The Mi (Mic)
@rgwriter here suggested that the three monsters the Duffers mentioned in the graduation speech may represent our main characters, El, Mike and Will and wrote the Mimic the way it is above which has Mic(Mike). I think it's a very interesting catch. Watch the Duffers' speech here. I will give the specific time below.
The duffers mentioned that the Mimic has a challenge rating of 2 but is one of the deadliest monsters. In the epilogue, Mike was surrounded by 2s....
2 on the dice, 2 in Roman numerals (ll) (this might be a reach) and 2 on his glasses. This could hint that he is in fact, the Mimic. Three 2s (three to be exact). If you find more, please let me know.
His Victims
A DnD monster would have victims from time to time. So who are the victims?..I believe it's Will and El.
35:57 "....you reach out and you reach for the treasure but then it glues itself to you...you can't move and then the treasure chest opens up slashing razor sharp teeth and then it eats you".
This is Mike. El reached out and Mike "glued" himself to her using her to present as straight because he found safety in her being and in her abilities. This is not healthy and it is seen in later seasons. He drained El emotionally and never gave her what she has always wanted. With Will, he kept sending him mixed signals, making Will hopeful only to leave him disappointed.
36:15 "Things that look like things you desperately want...things you're convinced hold the answers..."
El realises that Mike's love isn't what she needs, it's self realisation and independence. In the first picture, El realises that she is not the monster of the story. It's important to note that Mike said the same something similar to what Brenner said to her ...."what did you do?!" when she hit Angela. This is El accepting herself and telling Brenner (let's assume in this case that it's Mike) that he is the monster or rather it's what he has become. The Mimic, the Dungeon Master and just like El and Will, he has to accept himself and become his own hero, Mike the Brave.
P.S this could also mean that Lenora isn't a real place and someone (likely Brenner) is torturing her by making her experience this on purpose.
Will also needs to come into his own as well as a growing teenager and a gay one at that. The Duffers said in a certain interview that this season would be about Will finally accepting himself. He needs to be independent and allowed to make his own choices especially having been doted on by people because of his experiences. Again, I say he is more than his trauma.
I understand and agree that movies and TV shows should not just cap every queer character's story at self acceptance but properly explore further what happens next. However, I believe that self-acceptance is the most important part. That is not evident this season as once more, he has constantly doubted himself, has been incessantly taunted by his abuser, had a very short-lived empowering moment, has only been teased with the possibility of being with Mike, the one he wants and loves only to be met with disappointment and has been used to sustain a failing relationship (Mike and El).
"....but when you reach out for them, they hurt you". Hmmm... "Friends, no thanks....best friends!"
38:00...."Sometimes it's not just reaching for success. Sometimes it's about reaching for someone's love, reaching for someone's approval , for connection and you'd frequently get bitten and every time it happens, it makes you wanna curl up into a ball and cry....."
I will say, watching these scenes again made me realise that Mike was undeniably horrible to Will and El in S3 and 4...oh my god. It's really bad. Obviously, he is not fully aware but wow, I was really sad watching these again. You could tell me he was possessed the whole time and I would believe you (who knows). Where is his redemption arc, Duffers?
"It's conformity, that's what's killing the kids!" Eddie Munson
"...and it makes you want to stop reaching out but here's the thing about the Mimic, it has a challenge rating of 2 out of 30 so it's kind of a wimpy villain but it's still super dangerous not because it's gonna kill you but because it makes you afraid to open the next chest"
".....if you stop opening them (chests) you'll never find out".
Here, they talked about submitting ideas to different studios and how they never gave up trying, ignoring all the times they got rejected. So basically, keep trying and never give up. Keep exploring and try different things. Achieve your goals and fulfil your dreams.
This is for the audience and the characters affected by the Mimic. They need to regain their confidence and attain freedom away from him. They need to stop caring about how Mike feels and start to live for themselves, to stop begging for his attention/love leaving Mike to finally cease his indecisiveness and know and choose who he wants. He needs to stop playing and be honest with both of them....or he'll lose both of them. This is how I reckon the Mimic would be defeated. Yes, this monster can only truly be defeated by Mike the Brave.
I also like how the monsters represent the worst part of ourselves, our conformed personality while the heroes represent the best part of ourselves, our authenticity.
Maybe if El looks elsewhere, she will find someone that is good and right for her. Someone who would give her the love she's always wanted.
For Will, I really think his relationship with Lucas will be one of the catalysts that would make Mike stop being scared and go for it. I'm bringing back the theory that Lucas is bisexual here because I believe that would factor in nicely with this. Their friendship is really underrated so maybe we'll see more of them. I hope so. I also noticed something.....
2 Venkmans.....
Waitt..is that why they have separate interviews with just Caleb and Noah. Rewatching the interviews, yes there are a lot of interviews with just Caleb and Noah and then just Finn and Gaten. There are also interviews with Caleb/MBB in between Noah and Finn and some with Noah and Finn sitting together with the rest of the cast. Is that a part of metagate? This is really interesting!
They need to properly explore and resolve Mike and Will's personal arcs before they get together. Only then will their love confession feel satisfying and final. Love wins...
Thanks for reading. Feel free to share thoughts. Hope this makes sense:)