Keeping apart Mike's emotional repression, Mike is actually genuinely emotionally open with Will.
The cabin scene in S2 exemplifies Mike’s emotional transparency with Will. He speaks unprompted, slowly and steadily, describing his initiation to be friends with him, as “the best thing he’s ever done.” The sincerity of this moment lies in its spontaneity: Mike is not seeking validation or attempting to fulfill a role; he is simply expressing a deeply held truth. Although its end goal was to free Will of the possession, yet at the moment Mike expressed the genuine truth without thinking of anything else. His words flow naturally, grounded in mutual understanding and a shared emotional history. There is no confusion, no hesitation, just raw, unfiltered honesty.
This dichotomy extends beyond isolated scenes and reflects a broader pattern in Mike’s behavior. When tension arises with Will, Mike takes initiative. After their disagreement in S3, he seeks reconciliation immediately, walking to Will’s house in the rain, driven by accountability and care. Notably, he leads Lucas, showing confidence in his decisions and a sense of moral responsibility. With El, however, the dynamic shifts. Following their argument in the same season, Mike is lost. He relies on Lucas for advice, continues to lie, and avoids responsibility. His emotional responses appear scripted and uncertain, lacking the same intuitive grounding present in his interactions with Will.
Similarly, Mike's approach to expressing love to El is far more conflicted. Throughout S4, he engages in several conversations with Will about the topic, yet never articulates his feelings clearly. Instead of arriving at emotional honesty on his own, Mike requires repeated reassurance and guidance. His eventual declaration of love comes only when El’s life is at risk, and even then, it is catalyzed by Will’s emotional support and encouragement. The moment feels reactive, not instinctive, an act of desperation rather than emotional conviction.
He needs to be “clocked” and “told” by several people that he is in love with El, but what about his real feelings? They do not need to be clocked to hold true, to be realised. Because Mike has been dealing with horrors of repressed feelings for a boy long before those feelings were/ will be even named or labelled to him.
