‘Stranger Things’ wrapped up with its fifth season, but fans are still buzzing about all the loose ends the show left hanging. Sure, the Duffer brothers and the cast have tried to patch things up in interviews and social media posts, but let’s be real — plenty of viewers aren’t buying it. Some characters just disappeared without any good reason. For example, Suzie, the genius who helped Dustin save the day in Season 3? Gone. Argyle, everyone’s favourite laid-back pizza guy with surprisingly good timing? Nowhere to be found.But the biggest question mark: Where was Max’s mom? Max spent almost two years in a coma, and Susan Hargrove, her own mother, didn’t show up once. Not even a shout-out in the dialogue. People were left scratching their heads, wondering how a character so tied to Max’s story could just vanish!

What happened to Max’s mom?

Here’s what actually happened: Jennifer Marshall, who played Susan Hargrove in Seasons 2 and 4, wasn’t asked back for the final season. She opened up about it on Instagram, and honestly, her story hit hard. Jennifer had been fighting cancer before, but by the time Season 5 was filming, she was in remission and ready to work. She was waiting for the call, but it never came. Not only did she miss out on wrapping up her character’s story, but she also lost out on something pretty important — union health insurance, which acting jobs can help secure, especially after a serious illness like hers.Jennifer said she would’ve loved to return, both for the fans and for her own sake. She gets it, though. Actors aren’t promised a spot on the cast, even if their character seems important. Apparently, they even shot a short scene with Susan at some point (maybe during Season 4), but it never made it to air. That just made fans more curious about what the writers were planning for Max’s mom — and why they scrapped it.ID@undefined Caption not available.The show’s creators haven’t really explained why Susan was missing from Max’s big, emotional storyline. So, it comes down to a mix of creative choices and, honestly, a tough break for Jennifer Marshall herself. In the end, Susan’s absence turned into one of the biggest ‘Stranger Things’ mysteries of all — and left a lot of people rooting for the actress behind the character just as much as the character herself.