Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD for Volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 4 on Netflix.
The long-awaited fourth season of Stranger Things has come to an end with the release of Volume 2, with two episodes with a combined runtime of nearly four hours. Despite an elaborate plan to destroy Vecna for good with Eleven piggy-backing her way into Max's mind to try and save the day, the heroes took some big losses by the end of the finale, including the death of Eddie. Actor Joseph Quinn joined the cast for Season 4 and quickly became a fan favorite, and he spoke with CinemaBlend about his character’s tragic death… and why it was weird for him to film it with co-star Gaten Matarazzo.
Eddie died a hero, after he played an epic version of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” in the Upside Down to draw the swarm of Demo-Bats away from the Creel House. Instead of escaping back to his version of Hawkins, he stayed behind to keep working as a diversion, and make sure that they stayed in the Upside Down rather than chase Dustin through the gate. Unfortunately, the Demo-Bats weren’t taken out until after he’d been mortally wounded, and fans had to say goodbye to another character. They apparently should have been worried about Eddie instead of Steve!
And Eddie’s goodbye to Dustin in the Upside Down will go down as one of the tear-jerkers of the fourth season, complete with a repeat of “I think it’s my year” and an “I love you.” CinemaBlend spoke with Joseph Quinn about his work in Season 4, and he shared how the sequence of filming made Eddie’s death scene “weird” for him and Gaten Matarazzo:
It was kind of a weird one. We shot that at the end of a night shoot sequence just before the sun was rising, so we only actually managed to get my coverage. And a month later, we shot Gaten's coverage in the studio. So it was a pretty weird one.
Even though Eddie’s death scene came across as completely cohesive (and heartbreaking) in the finished product of the Season 4 finale, it turns out that Joseph Quinn and Gaten Matarazzo’s performances were filmed weeks apart. With such a climactic scene between these two characters filmed in two different locations and plenty of time between their performances, it’s no wonder that it felt “weird” to film!
Shooting the scene that way technically meant that Quinn could have shot without Matarazzo, and Matarazzo without Quinn, so were they there for each other’s coverage? The actor settled the question:
We're always there for each other.
Is it still heartbreaking that Eddie died at Dustin’s side, when Season 4 spent nine episodes building up their bond and how much they meant to each other? Absolutely, but it’s awfully sweet to hear that the actors were “always there for each other.” If there’s a silver lining to Eddie’s death (other than putting on the most metal concert ever with Metallica in the Upside Down before the Demo-Bats sunk their teeth into him), it’s the showcase of the bond with Dustin.
Joseph Quinn also opened up about working with Gaten Matarazzo on the very heartfelt dynamic between their characters, with a mention of Joe Keery (who plays Steve). He said:
It was such a joy. Myself and Joe Keery are constantly sharing stories about kind of just anything that that guy does, because we're so enamored with him. And not just me and Joe, [but] we're just fortunate enough to have our characters written to kind of have these kind of fraternal dynamics with him. So I think we see him in that light, maybe a little more than others. He's an extraordinarily gifted young man, and he's also just a great person. So I think kind of being able to work with him as much as I did was such a gift.
Unfortunately, Eleven didn’t have a last-minute save for Eddie like she did for Max (and whether Max can truly be brought all the way back remains to be seen), so the Season 4 finale seems likely to be the end of Eddie and Dustin’s bond on Stranger Things. Of course, Season 3 briefly brought back Sean Astin after Bob’s death in Season 2, and Season 4 brought back Dacre Montgomery after Billy’s death in Season 3, so it’s possible that Joseph Quinn could reprise his role for flashbacks or visions. We can always hope!
For now, fans can always revisit Eddie’s life – and death, if they’re ready to rewatch that particular scene – with both volumes of Stranger Things Season 4 streaming with a Netflix subscription now. It was an emotional ride with a lot of tragedy, but fans are taking comfort in one thing, and the nine long episodes provide plenty of material to speculate about over however long the hiatus lasts before the fifth and final season.
Vecna was hurt in the finale, but not defeated, so fans can probably count on seeing more of the big bad (whose look was enough for Millie Bobby Brown to break down in tears) when the show returns. Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more on Stranger Things Season 4, and be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule for some viewing options now that the latest season has come to an end.
