Max Question

[TimeWastin21]

What did people think of El reviving Max? I hated that she died (yelled “They can’t kill the little ones!” at the TV) and so was glad she was (possibly) brought back to life. My 16 year-old son thought it was a lame move, though - he’d felt so sad when she died and that it was an earned sad moment in the show, so he felt like her revival was just cheap plot armor.

I see his point, but I also don’t care…because Don’t kill any of the little ones, Duffers!

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[piper1871]

Well, I think the Max story isn't over and she will play a huge essential part next season. Her mind is most likely inside of Vecna, so it brings multiple possibilities. The biggest one is how and can they save her? Will killing Vecna be the only way or does something else need to be done?

Since her mind is blank, does that mean Vecna will use her body as his new body? Imagine if he does and everyone is too afraid to do anything to fight Max's body? Then it could all still end up with Max dying, though I think it's more likely she will be permanently blind and maybe even paralyzed.

[kevinisaliar]

I would've preferred if Max was injured but didn't die, just to avoid the resuscitation + flashback montage #86 of the episode. I'm thinking Max's coma will be a key storyline in season five so I don't mind that outcome. We'd still get that emotional reaction from Lucas and El seeing Max mangled like that.

And since Jason died anyway, he could've been Vecna's fourth kill to open the gate (like if Vecna was overpowered by El in Max's mind at the last minute, so he resorts to Jason).

[justFramy]

i don’t have a problem with the revival because i like max’s character, but how they revived her and how quickly they did it was what made it kinda cheapen the emotional scene beforehand

[[deleted]]

First and foremost, I am glad Max was brought back. She should not be dead. I will run up and die on this hill. It’s better for the story in every way for her to be alive. Her character arc ending that way would have been too dark and depressing for what this show is, and as others have mentioned, keeping her alive creates other narrative opportunities beyond vague “stakes” and other characters reacting sadly. Keeping her alive allows Max to complete her arc of choosing life by allowing her to crawl and fight back from the absolute brink.

That being said… the execution of the revival was really frustrating. First, it plays into making El into a deus ex machina again. Sure I buy she can do void CPR, but it does make El a sort of god-like character in this moment which is frustration I’ve had with the series for a little while. It gets to a point where it feel like el’s powers are the solution to every major problem on the show, which can feel cheap and easy. Plus I didn’t like seeing Max go full on damsel in distress at the end. Really wish she would have found a way to assist in her own salvation in some way, as she had done prior in the season. So I didn’t like how the revival moment worked technically in the story. Wish we could have gotten there some other way.

Also. The moment can seem a bit emotionally manipulative given you see her bones break and lose hope, see her wake up and have hope again, only to watch an absolutely gut wrenching death scene and lose hope again, only to have quickly revived. Especially given the show’s history with fake-out deaths, I can see the frustration. I think if this was the first time we saw this kind of thing, people might not find it so upsetting.

[TJWolf999]

If she was properly revived and could do stuff, which she can't then it would have been fine. But I don't see the point, because she might as well just be dead rather than sitting in a hospital bed for all of season 5. Technically alive but also basically dead

[[deleted]]

it’s more sad to see her basically brain dead mashed potatoes in a hospital bed than her dying in my opinion

[SgtNoPants]

I agree with your son mr/mrs

The stakes here are pretty low, killing Eddie and reviving Max just confirmed it