This article contains spoilers for vol. 1 of season 4 of Stranger ThingsJoseph Quinn's Stranger Things character Eddie Munson is one of the most interesting parts of season 4, and from his very first scene, the Hawkins High School student is shown to be intelligent, funny, and completely his own person. But after his awesome introduction, Eddie's character isn't used very well, making viewers wish that they could see more of him (or at least see Eddie be part of a more interesting storyline).
After binge-watching the first seven episodes of season 4 of Stranger Things, it's hard not to wish that Eddie Munson's character had been given a bit more attention.
Eddie Munson shows a lot of flair and personality at the beginning of season 4, and then he spends the rest of the episodes hiding and trying not to get caught by the police or killed by Vecna. Instead of allowing more character development for Eddie, it feels like he's simply a plot point and that anyone could have been slotted in here. It's too bad because Eddie seems like such an exciting character and he's so different from anyone who has appeared on the show before. Four seasons in, Stranger Things needs characters who can breathe new life into the series and make it feel fresh and new all the time.
The season 4 premiere "The Hellfire Club" introduces fans to Eddie, who runs the Dungeons & Dragons club at school. Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) idolizes him and has totally embraced his "nerd" personality, feeling like he fits in and has a place at school. Eddie jokes about finally being able to graduate so viewers know that he's older and a bit troubled. Eddie has an interesting plotline with cheerleader and popular girl Chrissy Cunningham (Grace Van Dien) as he sells her drugs. But after Venca, one of the scariest monsters on Stranger Things, kills Chrissy, Eddie becomes suspect number one. Now Eddie is hiding out in the boathouse.
It's a shame that Eddie spends the rest of the season like this. Just like Halloween Kills wasted Laurie Strode by having Jamie Lee Curtis's character recovering in the hospital, Stranger Things makes this mistake with Eddie. He is hilarious, smart, and cool, and yet he doesn't get that much time to shine. Eddie's chats with the younger kids are always funny and special since, like Steve Harrington (Joe Kerry) once upon a time, Eddie isn't so sure that he should be seen with "children." But Eddie grows to care about them just like Steve does.
Eddie does have a wonderful scene with Lucas Sinclair's (Caleb McLaughlin) younger sister Erica (Priah Ferguson), who fills in for Lucas at the Dungeons & Dragons club when he has to play a game. Erica tells him off and lets him know that just because she's young doesn't mean that she's not good at the game and she knows exactly what's going on.
Stranger Things has always treated new characters well, giving them time to settle into the story. Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) quickly becomes part of the friend group and the show doesn't miss a beat in letting her get to know everyone. In one tough to watch scene, the townspeople of Hawkins have gathered together and they feel that they should search for Eddie and punish him, believing that he was the one behind Chrissy's murder. They don't like Eddie because he's a rebel who dresses like a punk, and they feel that he must be a "bad" person. This is a rough point in an otherwise strong Stranger Things season because it feels a bit too obvious and on the nose. Many TV shows and movies have treated rebels and outcasts badly and accused them of crimes, and it would have been more interesting to do something else with Eddie's character.
From the best Stranger Things music to the introduction of monsters and creatures, the show has always done a great job integrating all of the elements that it needs to tell a fantastic story. But Eddie's character development just doesn't happen. Instead of having Eddie hide, he should be part of the action, and perhaps giving him a love interest could have helped give him a more significant role on the show. Since Steve and Dustin have already had a storyline about friends with an age gap, it wouldn't make sense to do that again, so it would work to write a love story for Eddie into the show. It's fascinating watching Eddie and Chrissy hang out since they are part of different social groups, but that is over too quickly since Chrissy dies early on in the season.
Hopefully, when the show returns for its final two episodes of season 4, Eddie will be used a bit more. The character definitely deserves a lot more as he's so compelling.