I Love Stranger Things

[thewisewill80sbyers]

Will is currently touching Mike's arm at the bar, smiling at him instead of that stupid fake boyfriend, and they just kissed on the lips and smiled at each other knowing that they want to go home early so that they can continue with no interruptions... they don't need to say it, they just know it with one look

[dnlrrr]

The amount of Mike&death visual imagery in s4 actually goes crazy.

He was burned,

cut,

died in a DnD battle,

and shot in the middle of the forehead.

ding dong! 🕰️

[queeleronwheels]

The Audience Was Never Meant to Like Mileven — A Season 3 Analysis

Before we start, I want to clarify the title: this is about how the audience was never meant to like Mike and El as a romantic couple. Their scenes in s1 and s2 were endearing and served to show us that they have an important bond. BUT...some people are just meant to be friends, y'all, and that's okay. And the writers of Stranger Things want you to know that, too. So here we go:

At the beginning of s3, Mike and El's romance is in full swing. They're kissing all the time and they're constantly together. How do we know this? Well, it's not because we get a montage of intimate moments between them. It's because of this guy, who says this about them in the first episode of the season:

Before you come at me, I am fully aware that this is played for laughs, and we're supposed to find Hopper's meltdown funny. Even so, they're planting these ideas in our minds from the first episode which sets the tone for the rest of the season, and even more telling is that they do nothing to convince us he's wrong. If anything, they do the opposite.

For example, in the next episode, we have a shot of El frantically pacing the front porch waiting for Mike to show up. She's not excitedly waiting on the porch swing for him, smiling warmly in anticipation of her lover's arrival. She is visibly distressed:

Why? Because he is two minutes late.

I think it's safe to assume he was supposed to be there at 9:30.

Any way you slice it, that's not normal or healthy. You could argue that they're just newly in love and that's why they're being insane, but Lumax, Jancy, and Jopper—couples we are meant to root for and that are likely endgame—are never portrayed like this. This is unhealthy attachment and obsession, and the audience is clearly meant to see it that way.

Next, we have Mike giggling and whispering in El's ear while Hopper is trying to have a serious conversation with them, which lends credence to Hopper's "he's corrupting her" line (obviously it's not that serious—and more on why this is an annoying line below—but it is meant to show that Hopper is not far from the truth: Mike does not bring out the best behaviour in El—and vice versa—and they're not very likeable together.)

Interlude: Corruption

I also want to bring up another scene where the word "corrupting" is used, and it's this one:

To Mike's credit, he does later tell El when he's apologizing that he actually likes that she and Max are friends now and was just jealous because he wanted El all to himself yikes lol but I'm bringing this up because it serves to parallel Mike with Hopper.

Both Mike and Hopper assume that El is this pure thing that can be "corrupted," which is both misogynistic and infantilizing. Regardless of their intentions, both of them are trying to control her and make decisions for her (the scene above is literally an argument about how El should get to decide her limits, not Mike). And the fact that we have Max, a girl, defending her independence just further emphasizes that El's entire existence has been shaped by men thus far, and Mike is no exception to that.

We see this season what El is like when she is "enlightened" by Max and steps into her own, and she's miles more confident, happy, and self-assured than she is when she's anxiously attached to Mike. So there's another strike against them if you care at all about El's wellbeing. (I won't get into it here, but Mike has been paralleled with Dr. Brenner in the past, and they really double down on that in s4 where they parallel him with both Hopper and Dr. Brenner, conveying to the audience that he acts more like a father figure toward El than a partner.)

Foreshadowing

We then have Hopper's line there's something very wrong with this thing between you and El which, apart from being just plain ominous, is a really interesting choice of words.

If they wanted to convey that Hopper is just being a paranoid overprotective father, they would've framed it that way. They could've made him say something like: “You’re spending entirely too much time with my daughter” “You guys need to take a breather for my sanity” “I don't feel right about this" etc. Instead, they framed it in such a way that it feels like he’s stating a fact ("There is something very wrong..."), and it's not temporary, either. The way he calls it a “thing” further emphasizes the idea that their relationship is not a normal healthy one, but more of an attachment/codependency that shouldn’t even be qualified as a romance.

This line feels very deliberate, and since it's in the first episode, I think it's meant as a direction for the audience for the rest of the season: pay close attention to these two, something isn’t right here. 

