Top Boy is back on Netflix for its final season, giving us one final insight into the goings on of the Summerhouse estate. But despite many of our favourite cast members returning, one notable cast member was missing from the fifth and final season, Aaron. So where was he? And why wasn't he in the final season?
In case you needed a reminder Aaron (Hope Ikpoku Jnr) is the older brother of Stef (Araloyin Oshunremi) and younger brother of Jamie (Michael Ward) who was killed by Sully (Kane Robinson) at the end of season four. His death left the two brothers without a parental figure, and meant that for the final season Stefan was living in a care home for the final season.
Netflix
So where was Aaron in all this? Well we got an answer during the first episode of the final season. During the immigration scene in which police officers were trying to take Kieron Walker-Smith (Joshua Blisset) away, Stef is seen talking to Mandy (MC NoLay), Erin's (Savanah Graham) mum, who mentions where Aaron is.
Mandy asks: "How’s Aaron, I heard he was working up in Leeds.” To which Stef replies: "Yeah he’s good, he’s doing marketing." So there we have it Aaron has left Summerhouse behind and headed to Leeds for a new job.
Netflix
It's not 100 per cent clear if the character of Aaron left for the plot or due to Hope Ikpoku Jnr's work outside the show. The actor has two other projects in the work for the year, The Kitchen and Faith, so there's likely a possibility he was unable to appear in the final series.
Or it's possible he wasn't included in the final season to make Stef appear more isolated after Jamie's death. In an interview with Evening Standard Araloyin Oshunremi, who plays Stef, highlights how alone Stef is this season, and that it's the season that turns him into a man.
"My character is physically by himself this season as well," he explained. "The first season to now, we see Stef become a man. We see him mature quite a lot and have to make decisions, but have to actually think about the decisions before he makes [them].”
Regardless of why Aaron is no longer in the season, one thing is for sure, without either of his brothers or parents, Stef is more alone than ever this season.
Top Boy is available on Netflix now
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Lydia VennSenior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer
Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK’s Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from , to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating , covering exciting new releases and sharing the latest must-haves. In her role she’s interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of . After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into journalism, writing for the , before working as Features Editor at , where she spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on .
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