{"id":45511,"date":"2024-02-08T13:09:09","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T12:09:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1988624"},"modified":"2024-02-08T13:34:56","modified_gmt":"2024-02-08T12:34:56","slug":"stranger-things-should-have-killed-off-max-before-season-5","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/stranger-things-should-have-killed-off-max-before-season-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Stranger Things should have killed off Max before season 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s time. <\/p>

By Louise Griffin\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 08 February 2024 at 12:09 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Gaten Matarazzo may have shocked Stranger Things<\/a> fans when he declared that more characters should have been killed off<\/a> in seasons 1 to 4 \u2013 but we all know he\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

The Dustin Henderson actor took to the stage at MegaCon Orlando and, when asked what he\u2019d change about the series, said: \u201cIt might sound messed up, but we should kill more people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis show would be so much better if the stakes were much higher \u2013 like at any moment, any of these kids can kick it. I feel like we\u2019re all too safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Truer words were never spoken, and his point has been proven time and time again. Lest we forget one of the most memorable moments in the show\u2019s history, which came in season 1 \u2013 Barb\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Barb, played by Shannon Purser, quickly became a fan favourite in season 1, only to be brutally and suddenly killed off just a couple of episodes into the show.<\/p>\n

Of course, that death didn\u2019t exactly go down well with everyone \u2013 quite the contrary, it sparked an entire movement, Justice For Barb, which demanded closure for the character.<\/p>\n

But Barb\u2019s death single-handedly introduced us to one of the most important and exciting elements of the show, which seems to have been lost in recent episodes \u2013 no one is safe in Hawkins.<\/p>\n

\"Barb\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Barb in Stranger Things season 1. Netflix, JG<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Of course, the following seasons have still provided us with brutal and emotional deaths<\/a> \u2013 from Bob (Sean Astin) in season 2 to Chrissy (Grace Van Dien) and, perhaps most prominently, Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) in season 4.<\/p>\n

But, as the show continues to reach new heights, the stakes have to rise too, and killing off supporting characters doesn\u2019t quite up the tension as it needs to.<\/p>\n

Basically, it\u2019s about time that one of our heroes was killed off once and for all.<\/p>\n

I might have to preface this with the same disclaimer as Matarazzo \u2013 this is going to sound a bit messed up. But the clear choice here was to kill off Sadie Sink\u2019s Max after her battle with Vecna.<\/p>\n

\"Stranger\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Stranger Things characters gather around Max (Sadie Sink) in hospital.<\/span><\/figcaption> Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2013 I adore Sink, and I think every time we get to see her on screen is a treat. Since she joined the show as Max, she\u2019s given stellar performance after stellar performance, and I think she\u2019s one of the best things to have ever happened to the series.<\/p>\n

In particular, her performance in the now iconic Running Up That Hill<\/a> scene, which not only became one of the most famous in the show\u2019s history, but actually reinvigorated everyone\u2019s love for the Kate Bush song more three decades after its release, will rightfully go down in TV history.<\/p>\n