I think a good parallel for the narrative development of Mike’s feelings for Will can be understood when comparing it to another (queer) Netflix show. The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself portrays a bisexual main character who actually! has a female and male love interest. He starts with genuine feelings for the girl and then develops feelings for a guy. Granted I haven’t read the books (so take this for what it’s worth) but the way the series illustrates a sorta slow and bodily but also very sweet attraction to Annalise at school who later turns out to be very crucial to his journey toward finding his father and then the genuine sexual tension and intrigue with Gabriel who joins the journey (unwittingly, at that, lol): it reminds me of Will and Mike and particularly Mike because it suggests that a show can still subvert major narrative expectations about love and relationships for main male and female characters in television. We don’t have to ignore genuine and visceral chemistry between two characters just because they’re both boys or girls. We can just run with it. They can still be really fun and fantastical and whimsical and gory shows about superpowers and witches and guess what! The main character is bisexual! Who woulda thunk it! It was so casual and I really appreciate that and wish this as a model for future shows because if Stranger Things leans into the very real and palpable romantic chemistry between Mike and Will I don’t think it will be as jarring or earth-shattering as we might thing for a ‘general audience,’ whatever that means. It can just be because it’s right.
Anyway, I’m rambling. Watch queer television people.
