In a crucial moment in the finale of season 4, Dustin and Eddie are tasked with creating a diversion while Nancy, Steve, and Robin go in to kill Vecna in his lair. It's not a terribly impressive task. Any bait will do. This is NPC-level assignment.
After fortifying the trailer, Eddie climbs atop and rips out an epic metal shred session to Metallica's "Master of Puppets."
And it works. The demonbats leave Vecna’s lair and come for blood. He and Dustin are able to make it inside the trailer just in time.
The scene is nuts.
The scene is absurd.
But the scene is frisson on steroids.
When I watched it this past weekend, I was a little embarrassed by how much I enjoyed it, but I was genuinely filled with joy. It was pure. Then it left me thinking:
Where has this energy gone? It is hyper maximal masculine performativity. A mere mortal aspiring to be some kind of Rock God, boldly shredding on his piercing-searching-soaring lead guitar. It is fierce.
And it rocks. As Dustin screams once they make it inside:
"Dude...MOST METAL EVER!!"
But it is no “mere” performativity. Though it begins as a kind of imitative LARP, it actually changes him. The imitated action transforms him. It actually inspires him to greatness.
Eddie, after earlier quipping to Dustin “we are no heroes,” recognizes that they demonbats are going to win.
He knows that he and Dustin will die if he doesn’t do something and that the greater mission will fail. He hears a second call.
Instead of taking the L sitting down, holed up in the rapidly disintegrating safe house, he tricks Dustin into going back out of the Upside Down. Then he bolts out, jumps on the bicycle, and creates a second diversion. “I’m buying more time.”
This diversion kills him. The demonbats get him. But now, the mission has a chance to succeed.
He saves the day by sacrificing himself.
This is an incarnation of heroic, masculine self-sacrifice. Eddie the NPC becomes Eddie the Knight.
Be a knight like Eddie.
Addendum 7/15/2022:
Thanks to my daughter Hannah, I'm reminded that the last words he speaks to his squire Dustin: "‘I didn’t run away this time, right? You’re gonna have to look after those little sheep for me."
Total transformation and transmission.
Awesome.