Sean Astin is perhaps best known for his roles in Lord of the Rings and The Goonies. He was introduced in the American sci-fi horror Stranger Things in season 2 to play the role of Bob Newby, Joyce Byers’s (Winona Ryder) boyfriend. Joyce didn’t have the slightest luck with love or romance. First was her ex-husband who only came to her aid when there was a mention of monetary compensation. Then came Bob, who tragically died saving her life, and now Harper (David Kenneth Harbour), her not-boyfriend who got locked in a Soviet prison after almost dying.
Bob spends most of his time at the Byers’s residence and a local radio shack job. He is innocent and clueless about the strange things happening around him and plays a supportive husband role to Joyce, and a father figure to Joyce’s children Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Will (Noah Schnapp), perhaps why fans loved him. Though taking on a charismatic and winsome role, possibly one that should have been prolonged, Bob Newby is killed off from the series too soon. And while most fans view this as too early, we learned from Stranger Things’ writers’ tweet that Bob was to be killed off even earlier, and his role had, in fact, been extended.
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Bob Almost Died Way Ealier in Season 2
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After Will is rescued from the Upside Down world, he is no longer the same. We see him experiencing horrific flashbacks, which affect him severely. Wanting to help, Bob naively offers Will advice that would eventually lead to the Mind Flayer completely possessing the boy. The stranger Things’ writers reveal that Will was supposed to kill Bob once the Mind Flayer possessed him completely. In fact, during an interview, Shawn Adam Levy, an executive producer of Stranger things, informs collider that the initial script had an evil Will kill Bob in just three episodes. The tragic event was to take place in the car when Bob is driving the boy to school.
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Will Killing Bob Would Have Severely Impacted The Show
In the first and second seasons of Stanger Things, Will doesn’t seem to catch a break. From being imprisoned in the Upside Down World in season 1 to being possessed in season 2, fans can only sympathize with him. If a possessed Will would have killed the fan-favorite Bob, he would most likely have been hated by viewers and probably other characters.
First, Joyce’s grief over her boyfriend’s death would have been much greater had her son committed the tragic deed, possessed or not. Likewise, though Will’s friends would have understood that it was the Mind Flayer’s fault, they would have questioned all his actions and everything that came out of his mouth, especially because of his connection to the Upside Down and Vecna. Bob had also started to grow on Will as a father figure, meaning committing the act would have most likely affected him emotionally and mentally once the Mind Flayer was cast out of him. It would have been up to a grieving Joyce to take care of him.
Secondly, Bob would have been robbed of his heroic arc, and viewers could have potentially demanded justice for Bob and probably disliked the show. We also see Will’s story developing in season 4, becoming Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) adoptive brother and best friend and discovering his sexuality, but his role is somewhat in the background. If a possessed Will killed Bob, we would instead see dramatic and tragic instances, which would have been more focussed on the casts’ collective grief and hidden resentment towards Will.
Why Bob’s Role Had To Come To An End
The Duffer Brothers (Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer), also producers of Stranger Things, extended Bob’s role because he grew on them and viewers. And though they would have liked to keep him longer, his role would have ruined the original narrative. They, therefore, had to think of a way to make his role and death matter, which gave Bob the heroic arc. What better way for Bob to have a memorable death than having him sacrifice himself to the Demodogs to save Joyce, Harper, Will, and Mike (Finn Wolfhard)?
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Let’s Imagine Bob Wasn’t Killed Off
Joyce would probably have lacked the energy to cast the Mind Flayer out of her son. Remember when she turned up the heater knob to burn the Mind flayer out of her son despite him screaming his lungs out? This is what Levy perhaps meant by commenting, “we wanted to keep him alive longer and then use his death as Joyce’s engine. The avenging of that would become Joyce’s engine for the finale.” Additionally, if they succeeded in casting the Mind Flayer out of Will, Bob would have probably convinced Joyce and her boys to move to Maine, and they would have lived happily ever after. Since Joyce and Will play a huge part in the show, moving to Maine would have ruined the narrative.