It's especially meaningful when you pair it with this scene earlier in the episode:

Dustin is talking about himself and Suzie, of course, but he is seriously beating the dead horse with this comparison—he says it in three different ways (not to mention El is pulled into frame, hanging on to Mike's arm, the moment he introduces the concept with the word "Shakespearean"). Then we have Max's "I got it" reflecting what the audience is thinking at this point (lol) and then they immediately cut to:

I have never seen anything more intentional in my life, like come on. This is a neon sign saying that these two cannot end up together. The reasons for this have yet to be revealed to us explicitly, but they are setting us up so that we won't be disappointed when it happens because 1) we will be so fed up with them lmao and 2) we will know that the relationship is not good for either of them.

Now Let's Question Some Narrative and Directorial Choices!

Maybe you're not convinced at this point, so let me posit this: when Mike and El skip together hand in hand down the hill on this lovely summer's afternoon, don't you think this would have been the perfect moment to cut to a private scene between them? So we can finally see them share a nice, tender moment that gives us a reason to root for them? Absolutely, this would have been the time to do it. But no, we get this instead:

Why are we constantly seeing other characters discussing Mike and El's relationship instead of actually seeing their relationship unfold?

Why is it that the two kiss scenes between them before their breakup don't serve to advance or give us insight into their relationship in any way, but instead serve to introduce and further Hopper's agenda (a character who canonically hates their relationship)?

After that first kiss scene, they even call each other afterwards and all Mike is talking about is how red in the face Hopper was, before this eyebrow-raising exchange: "I wish I was still with you" (strange phrasing for what could have been "I wish we were still together") and "I know, me too" ('I know' can easily be misconstrued as 'I know you do', implying one-sided feelings, and definitely didn't need to be written that way).

Why is it that one of the only halfway cute Mileven scenes this season ("Does your species like M&Ms?") only exists because Lucas made it happen?

Why is it that Mike can only say he loves El when she isn't in the room, in an excessively unromantic and performative setting?

(The family discussion line is hilarious when following this bombshell Mike just dropped. Reminds me of "Will you be like my brother?" and all the more tongue in cheek when you view Mike as a brotherly/fatherly figure in El's life.)

Why are the highs and lows of their relationship portrayed so unemotionally, with cheesy pop ballads playing in the background of their kissing scenes—which are in turn cut up by comically angry Hopper scenes—and the most unserious, tonally cheery breakup I have ever seen?

Why is it that the only other glimpses we get into Mike and El's relationship from their perspective are scenes where they're lying, fighting, or failing to communicate?

-> I'll go ahead and answer this last one: it's because there is no romantic substance to their relationship, so they have nothing else to show us except two incompatible people trying to make it work.

Mileven Jeopardizes Other Relationships

The rain fight scene between Mike and Will highlights a very important point:

Will: You're ruining our party. Mike: That's not true! Will: Really? Where's Dustin right now? Mike: *deafening silence* Will: See? You don't know, and you don't even care, and obviously he doesn't either and I don't blame him! You're destroying everything and for what? So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?

We are meant to sympathize with Will here, and we are shown that he's correct based on Mike's treatment of him and Dustin (honestly the scene before this, when they're making fun of Will's campaign, is brutal to watch. It isn't up for debate that they treat him horribly). Mileven canonically jeopardizes Mike's relationships, and a healthy romantic relationship should not require sacrificing other important people in your life.

Now, you could argue that Lucas also has his head up his ass this season, but it isn't because of Max. It's because of Mike and his relationship drama. Lucas and Max are fine helping Dustin build Cerebro, and they're also not losing their minds when they're apart from each other. That's an important difference being highlighted between Lumax and Mileven, which I think are meant to be foils of one another given they are all at the same stage of puberty, in the same Party, and seemingly at the same stage in their relationships.

But something else that's important about this is we the audience don't want to see the Party fall apart either! We love the Party! And the writers are purposely making it so that a united Party and Mileven are mutually exclusive, which is yet another tool to push us not to root for them. You may think that's a bold statement, but consider this:

They could have written it so that Mike smartens up after this fight and is able to better balance his relationship with El and other people, but that is not what happens. Instead, s4 rolls around and we see that it's gotten even worse—Mike is literally incapable of being civilized with Will in California until El and him are on the rocks again. He has a functional relationship with Dustin and Lucas (arguably for the latter, but only because Lucas has his basketball/popularity baggage) back in Hawkins because El is not around.

