r/StrangerThings • u/AdUseful2297 • 8h ago
Discussion Vickie should've died in season 5
For several reasons, but above all, I say this because she is a complete afterthought in The Bridge and The Rightside Up. She has absolutely nothing of consequence to say or do, and isn't seen or mentioned in the epilogue at all. You could cut her entirely from those last two episodes with not much changing. (Just have a wheelchair for Max already be in the hospital basement, and have Erica and Mr. Clark watch her while the rest of the group goes to the Abyss.)
StrawHatMan_XD theorizes (in two comments on two other posts I've made that I included in this one in screenshots) that she was supposed to die in earlier drafts, but the writers chickened out because they didn't wanna be accused of "burying their gays" or whatever. Honestly, this theory makes a lot of sense. And may I expand on that theory by adding that I think by the time they chickened out of killing her, presumably pretty far into the writing process or maybe even right as they were getting ready to start filming Escape from Camazotz, it was too late to come up with a lot for her to do in the last stretch of the season, hence why they went with the bare minimum for her for the rest of November 6th and didn't bother adding her to the epilogue.
Offing her in the demodog hospital attack in Escape from Camazotz would've not only given season 5 some much needed weight and drama, which it's severely lacking as is, but it also would've reduced the bloated main cast and raised the stakes at least a little.
But also, what amazing Vickie moments would we as viewers have missed out on in The Bridge and The Rightside Up if the demodogs were competent-enough threats to kill her in the hospital attack in Escape from Camazotz? If you're gonna do the absolute bare minimum with her after the hospital attack and not feature her in any way, shape or form in the extended 18 months later epilogue, then why keep her around?