To say that Stranger Things Season 4 was a lot to unpack would be an understatement. For the show’s penultimate season, the Duffer Brothers introduced the character Vecna, a powerful being who opens gates to the Upside Down by murdering troubled teens.

Season 4 was also made more interesting by the new character Eddie Munson, the leader of Hawkin High’s Hellfire Club. He was also the school’s resident weed dealer, and guitarist extraordinaire. Now, be warned that I may be dropping some spoilers about Season 4 so if you haven’t caught up yet, you can come back to this post after you’ve seen its entirety. 🙂

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Eddie is the ultimate ham. He loves shocking people with his heavy metal style and all his bravado which makes him the perfect Dungeon Master on Dungeons & Dragons. He looks fierce but he is actually a softie underneath all the hair, the leather jacket and the weed. He looks out for his juniors and genuinely cares for them. He gives the misfits a home and a safe haven in his club. Plus, he definitely had a crush on Chrissy and they were so cute together. Of course, they don’t get to live happily ever after but still, in all of the moments he refers to the cheerleader, you could feel the hearts in his eyes.

He had the best character development.

While Eddie lorded over the mythical quests of D & D, his reaction was very natural when he witnessed an actual death. I loved that even when he was panicking, he was still very cool and open about things. His survival instinct was strong even though he tended towards flight at the beginning. I loved how his character matured as the episodes wore on, how he shared his wisdom with the party and made an epic decision towards the end that cemented his character as one of the best. I wish we had more of Eddie this season but managing multiple cast members from different battlegrounds really was difficult to balance, all things considered.

He had the best lines and scenes.

For this season, Eddie had most of the best lines, even more than Vecna himself. When he quoted LOTR at Skull Rock and referred to marching to Mordor, he set many nerdy hearts aflutter. When he dedicated his guitar solo to Chrissy, he made the scene as poignant as it was badas*. When he talked to Dustin about leading the Hellfire Club, there was sincerity in his words. When he made an epic final stand against the Demobats, it was glorious.

Joseph Quinn is such an excellent actor

I really must credit Carmen Cuba for nailing every casting choice she makes for the show. Joseph Quinn who only had a bit part in Game of Thrones several years back, was perfect as Eddie. He had the coolness of a hard core rockstar and the goofiness of the Hawkins nerds. He manages to embody these two personas simultaneously and flawlessly which makes him so fun to watch. From beginning to end, Joseph Quinn made Eddie larger than life. I would gladly watch a Hellfire Club spinoff headlined by Joseph Quinn. Take note, Netflix.

PS. Joseph Quinn also played that Metallica guitar solo himself.

Justice for Eddie

After all that Eddie did for Hawkins, he still got the short end of the stick and was designated as the bad guy while that jerk Jason Carver received the glory for his close minded and irrational drivel. It was so unfair. Still, I loved that his uncle never believed for a second that he was guilty of the murders so there is comfort in that. Justice for Eddie is not like the Barb situation where she was missing and martyred. Eddie got flak for something he did not do. I hope that in the next season, showrunners will clear his name. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

All I can say is, Eddie, you rock!