We got the exact perfect amount of Byler in s5 vol 1, and this is why:
Episodes 1-4 set the foundation of Byler for the GA by bringing the ship to the forefront of discussion and making the GA root for Will.
Before watching s5, I watched the Byler lawyer’s video about how Byler can be done in the new season. He made a lot of points, but the big one I want to focus on here is: The writers need to make the audience root for Byler by making them think that shipping and/or noticing Byler is their idea. If the writers succeed in doing this, viewers will feel clever for calling the “plot twist” when in reality, they were given intentional crumbs to make them open to the ship. However, if Byler had been overtly spelled out for them or had explicitly romantic scenes, many of the GA would have thought it was heavy handed and out of left field.
Instead, the writers spent four episodes making us root for Will. We see that he’s smothered by his mother and craving to be useful, he’s selflessly trying to harness the hive mind - despite its dangers - to save Holly, we see his struggles with his own sexuality and that his feelings for Mike are a source of both happiness and pain, and in the end ofc, he accesses incredible power through self-acceptance in order to save Mike, Lucas, and Robin.
After walking side by side with Will these few episodes, and after that epic twist ending, Will’s character and his relationship with Mike is the forefront of discussion. Seriously, who has seen people talk about Mileven? It’s always Byler Byler Byler. Sometimes it’s “I hate Byler,” sometimes it’s “I don’t mind Byler but ita not happening,” sometimes it’s “holy shit I never thought I’d say this but Byler is endgame.” But Mike and Will are what everyone’s talking about.
This, my friends, is INTENTIONAL.
The Duffers needed to bring the ship from the background to the forefront of people’s attention. S4 may have had more Byler moments so far, but that plot wasn’t the focus next to Eleven’s memories arc and the Vecna storyline. This time, Will’s feelings for Mike and how it relates to his struggle to accept himself is brought front and center. It’s unavoidable.
Will fan edits are getting millions of likes. People are saying things like “sorry Steve, but Will’s the hot one now.” Byler posts are getting tens of thousands of likes on Twitter. My GA family have all said some variation of, “I’d love for Will to get Mike because I want him to have everything he wants but I just don’t know if there’ll be enough time.” My brother-in-law’s immediate reaction when Mike looked at Will at the end was, “And Mike instantly dumps Eleven for Will.” None of these folks had clocked Byler at ALL before. But now every single one of them is, at the very least, open to the possibility.
Combine this with the embargo for reporters to share interviews that mention Byler until after vol 1 aired. Why would they do that, when vol 1 didn’t confirm anything? Well, it’s because they wanted to organically build on the Byler discussion that would ensue from the show itself, instead of forcing the conversation by bringing it up outside of the show. And clearly Byler has major importance, otherwise it wouldn’t have been embargoed. Similarly, seasons 3-4 scripts are being released between vol 1 and 2 . Why now? What’s this timing? Again, I personally think it’s because they wanted to add fuel to the Byler discussion before vol 2 comes out.
But they couldn’t make Byler overtly obvious in vol 1. They had to have plausible deniability. Thus, the Tammy parallel. Though it’s easy to interpret this through a Byler lens, it is enough to add doubt to Byler happening that it will increase discussion and engagement between seasons. Every anti is clinging to the Tammy part of the speech to prove Byler won’t be endgame, because if it weren’t there? Everyone and their mother would be able to see that now that Will found love for himself, the next obvious step is for him to actually find love in a relationship.
But they don’t want that. Not yet. They want the discussion so that people will be open to the idea of Byler when they finally make it endgame. And by god, they are actually doing it. And it’s incredible to watch.
jacobvanloon
baratheonpilled
stormborns
tangentwithtanner
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