Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 4, volume 2.
You may not have necessarily perceived him as a useless or cowardly character, but Joseph Quinn thinks his Stranger Things favorite Eddie Munson was always pushing towards that moment of redemption.
The Hawkins latecomer recently discussed Eddie’s journey in a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, noting that his was a pathway from powerlessness to actually doing something worthwhile.
“I think that’s such a big part of Eddie’s story. It’s a redemption tale. I think he’s completely haunted by his inability to do anything to save Chrissy and how powerless he was at that moment. And obviously being blamed for that murder is devastating and then having to go into hiding.
I think he gets a little bored with feeling pathetic and unable to do anything. And then at some point in episode 8, a switch flips, and he decides that he’s going to prove himself. The opportunity then arises, but he has to pay the ultimate price. But he proves to himself that he certainly isn’t a coward.”
Alas, that redemption came at a devastating cost, one that made sure Quinn won’t be returning for the upcoming fifth and final season. Unless, his conspicuous absence in those final moments and Dustin’s recounting of his death has been yet another red herring by the Duffers.
Eddie is actually way more integral to the plot than many fans realize. If it weren’t for him, the original ensemble of characters, including Mike, Dustin, and Lucas, would never have had the intellectual capacity or the fantastical foreknowledge to face the Upside Down in the past three seasons, and the only reason they did was due to Eddie getting them into D&D and the geekdom since they set foot in that school.
Let’s hope that the season four finale won’t be the last of what we see from the eccentric Dungeon Master. Bring him back in flashbacks, we don’t care. As long as we get more of Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson.