While Stranger Things season 4 fixed many of the Netflix hit’s oldest problems, the show’s star Maya Hawke is still right about one of the show’s biggest issues heading into season 5. Stranger Things got a lot of things right in season 4, but the show has some issues that even its stars are unable to ignore. During a viral promo for Do Revenge, the movie’s star Maya Hawke took a polygraph test.
When asked whether Eddie Munson should have died in Stranger Things season 4 Hawke admitted that, while she didn’t want Eddie to die, she does think Stranger Things has too many main characters. Eddie’s tragic Stranger Things death wasn’t made any easier by this observation, but Hawke is correct about this problem and how it can influence the franchise. An excess of major characters and an inability to kill them off is one of the biggest problems that Stranger Things faces heading into its fifth and final season. With over a dozen main characters, it is hard to keep track of everyone’s plots on Stranger Things and tough to maintain tension, while the lack of main character deaths limits the show’s stakes.
Why Stranger Things Has Too Many Main Characters
An excess of main characters is not the only issue that Stranger Things needs to fix. For example, Stranger Things season 4’s Satanic Panic subplot was a confusing mess, and the series had no idea what to do with Mike, Jonathan, and Will in season 4. However, both of these problems, and most of the show’s other issues, stem from the many, many main characters of Stranger Things. This became obvious in Stranger Things season 4 when, even though Eddie, Steve, Dustin, Robin, Nancy, Lucas, and Max were all involved in one continually engaging, exciting storyline, this still left Jonathan, Mike, Will, Joyce, Murray, and Hopper stranded in less connected side plots.
While Joyce and Murray spent most of Stranger Things season 4 trying to get to Hopper, Hopper himself spent most of the season alone, and this run-down did not even account for the show’s ostensible main character Eleven. While Stranger Things season 5 is unlikely to repeat season 4’s biggest mistake now that all the show’s main characters are in one place, this issue has already had a serious impact on Eleven’s storyline as she regained her powers under the tutelage of Dr. Brenner and Dr. Owens. Eleven’s quest to get her powers back, like Hopper’s attempts to escape his Russian prison, could have been engaging if Stranger Things season 4 didn’t constantly have to cut to other storylines.
Can Stranger Things Fix Its Main Character Problem?
It will be tricky for Stranger Things season 5 to fix this issue since any character who has survived through to the show’s final outing has a place in the hearts of audiences. Stranger Things season 5 can’t kill off too many characters, or the show will become a depressing, grim slog, but the series also can’t continue to follow over a dozen characters, or the final season will be a cluttered, confusing experience. The best path forward is for Stranger Things to jettison a few characters, like Enzo and Yuri, who have served their purpose, and kill off some supporting stars like Murray to prove that season 5’s stakes are higher than ever.