Stranger Things 4 Needs To Kill Off Cary Elwes Character

Stranger Things 4 Needs To Kill Off Cary Elwes’ Character

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Stranger Things has never used the iconic Cary Elwes to his full potential, but season 4 could provide a suitably dramatic send off for the character.

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Stranger Things 4 Needs To Kill Off Cary Elwes Character

Stranger Things never used cult icon, Cary Elwes, to his full potential, and the timing is now perfect for the show to kill off his under-utilized corrupt mayor character. Fusing sci-fi, horror, and coming of age tropes in a nostalgic mash-up that shouldn’t work but succeeds, Netflix’s mega-hit Stranger Things has proven to be a runaway success for the streaming service ever since its debut in mid-2016.

Stranger Things is currently filming its fourth season despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic altering its shooting schedule, and much of the show’s impressive cast are returning for this upcoming outing. However, despite the series establishing an impressive reputation for using famous faces in unexpected and clever ways, such as Paul Reiser’s minor role in season 2, there is one supporting star who Stranger Things 4 should kill off for the show’s benefit.

Although Cary Elwes was a solid addition to the cast of Stranger Things season 3, the cult actor was given little to do with his character. The Princess Bride star was as charming as ever in his brief role, but unlike fellow 80s icon Sean Astin in season 2, he served little plot purpose and his character was barely fleshed out in his scant screen time. Like 2019’s critically reviled Black Christmas remake, Stranger Things season 3 wasted Elwes’ considerable talent on a forgettable villain, and as such, there are several reasons that the Netflix show needs to retire this minor character in season 4. It’s possible that Stranger Things 4 could turn Elwes’ Mayor into a pivotal player, but the odds aren’t looking great for Hawkins’ corrupt politico and an early exit seems likely to be the best route his character could take going forward.

The Mayor Never Served A Purpose

Stranger Things 4 Needs To Kill Off Cary Elwes Character

As the previously-unseen mayor of Hawkins, Elwes inhabited a thankless villain role with the zeal viewers have come to expect from the screen veteran, but Stranger Things never made much use of the character. Sure, he leased the land that the Starcourt Mall (and its secret subterranean Soviet lab) was built on to Starcourt Industries. But outside of this minor plot contrivance (which is barely relevant to the season’s overarching plot), the show never made much use of the famously charismatic Saw star, and his role mostly consisted of being beaten up by Hopper, Joyce, and a Soviet assassin whenever he would appear onscreen. There are some solid sleazy authority villains dotted throughout Stranger Things’ 3 seasons (the deeply creepy Dr. Brenner being a memorably nasty one), but Elwes’ character was too mean-spirited to act as an effective comic relief and too powerless to be a significant threat, stranding him in a distinctly pointless narrative quagmire.

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His Real-Life Counterpart Is Irrelevant

Stranger Things 4 Needs To Kill Off Cary Elwes Character

Ever the pragmatist, Elwes claimed during an interview promoting Stranger Things season 3 that no specific real-life politician was being parodied by the Russian-indebted, sleazy land-dealing, bombastically patriotic, and not-so-secretly corrupt Hawkins mayor. Without belaboring the point, it is pretty obvious that from his floppy blond toupee to his snide, bullying attitude, Stranger Things was taking a shot at then-US president Donald Trump. It was a timely (if toothless) satirical swipe in mid-2019, but now that Trump’s much-vaunted Russia connections were far from the bombshell commentators expected, the gag is less clever and more outdated. Not only that but by the time season 4 is released, the US president will be Joe Biden and as such Trump will likely be largely irrelevant, so Stranger Things no longer has much use for a parody that the show barely utilized in the first place.

The Russians Aren’t Threatening Villains

Stranger Things 4 Needs To Kill Off Cary Elwes Character

Although their presence is a cute nod to 80s Cold War paranoia, the Russian lab operators of Stranger Things season 3 are easily the least interesting and least threatening villains that the show has ever offered viewers. Despite being the secondary antagonists of season 3 and boasting a T-1000 inspired assassin among their ranks, the Russians of Stranger Things have killed very few characters onscreen, most notably the lovable Alexei—and even he was a defector from their number, meaning they have barely been a threat to the primary cast. They’re not effective villains, particularly when Steve, Dustin, Erica, and Robin could outsmart them while unarmed, and Hopper killed scores of them without breaking a sweat while entering their (not too hard to uncover) underground lair. As such, offing the mayor could establish the Russian contingent as a real threat in Stranger Things season 4 (where they’ll inevitably need to be major players despite their obvious flaws since the very much alive Hopper is still stuck stranded in Siberia).

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Why The Mayor Should (Maybe) Survive

Of course, there is an argument to be made for keeping Elwes’ mayor around. For one thing, Stranger Things has already killed off one 80s icon in heartbreaking fashion (RIP Sean Astin’s short-lived Bob Newby), and actors of Elwes’ caliber aren’t easy to come by. For another, Stranger Things has kept fellow 80s icons Paul Reiser and Matthew Modine on their “not technically dead” back burner for some time now, and Elwes would be an impressive addition to their growing stable of character actors who are always available to drop in and offer a spot of exposition or some quality hamminess. Modine and Reiser are yet to reappear in the series, and with plenty of potential seasons of Stranger Things left to come, the show could benefit from continuing to expand its repertoire of supporting stars.

The most compelling reason to keep Elwes around, though, is illustrated by the performances of his younger co-stars Joe Keery and Dacre Montgomery. Both originally hired to play one-note bullies and minor villains in their respective seasons of Stranger Things, Spree star Keery and Better Watch Out scene-stealer Montgomery each avoided being killed off quickly thanks to the complexity and strength of their respective performances. Keery’s Steve has gone on to become one of Stranger Things’ most enduringly popular characters and is now a firm fan favorite (one whose character evolution Hopper could learn from), while Montogomery’s performance elevated the otherwise-uneven season 3 with his layered, involving portrayal of Billy, the show’s best villain so far. Instead of killing off Elwes after a season in which he was barely used, Stranger Things could potentially pull off the same trick that the series managed with Billy and Steve, fleshing out the one-note villain into a more complex and interesting antagonist and maybe even redeeming him in coming seasons. It’s a much better use of Elwes’ talents, but after the character’s disappointing first appearance, it seems unlikely that the show could pull off this transformation. Still, stranger things have happened.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/stranger-things-4-cary-elwes-mayor-death-explained/

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