family.'”
“People have family meals there. It’s safe, it’s together, and she realizes she can’t do this to her family. She realizes it’s not about her. She’s the grownup, and she has to make the grownup decision for her and Billy.”
All episodes of Stranger Things are currently streaming on Netflix.
