Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things 5, episode 8
The epilogue speech from Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) is easily one of the best moments of the entire Stranger Things series finale. This is largely because it also served as the perfect tribute to Joseph Quinn’s Eddie Munson.
While Eddie gave his life to save Dustin at the end of Stranger Things season 4, his presence and legacy were still very much felt throughout the show’s final season. As a result, Dustin’s tribute to Eddie couldn’t have been better in the series finale, paying off a brutal detail that was only just revealed in one of Stranger Things’ recent spin-offs.
Dustin Carried Out Eddie’s Plan During Graduation In Stranger Things’ Epilogue
During his graduation valedictorian speech, Dustin shocks the crowd by revealing an Eddie-inspired “Hellfire Lives” shirt beneath his gown. Dustin then ends his speech by fulfilling Eddie’s promise in Stranger Things season 4 about how he was finally going to graduate from Hawkins High:
“I’m gonna look Principal Higgins head in the eye, I’m gonna flip him the bird, I’m gonna snatch that diploma, and I’m gonna run like hell outta here.”
Dustin does all of this in Eddie’s memory, while also sharing a message encouraging his classmates to “screw the school, the system, conformity, as well as everyone and everything that tries to hold them back and tear them apart.” Without a doubt, Eddie Munson would have been very proud of Dustin.
Stranger Things Pays Off A Sad Detail In The Nancy Wheeler Spinoff
Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson making a funny face in Stranger Things
Likewise, Dustin’s tribute becomes even more meaningful in light of a recent Eddie detail from Stranger Things: One Way or Another: A Nancy Wheeler Mystery, a new spin-off novel set between the events of the fourth and fifth seasons.
In the book, it’s confirmed that Eddie Munson was deliberately excluded from Hawkins High’s 1986 graduation ceremony, despite other deceased students being publicly acknowledged, as the town still largely believed Eddie was responsible for Vecna’s murders in Stranger Things season 4.
As a result, Dustin’s graduation speech and its epic ending are even more of a rebellion that some might realize. By honoring Eddie publicly, Dustin corrects a major wrong, refusing to let his friend be erased or go unremembered. Despite being full of great character resolutions, Dustin’s graduation speech is easily one of the best bits of emotional payoff in Stranger Things’ series finale.
All episodes of Stranger Things 5 are now streaming on Netflix.
Release Date
2016 – 2025-00-00
Network
Netflix
Showrunner
Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
