This post contains spoilers for Stranger Things 2. Reading on will reveal plot points about the season.
Truth be told, we knew Bob (Sean Astin) was a goner the second he piped up and volunteered his services as a BASIC software expert while the lab was under siege by demo-dogs in episode 8. Then he left his gun behind. Then he knocked over a broom. Then he spent too much time marveling at Winona Ryder's face, giving a rogue demo-dog just the window of opportunity it needed to plow into this poor, sweet soul. For his sake, we hope heaven has brain teasers, daily screenings of Mr. Mom, and Kenny Rogers on a loop.
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If Stranger Things has taught us anything, it's that nerdy outcasts who are smarter than everyone else come with an expiration date. In season 1, Barb (Shannon Purser) was fatally dispatched to the Upside Down. Likewise, Bob "The Brain" Newby had just enough airtime to charm us with his puzzle-solving abilities and meta Goonies references — don't tell us you missed the former Mikey's "pirate treasure" quip while trying to decode Will's drawings — before he too became a casualty.
It's not just Joyce and the Hawkins branch of Radio Shack who are reeling from the loss. Though Astin told Entertainment Weekly that his character's death was a "satisfying end" given Bob's urge to be Joyce's hero, some fans of the Netflix show aren't having it. As such, they've followed last season's #JusticeForBarb movement with a very similar-sounding #JusticeForBob hashtag.
To quote one heartbroken viewer: "I really feel like not enough people are talking about Bob. Bob, the sweetest most pure person who literally selflessly died to save the ones he loved. HE DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER."
I really feel like not enough people are talking about Bob. Bob, the sweetest most pure person who literally selflessly died to save the ones he loved. HE DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER ??? #JusticeForBob
— Angelica (@astralgirlie) October 29, 2017
Last year we demand Jutice for Barb, this year I demand #JusticeforBob #StrangerThings2
— Ahmad F. Iksan (@AhmadF_Iksan) October 27, 2017
Is it a coincidence that in some accents "Bob" could sound VERY SIMILAR to "Barb"?
— Byron Story (@ByronTheChosen) October 27, 2017
I. Think. Not.. #justiceforbob #justiceforbarb
I can’t believe this, he was a nice loving man who just wanted to make Joyce Jonathan & Will happy ????? #JusticeForBob #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/vDgwAnAgtb
— Weslee? #TeamTrixie (@WSpark98NZ) October 27, 2017
Bob is the new Barb.
— lucas marchesi (@lucasmjmarchesi) October 28, 2017
The Duffer Brothers love to kill lovely characters. #JusticeForBob#StrangersThings2 pic.twitter.com/RIS6AiTVtV
If it's any consolation, Barb did get some teensy-tiny justice (or at least a funeral) thanks to the media story Nancy and Jonathan orchestrated. Maybe season 3 will see the rightful rebranding of the Bob Newby Memorial A.V. Club at Hawkins Middle?
Oh, and if any new characters boasting a big vocabulary and a short name that starts with B should come along next season, try not to get too attached.
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