šØ WARNING: THERE ARE HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD FOR “STRANGER THINGS” SEASON 4. šØ
With Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer confirming that there would be multiple deaths in the Season 4 finale, tensions were at an all-time high to see if fan favourites would be left standing by the conclusion of the final episodes.
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In fact, I put off watching Stranger Things Volume 2 for a whole day (a very long period, I know!) because I felt like I wasn’t mentally prepared to say goodbye. But, of course, spoilers exist and I hate them more than anything, so I dove right in and, like everyone else, was put through a rollercoaster of emotions.
With that being said, if you, like me, are still mourning the death of Eddie Munson (played by the marvellous Joseph Quinn), then here’s a tribute to his time on Stranger Things that proves he’s one of the best characters.
1.
First, when Eddie’s introduction to Stranger Things involved him jumping onto the school cafeteria tables to make an important point about stereotyping.
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Basically, Eddie’s saying if you don’t conform to what’s mainstream, you’re seen as an outcast or “freak” ā which is silly considering that what they’re doing (playing a fantasy game) isn’t anything out of the ordinary.Ā
2.
Which, of course, led to one of the most iconic and cosplayed moments of Season 4 ā Eddie’s response to Justin calling him a freak.
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I can confirm that almost every second TikTok recommended to me is someone imitating Eddie’s pose and I’m not mad about it.
3.
When Eddie vowed to prove his friends wrong and finally graduate this year, which makes what happens later all the more heartbreaking.
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Flash forward to Eddie’s death scene and he actually repeated some of what he said here about graduating and it being his year. And you know what, in a way, I like to think that some of what he said was true ā he developed a beautiful bond with Dustin and the other Stranger Things characters, and managed to fight some of his demons along the way. But then again, in my head (and I expect a lot of fan fiction), Eddie never died and did end up graduating (take that, Duffer brothers).Ā
4.
When he instructed Mike and Dustin to find a substitute for their Dungeons & Dragons campaign, which led to this hilarious burn.
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I just love how much the characters roast one another.
5.
When Eddie met Chrissy in the woods and could clearly see she was on edge. So, what did he do? He faked his own death to make her laugh in response to Chrissy not remembering them meeting as kids.
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The Stranger Things writers are so good at dropping hilarious moments to ease the tension when we, the audience, need it most. Also, I adore how Eddie is so much more nuanced than the stereotypical high school rebel, as demonstrated by him thinking Chrissy’s cheerleading is cool. He recognises it as a skill, rather than something to be laughed at because it’s something that the “popular” kids do.
6.
Which leads Chrissy to realise what a good guy Eddie actually is.
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Looks can be deceiving, right? And that goes both ways here.
7.
When the Hellfire club won Eddie’s final Dungeons & Dragons campaign, resulting in him doing this victory pose.
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King of inadvertently doing iconic poses.
8.
When Eddie desperately tried to wake Chrissy up after seeing her in a trance-like state ā which inadvertently became one of the best sounds-turned-alarm to bless TikTok’s platform.
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It’s classic internet humour to turn something that’s dark and serious into the complete opposite ā and that’s exactly what @schmoyohoĀ did when they remixed Eddie’s panicked screams into an alarm sound. Since then, the sound has gone mega viral and now I will never, ever be able to watch this scene again without hearing the remix in my head.
9.
When Dustin’s first reaction after not seeing Eddie for awhile was to hug him.
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The sibling-like bond these two have is so beautiful and wholesome.
10.
And not to be outdone by his younger brother ā I mean, friend ā when Eddie’s immediate response to learning about Vecna’s curse was to check if Dustin was okay.
11.
When Eddie referenced the Lord Of The Rings when debating whether or not the gang should go looking for another gate that leads to the Upside Down.
12.
When he attempted to jump in after Nancy and Robin, who had gone in to save Steve, and ended up just half-falling into the water while muttering.
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It’s the thought that counts.
13.
When Eddie used his knowledge of morse code to transmit an SOS message to Dustin, Erica and Lucas in Hawkins.
14.
When Eddie felt that this pair were getting a little too chummy, so he graciously lent Steve his denim vest.
15.
When Stranger Things paid homage to Halloween villain Mike Meyers in the funniest way possible ā aka getting Eddie to wear Max’s old mask to avoid being spotted.
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PLEASE, HE LOOKS SO FUNNY WEARING IT. Also, if you remember, this is the same mask Max wore in Stranger Things Season 2 Episode 5, when all the characters went trick or treating.
16.
When Eddie’s street-smart knowledge came in handy when he was able to hot-wire the caravan they were stealing.
17.
Which then, of course, led to him reassuring Steve that he could drive the caravan by saying, “Don’t ya, big boy?”
18.
A moment for Steve’s face where he most likely felt an array of different emotions and feelings.
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Steve’s face is a huge mood. If it was me, I would be sweating, panicking and fantasising all in the one go.
19.
When Dustin told a hilariously lame joke to Eddie, resulting in him tackling Dustin and giving him some very sweet, brotherly advice.
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The joke was Eddie being prepared for BAT-tle ā because they’re going to fight bats, ya know? Even though Eddie didn’t quite get the joke, he understood how important it was to tell Dustin to keep telling his lame jokes and being his true, nerdy self.
20.
When Eddie delivered the most metal concert in the history of the Stranger Things universe.
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Bonus fact: He was playing “Master Of Puppets” by Metallica.
21.
When he fought side by side with Dustin against Vecna’s bats and never backed down.
22.
And when he selflessly cut off his only way back home to Hawkins in order to lead away the army of bats and buy the Stranger Things crew more time.
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Dustin screaming “EDDIE!!!!!” was heartbreaking. š
23.
This was because Eddie realised that it was time to face his demons rather than choosing to run away, which is what he did when Chrissy died.
24.
And this is a huge moment for Eddie, especially since just earlier in the episode he had told Steve, “We are not heroes.” But in this instance, Eddie chose to become one and heroically sacrifice himself for the greater good of Hawkins.
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That is, hands down, some of the best character development I’ve seen.
25.
When Eddie, after giving his all to save Hawkins, made sure Dustin knew that he chose to stand and fight, rather than run away.
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Oh no, I can feel myself getting teary just looking at Eddie’s face.
26.
And when he used his final breath to tell Dustin how much he truly treasured him.
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Joseph Quinn and Gaten Matarazzo have such great chemistry and their acting in this scene not only made me cry, but it gave me chills. You could feel how distraught Dustin was at this moment. Also, it was confirmed by the Stranger Things writers that Joseph improvised this line too ā and oh great, I’m sobbing all over again.
27.
And finally, when Dustin made sure that Mr Munson knew that Eddie died a hero.
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I’m still mad that we didn’t get to see Nancy, Robin, Steve and the other Stranger Things characters mourn Eddie. For someone who had such a huge impact, it was a shame that the aftermath of his death was regulated to this scene. In saying that, it was a beautiful one to finish Eddie’s storyline.
A round of applause to the incredible Joseph Quinn who gave Eddie so much heart and soul. His character may be gone, but he’ll never be forgotten by Stranger Things fans.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/ishabassi/stranger-things-best-eddie-munson-moments-season-4