I'll let that simmer as I introduce:

Addressing a Counterpoint

I want to make it clear that I'm trying to be objective as possible here, and there are some sweet shots of Mileven in the latter half of s3 that can be used to argue against all of this. Mike is very caring and protective over El while they're dealing with the supernatural plot—he rushes to her aid a lot, checks in, and helps her hobble around on her injured leg. He clearly cares about her a lot, but I'm here to say: these are not explicitly romantic, or even romantically coded, scenes/actions, and they seem to go out of their way to make a point of this. I've run out of image space on this post and this point doesn't really pertain to why we're meant to dislike Mileven, so I may make a separate post and link back here. But in summary:

In the final episodes of s3, when they're in peril, we often see Mike's actions toward El repeated by other characters, especially Max. I find it really interesting that both Max and Mike are helping El get around on her injured leg in the final episode, as if to make it glaringly obvious that the care being shown to her can be read as platonic. Pair that with Mike attacking Billy after he knocks Max—a character Mike consistently butts heads with—unconscious, to remind us that this is how Mike behaves with anyone he remotely cares about (leader Mike rise uppp).

And finally, there are almost always other characters in frame during these sweet Mileven moments (which detracts from the intimacy and any sort of romantic mood) apart from 2 or 3 brief clips, the one below being the longest (and guess what? This one was famously unscripted):

(I'm emphasizing that it was unscripted/undirected because, even though they kept this shot in—because it is a great, dramatic shot—the writers never actively thought about giving Mike and El an intimate moment like this during the heat of battle, because once again, it was never their intention to progress their romance in a positive way.)

So yeah, Mike and El care about each other, undoubtably. Obviously they're going to protect one another during life-or-death moments. But this doesn't cancel out the fact that their romantic relationship is a constant source of negativity for them and other characters throughout the season.

Conclusion

I'm just going to say it outright: Mileven is unlikeable and we are meant to see it that way. They have purposefully shown us the drastic shift from their cute platonic/first crush (however you want to see it) dynamic in s1 and s2 when they weren't actually in a relationship, to their toxic dynamic in s3 when they are in a relationship. This is to say that this pairing does not work romantically.

Why, then, did the writers put them back together after their breakup at the beginning of s3? Because this relationship serves as a driving force for both Mike and El's character arcs. If they had broken up for good in s3, there would be nothing holding El back from "finding herself" in California in s4, and then her arc would be over by the time we get to s5. And Mike needed this:

to further his sexual identity crisis, ultimately leading to his deep denial and posturing in s4, and setting him up for his latent homosexual awakening in s5.

This is a s3 analysis so I won't go too deep into s4, but just to say that all s4 does for this relationship is show us more explicitly the flaws that exist within it. We are no longer just seeing them being annoying through the eyes of other characters, we are now seeing how their lies and miscommunication affect Mike and El themselves. If s3 was designed to get the audience to dislike Mileven, then s4 was designed to show us that Mike and El don't like it anymore, either. Neither of them is having a good time, and it shows.

I am actually begging to engage in respectful conversation with a Mileven shipper about everything outlined here, because to me it's just mind-boggling that people can view this relationship as something positive to root for!!!!! I am dying for Mike and El to end their storylines as the good friends that they are.

[teambyler]

I'm reblogging this excellent post from a couple months ago which breaks down how and why Mileven is not a very appealing ship, and that this is a deliberate choice by the creators!

-teambyler

[puppy-mike]

👀👀👀👀👀

[fleetwood-will]

Exploring Will's Unique Powers and the Reasons Behind Henry's Desire for Them. Season 5 Speculation

I think Henry chose Will because of his trauma, much like he did with the teens in Season 4. More here.

My assumption is that the shot seen in the teaser of Will jumping from one tree to another marks the moment his creative powers were awakened. I suspect he was struck by lightning while in a tree, sending him flying down, similar to the origin stories of various fictional characters, including Lightning Lad.

As he fell, Will likely thought of home and, unintentionally, reshaped the dimension to resemble Hawkins. In Season 5, I imagine this could be shown in a way similar to how Hermione, Harry, and Ron transported themselves from the Ministry of Magic to a forest.

Creation power is considered the opposite of destruction (a power both Henry and El wield), and since Will is portrayed as an incredibly good and compassionate character, his power can be described as a light force.

