Watch With Me: Stranger Things 4

Warning: Spoilers

Chapter Four: The Body aka Why we love Toothless

Episode 3 was the first that made me want to binge watch, which is odd because it had the clearest resolution of the three so far.

35% watching due to genuine narrative interest, 65% slave to pop culture and the need to feel relevant.

It’s hard to make jokes when the show’s storyline involves a dead child, even if he isn’t 100% dead. He’s a little less dead than someone who is brain dead but not entirely dead. We have to assume he is MOSTLY dead. If Billy Crystal shows up, I know miracles are going to happen.

Cue Theme Music

I knew from the first episode that Dustin, also referred to as Toothless, was probably going to be my favorite character. This episode is a major turning point, and all of our main characters have to catch up fast before the plot can move toward the end of the season.

But instead of discussing the physiology of rising action in a story, I want to talk about Dustin!

Think of your impression of this character. He’s not critical to any of the character plotlines, he is always level-headed (for a 12-year-old), and in his own quirky way he says exactly what the audience at home is thinking. I call him… the accidentally omniscient character.

Let me explain. In the very first episode, right before the three boys find Eleven, he asks the guys, “What if something really bad happened to Will?” As audience members, we already know all the concurrent plotlines. We know something really bad did happen to Will. Dustin was the character who finally said it out loud.

While his thoughts may seem far-fetched or unfounded inside the story, outside the story we realize his flawless child logic is dead on. And for that, Toothless, we thank you.

Episode awards:

1st place: Nancy coming to talk to Jonathan while coffin shopping. No better time or place to have a conversation than while a man shops for his dead brother’s death box. (Death box, new metal/synth band coming soon).

Last place: Will Byer’s stuffed body dolls, on shelves now.