This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things 4
Stranger Things fans are realizing that the writing was on the wall for a season 4 character long before his death in the season finale.
Redditor hunimpressed posted a screen capture from Season 4, Episode 2: Vecna’s Curse showing obnoxious jock Jason Carver (Mason Dye) telling a hungover Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), “First hangover feels like you’re going to split in two,” along with the caption, “Caught this on my rewatch. I see what they did there.”
The line is a wonderfully ironic harbinger of the fate that awaits Jason in the Season 4 finale, which sees the show’s secondary antagonist literally split in half when the giant gate to the Upside Down spreads across Hawkins.
Jason was distraught over the death of his girlfriend Chrissy Cunningham (Grace Van Dien), which he wrongly blamed on Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn). He spent much of Season 4 seeking revenge, which ultimately led to his grisly demise after he threatened Lucas with a gun, forcing him to fight for his life.
Some fans were not satisfied with Jason’s death. A Redditor called ArsenalThePhoenix felt let down by how the scene played out.
Other users, like ghostedraddish, found the manner of Jason’s death oddly satisfying.
Another Redditor called DDonnici sympathized with Jason, pointing out that there were significant events in the character’s life that caused him to behave aggressively toward some of his peers.
The mixed reactions to Jason show the nuance of the show’s writing. Some fans are understanding of Jason’s trauma, even if they don’t agree with his behavior. While others felt that Jason’s grim death was justified and even enjoyable.
Stranger Things 4 is currently streaming on Netflix.