The Stranger Things season finale was an episode worthy of theatrical applause and standing ovations. It had grit, mettle, ethos, character, and above all, music to execute the temperament of the 80s. Kate Bush and Metallica were definitely for the win when it came to signifying what each of the characters associated with the music genre meant for the plot.
Metallica’s Master of Puppets was a chart-topper when it came out in 1986. Keeping with the series timeline and Eddie Munson’s character, metal was the perfect embellishment to a concert worthy of the grand finale.
Related article: ‘A Bit Supernatural’: Joseph Quinn Teases Eddie’s Comeback in Season 5
The Grand Musical Revival of Stranger Things Season 4
Every lyric of the songs used to keep Vecna out or lure his creatures in had a significance that stretched far beyond the superficial allure of the melody. Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (Deal With God)” basically claims Max’s story in the title itself. Going so far as to imagine the beat and staccato of the song, it becomes inherently clear that with every rasp in the singer’s voice, Max’s tragedy entwines and inches gradually toward the inevitable end.
Eddie Munson’s character, too, was tragically headed like a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter. He was the Caesar of Stranger Things 4 — he came, he saw, he conquered. It was a perfect beginning, middle, and end to his story and if the writers had to bring him in only to kill him off within the same season, at least, Munson went out on a high after his guitar-riffing dimension-ripping metal concert.
Also read: Why Fans Are Head Over Heels For Eddie Munson
Metallica’s Master of Puppets Was The Way To Go
James Hetfield, the frontman of Metallica, talks about how the song is about drug and addiction controlling people — maybe something not quite in tandem with the series but appropriate when talking about how single-mindedly Vecna puppeteers people, riding on their trauma, and how Jason Carver hunts down Eddie like a dog with a bone.
The show’s music supervisor, Nora Felder says,
“It was another one of those ‘it has to be this song,’ moments. This part of the story was anticipated to be a pivotal and especially hair-raising scene in which Eddie heroically stood tall for the fight of his life. I believe the Duffer Brothers felt that playing ‘Master of Puppets’ throughout the extended scene was the clear choice. No other song was discussed further, and we jumped in to clear it straight away.
The Talisman-like qualities of Eddie’s guitar and punk metal music help him reconnect to his closely-guarded traits of love, care, and courage.”
Also read: Stranger Things Had Foreshadowed Eddie Munson’s Fate In A Tiny Yet Mesmerizing Detail
The misunderstanding and betrayal of trust and honor that Eddie suffered throughout the series are despicably transparent and according to Felder, the song perfectly “aligns with Eddie’s seemingly arrogant and edgy in-your-face public persona.”
Stranger Things Season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.
Source: Variety
