seeing ourselves in the characters we love

‼️There is a spoiler in this blog if you are not caught up to season 4 of Stranger Things‼️

Disregarding how the Duffer Brothers seem to take a sick pleasure in creating lovable side characters only to kill them violently on screen because of a number of reasons ranging from cowardice to bad writing–

Let’s start again.

If you watched the finale for the recent season of Stranger Things, then there’s a strong chance you were upset about the death of Eddie Munson (and a number of other things – looking at you, Will). He was not the first side character to die in this show, but the reception was different this time around. Eddie was the best of us, or so fans aptly put it. There were many who saw themselves in Eddie, particularly with his behavior and reaction to judgment from others. Fans saw (or projected) aspects of their identities (or childhood memories/wounds) in Eddie and attached him to their own narratives. Considering that paints his death in a different light.

What does it mean for you to see your favorite character die?

Eddie died for a flimsy reason at best, which sparked anger and heated debate among fans. No one wants characters to die for no rhyme or reason. It’s disrespectful. Makes the journey we had with the character feel pointless. Or like we were robbed.

What does that mean for your story? Your wounds?

For something good to be violently ripped away?

Characters, especially favorites, are often a reflection of what we see and refuse to see in ourselves.

Consider the parallels between you and your favorite character and reflect on how their journey influences your narrative.