***SPOILER ALERT: This article contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things 4, so if you aren’t caught up, proceed with caution or turn back now.***
Stranger Things has perfected the art of introducing a new supporting character that wins the hearts of viewers only to brutally slay them, ripping those hearts out of fans’ chests. In Season 4, fans fell in love with Dungeon Master and metal head Eddie Munson, portrayed by Joseph Quinn. After a questionable introduction — he was a drug dealer — fans fell for Eddie after he was wrongly accused of a brutal murder and had to go into hiding. He ultimately played a major role in the confrontation against the Big Bad Vecna. (It drove Metallica’s 36-year-old “Master of Puppets” up the music charts similarly to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” which became ubiquitous.)
Unfortunately, no sooner did Eddie enchant viewers than he was killed off, joining the ranks of Barb (Shannon Purser), Bob (Sean Astin), and Alexei (Alec Utgoff).
The next season of Stranger Things, the fifth, will be the last. Fans can expect some heartbreak, but at the very least, the series won’t revert to this trope of introducing a new fan favorite only to kill them off.
Co-creator Ross Duffer admitted:
“Whenever we introduce a new character, we want to make sure that they’re going to be an integral part of the narrative. But every time we do that, we’re nervous, because you go, ‘We’ve got a great cast of characters here, and actors, and any moment we’re spending with a new character, we’re taking time away from one of the other actors.’ So we’re just very, very careful about who we’re introducing.”
Fellow co-creator Matt Duffer added:
“I just like shaking it up, so we shake it up by changing the plot or adding in a new monster. We’re doing our best to resist [adding new characters] for Season 5. We’re trying not to do that so we can focus on the OG characters, I guess.”
It’s true that since the second season, the show began bringing in newer characters, however, in a lot of cases, those characters wound up playing major roles. In particular, Max (Sadie Sink) is an integral part of the show now, and one could argue that the entire fourth season revolved around her. Robin (Maya Hawke) has also shaped up to be a major addition. Erica (Priya Ferguson), not so much. And the scene with Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo) was pretty forced.
In addition to Vecna and Eddie, Season 4 introduced Jonathan‘s new stoner best friend, Argyle, played by Eduardo Franco. Though Argyle was funny, was he essential? Probably not.
His presence in Season 5 isn’t guaranteed, as he was based out of California, and it seems the focus will shift back to Hawkins. And the “Jonathan as a stoner” storyline was a bit of a drag. It calls to mind the Duffers’ comments about taking time away from the OG characters. Jonathan was one of the most important characters, but in S4, he was degraded to a giggling idiot who was always high.
But it sounds as though things will circle back around, and hopefully, each of the core cast will get a proper sendoff in the final season. What do you hope to see in Stranger Things 5?
