Stranger Things is not an animal-friendly show: Just ask Dustin’s cat. Nor is it particularly kind to the Byers family, which has suffered two seasons’ worth of woe and misfortune: Just ask Bob. And, unsurprisingly, these two things have converged on the oft-forgotten Byers family dog, Chester.
You remember Chester, right? The dog that annoyed David Harbour so much he stormed off the set? Like all difficult actors who aren’t necessary to the plot, it appears Chester got written off the show between seasons, at least according to Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers and discussed Chester’s fate at a panel:
I think he died, didn’t he? He did. I mean, I’m sure, you could tell, I guess. In [Season 3] there’s like a grave for him, that you see.
On the plus side, it’s unlikely that Chester met the fate of almost every other animal we’ve seen on the show, namely getting eaten by a demogorgon, but at the same time, yeesh, give this family a break. Will’s going to need therapy for years for trauma no psychiatric professional is ever going to believe, Jonathan’s probably going to disappear to a CIA black site after his and Nancy’s antics in season two, Joyce was a single mom supporting two kids even before all this unfolded, and now their dog is dead? At this rate, season three will probably start with Joyce getting fired and coming home just in time to watch her house get obliterated by a meteor.
(via Bloody Disgusting)