Randall (A.J. Simmons) has been spared from death so many times that the pattern has stopped reading as luck. The cicadas only he can hear, the monsters declining to take him, and the deepening fan theory that he's being prepared as MIY's next vessel make him one of the most-watched characters going into S4E7. Cicadas are a folkloric symbol of rebirth, and From doesn't waste imagery.
After S4E6
The Julie-Randall conversation is the most narratively dense beat of an otherwise quiet episode. That it's Randall delivering the insight, not Jade or Tabitha, is what's making fans treat him as more important than he's been positioned.
What's confirmed in canon
RecurringHears cicada sounds that nobody else seems to hear.
RecurringHas been in mortal danger repeatedly and has been spared every time.
S4Has grown closer to Julie. They now operate as a thinking pair.
S4E6Tells Julie that Township concepts and ideas leak into the real world as stories, and that reverse-engineering those stories inside the Township might make them escape tools.
Where the community lands
Belief 41% and climbing. Two readings: being prepared by MIY as the next vessel, or against MIY as a counter-vessel.
Still open
Q1What are the cicadas?
Q2Why has the show kept him alive?
Q3Is he aware he is being prepared?
Q4Is his closeness to Julie protective or predatory?
Connected entities