Alex

I just want to talk for a minute about how Stranger Things is in one of those traps where the main cast has thick plot armor and there are always multiple people standing around doing nothing because there's so many of them now. It's gotten to the point where they had to introduce two new characters specifically to be killed off to remind everyone that it is, in fact, cosmic horror. And the rabid fan community even balks at those deaths and creates art and ficlets about them surviving.

And maybe that's alright. The writers got everyone to care about these minor characters we don't know very well by hinting that they would have been good friends with our heroes if they'd survived. These monsters kill cool people and not just random middle-aged schlubs, government goons, and school bullies.

To steal a bit from a sad part of Saga:
“I’ve had a lot of relationships in my time, platonic or otherwise, but the ones I think about the most are those that never quite made it to term. The dashing first date who didn’t call you back. The lady on the train you had that amazing conversation with but you never saw again. The cool neighbor kid you met the first time a week before he moved away. I guess I’m just haunted by all that potential energy. One moment, the universe presents you with this amazing opportunity for new possibilities and then...”

PS: I want to use this space to journal some mundane/daily stuff. I hope that doesn't cause anyone to be flooded with spam emails.