WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 4, volume 1.

In Vecna’s first Hawkins teenager victim. Chrissy’s death set the stage for the terrifying wrath of Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), who would kill several more teens before the end of Stranger Things season 4, volume 1.

Volume 1 of Stranger Things season 4 only featured four deaths, with the very first being given the most screen time. Episode 1 of Stranger Things season 4 saw the death of cheerleader Chrissy Cunningham due to Vecna’s curse, with the murders of Hawkins High Schoolers Fred Benson (Logan Riley Bruner) and Patrick McKinney (Myles Truitt) following in episodes 2 and 5, respectively. Back in California, Stranger Things’ characters witnessed the death of “Unknown Hero Agent Man,” who was killed by the military while trying to protect Stranger Things' Byers family and Mike (Finn Wolfhard).

Related: Stranger Things' Worst Death Trend Is Finally Broken In Season 4

When Chrissy was first introduced in Stranger Things season 4, it was assumed that she would follow the series’ stereotype of popular teens at Hawkins High. While her boyfriend Jason (Mason Dye) surely fit the mold of an antagonistic jock, cheerleader Chrissy was given far more nuance in just one episode. From her trauma with her mother scrutinizing her weight and a heartwarming drug deal with Eddie “The Freak” Munson (Joseph Quinn), Chrissy was given an unusual amount of story focus and audience investment for a character who would be killed off by the end of the first episode. While her death still remained an important motivation for the basketball team in Stranger Things season 4, her story and impact could have been far greater had the Duffer brothers waited at least one or two more episodes before killing her off.

stranger-things-eddie-chrissy-drug-deal

One of the biggest obstacles for Stranger Things season 4 is its lengthy episodes. Chrissy’s death in episode 1 is meant to be an immediate precursor to Max’s impending fate by episode 4, but it ends up feeling like eons have ed by the time the climactic “Dear Billy” concludes. This certainly lessens the impact of her death, especially since Max was the only returning character to have even a minor interaction with Chrissy before Vecna killed her. Chrissy’s death still should have occurred before “Dear Billy,” but had it come in episode 2 or 3 rather than the premiere, her fate would have been received with far more urgency.

Had Chrissy survived long enough to increase the connection between herself and Stranger Things' Eddie Munson as well as the rest of the characters, her death also would have felt like a far more significant blow to the teens. Take, for instance, Alexei (Alec Utgoff), who only received three episodes’ worth of prominent screentime before he was killed, but had enough of an established dynamic with the other characters that his death became the most heartbreaking of Stranger Things season 3. While Patrick and Fred would also be killed by Vecna’s curse in Stranger Things season 4, vol. 1, Chrissy was the only one who was made multi-dimensional before Vecna killed her, but still didn’t have enough time for the other characters to fully feel the impact of her death.

The Duffer brothers themselves have even itted that they regret killing off Chrissy so quickly. The Stranger Things co-creators revealed that they had already killed the character before shooting the scene with her and Eddie in the woods, which was the moment that truly had viewers rooting for her to survive. After seeing the chemistry between Eddie and Chrissy in this scene, the Duffers were reportedly confronted with a “what have we done” moment, suggesting they also realized that her death could have been far more gut-wrenching had she survived for a little while longer. Chrissy’s death was still necessary for Stranger Things season 4’s terrifying Vecna storyline, but a delay in her death would have made the character’s influence even more effective.

Next: Stranger Things 4 Just Made A Nightmare On Elm Street Remake Harder

Stranger Things season 4, volume 2 releases on July 1 on Netflix.

Want more Stranger Things season 4 articles? Check out our essential content below...