TV&Movies

I’ve checked and unfortunately the play is still not available to stream. There’s just a “making of” doc on Netflix.

SPOILERS:

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Eddie and Chrissy talking in the woods: My take…

I was watching Instagram stories a little bit ago and saw Joseph Quinn’s IG story. He did another photoshoot; this time for Esquire. He’s blowing up and rightfully so. I’m very happy for him and can’t wait to see more from him in the future. I started reading the intro to the article and remembered Eddie was on screen for 42 minutes in Strangers Things 4. Yes, 42 minutes. Chrissy even less than that. In very little time these two characters made a very big impact on audiences. We connect with them. The roughly 2 minute scene of them talking in the woods, at the lunch table, quickly became one of my favorites scenes not just in this series but in general.

These are two people who display themselves a certain way in front of friends, classmates and family. Eddie bossing around his Hellfire club. Chrissy happy and cheering at the pep rally. But Eddie is called a freak and made fun of for basically being himself and playing a fantasy game. And Chrissy vomiting, having the Vecna flashes of her verbally abusive mother. (Side note: I think she has an eating disorder - not pregnant as some have thought; the weight comments from her mom and the rotten food she sees on the dinner table when Vecna has her and so on). They wear a mask or put on a “brave face” so to speak. Chrissy doesn’t even feel she can tell Jason what’s going on. They are dealing with things that hurt them. So they meet.

Eddie immediately sees she’s nervous and he’s about to leave but she stops him. She asks him “do you ever feel like you’re losing your mind?” And he gives her an honest answer, “um you know just on a daily basis” with a little smile to try to get her to laugh or relax. So many of us feel this way but don’t say it. And so often when we do say we feel like this, people tend to lack compassion or understanding. Eddie however quickly realized Chrissy was very uneasy and worried.

They talk. They connect. They quickly realize the other is not what they seem. Eddie is goofing around, falling off the bench and Chrissy is laughing. She remembers the name of his band, he calls her cheerleading “pretty cool actually.” It’s lovely. The chemistry is undeniable.

I’ve seen comments like “why do people love these characters so much” or “why do people ship them…” And the thing is it can be interrupted as platonic or romantic. But what I see is two people feeling seen for the first time in - most likely ever. To feel that your true self is being seen? That’s a big deal, especially when you feel like an outsider and are being mistreated by others the rest of the time. It’s a big deal and it’s a moment. It’s like both of them were able to take a breath.

What these actors did in the minutes they were on screen is incredible. So yea, Joseph Quinn and Grace Van Dien deserve all the love, all the praise and everything good. I can’t wait to see more from them in future movies/series.

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