The creators of Stranger Things issued a response to a major criticism they’ve long faced from fans.
Volume One of the fifth and final season of the Netflix show finally dropped in the early hours of this morning (27 November), putting an end to the over three-year long wait for fans.
And surprisingly, it’s not that time in between seasons (which let’s face it, has felt like an age), that’s the big complaint of focus.
Although, a lot of us have had to spend the past few days recapping on just what actually went down in season four and rewatching episodes in preparation for today. But one thing we do know about Stranger Things for sure, is that none of the proper, core Hawkins gang are dead (yet?).
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Obviously, the same can’t be said for Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) as the rocker sacrificed himself in the last finale with the epic guitar and Demo-bats scene.
We didn’t really get much time with that character, the leader of the demonised Hellfire Club, as we essentially said hi and bye to him all within season four.
And while some fans still believe we’re going to see Eddie again, that only really adds to the criticism of the creators Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers.
There is the complaint that the pair consistently hold back from killing off their main characters. Literally since the show began all the way back in 2016, we’ve never had one of the main cast die.
Sure, we’ve been close and there’s been some rather dramatic and tragic deaths. But never of any of the core gang.
Although, Matt and Ross Duffer have since revealed that they have however gotten pretty close – with Max (Sadie Sink) and Hopper (David Harbour).
Hopper and Max on the line
Chief Jim Hopper was apparently the closest to being killed off when season three came to an end, as fans were left wondering just what his future would be. But of course, he showed up in the following season as we learned he was in a Russian labour camp.
“You have those discussions, but I think it was just hard for us to let go of that character,” they admitted to The Independent.
And the same goes for Max, the brothers ended up deciding not to kill her off as it would ‘defeat the purpose of her growth’.
“She goes through all of that to die?” they added. “She finds the light and then… Some of those you talk about and it just feels mean and it goes against what you’ve been trying to say.”
Why they keep them alive
While the Duffer Brothers say they could ‘kill anyone off at any point very easily’, they’ve steered away from shock value.
“It’s more about the repercussions that would have for all of our other characters,” the duo explained.
“We just always want to think ahead and not just do it to shock people or because people have a bloodlust, which they seem to have.”
With Stranger Things being more of a ‘coming-of-age’ show than something like Game of Thrones (where let’s face it, there’s a hell of a lot of deaths), the creators say they’re telling a ‘very different type of story’.
“We just have to make sure that if and when we do it, that it doesn’t alter the tone of the show in a way that we don’t want,” they added.
“We want to make sure that if someone dies like Eddie, who we killed last season, his death resonates throughout the course of season five.”
Stranger Things 5 Volume 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
Topics: Stranger Things, Netflix, TV, TV and Film
Jess Battison