Unknowingly using dark matter while in a dark dimension allowed him to "build," making him an unaware manipulator of light and dark forces - a combination of creation and destruction, embodying a sort of deity.

Henry recognizes this and desires it for himself. While he has been able to move things with his mind (including shaping particles), creating matter is a different realm of power altogether.

Will successfully hid in the lights by thinking of his friends and singing his favorite song, but eventually, the Demogorgon found him again. I speculate that with the vines, Henry aimed to steal Will's creation power while keeping his body alive for later possession. However, his plans were interrupted, as fire weakened the hive mind, forcing him to retreat.

In Season 2, Henry is strong enough to possess Will, but the power of love, friendship, and Will's self-sacrificial nature breaks the curse. The gate closes again, but the Hive Mind remains vigilant.

In Season 3, I believe Will was immune to the Mind Flayer virus, which is why he wasn't possessed again. UD Billy asks real Billy to build what he sees, creating confusion on both sides - Billy is named William but is not the one the Hive needs.

In Season 4, with El and Will far away, Henry needs to open his own gates. He preys on his victims, feeding off the remnants of their hope, making killing a source of power, and successfully initiates the beginning of his dark plans.

In Season 5, Will, finds himself at his lowest point. He is back in Hawkins, where a gate to hell is open, haunted by nightmares and the terrors of the Upside Down. He believes he has brought this suffering upon his family. Furthermore, he is the town pariah; his queerness is an open secret, and he fears that his family and friends will be disgusted if they learn the truth, especially if his feelings for Mike are exposed. All of this is occurring in Reagan America, during the AIDS crisis, and amid the fear of nuclear war. It may seem there is no hope left, no future for him, but he continues to fight for his loved ones even though he fears they will abandon him.

He also feels guilty for someone on the team getting hurt.

I have a theory that Will's blood could be used to create some kind of cure to help kids who are getting sick due to exposure to the Upside Down / military experiments. He likely grows weaker from this, but believes that his life does not matter.

Throughout these events, many people will try to reach out to him and show that there is still hope. If he helps the kids, comes out to Joyce and Jonathan, gains their support, and befriends Robin while witnessing her romance with Vicky bloom, he may start to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I don't think he is aware of Mike's feelings at this point; there’s a chance they will have their traditional conflict around this time. For Will, it's more about beginning to understand that despite all the darkness, hope exists, and he can find happiness too.

However, his selflessness may peak when he, as I speculated, decides to sacrifice himself - Gandalf-style - transporting himself together with Vecna away from Joyce, Mike, and the kids.

They will battle, and it is likely that Henry will continue to show Will his worst fears. Here, we may see flashbacks involving Mike, Jonathan, and possibly Lonnie. Will’s mind will be tortured further; perhaps Henry will try to sway Will to his side by highlighting their similar backgrounds and explaining how special Will is.

But I believe Will should begin fighting back at this point, confronting himself and possibly an imaginary Lonnie. He needs to assert that he is enough and that he has people who love him no matter what, and that he will protect them.

His light force may manifest here, merging with the dark force of the Upside Down, as he confronts his whole self - both the good and the bad - to consciously use the powers he gained in 1983. He may even access Henry's mind to locate where Max and Holly are.

He will fight, but much like Harry, who died and was resurrected free from Voldemort's influence, or Gandalf, who returned from the dead as a White Wizard, Will is destined to follow a similar path.

Lover's Lake should be significant, so I envision Will somehow ending up going through the gate in the water, weakened after having weakened Vecna and half-dead, only for Mike to find him there. It would be compelling to see a scene where Will emits light deep in the water, reminiscent of Rapunzel's hair in "Tangled," allowing Mike to see him, save him, and bring him back to shore (an act of true love). One can dream.

I think Will will share that Holly is in the church (while Hol(l)y spirit is somewhere in Vecna's mind) and that he knows where Max's mind is located. But that is for another post :)

[pyxellated]

🩸“Now that I’m here, in Hawkins, I can feel him.🩸

I hate when people say “Will is so sensitive, why is he always breaking down”… my brother in Christ, this kid has been hunted, starved, possessed, burned, ignored, etc. for the entire 4ish years of ST’s timeline. 😭 Bro has literal demons in him, leave him alone

[linuchok]

- are you aware that Will wouldn't write about clouds for no reason?? They're as fluffy as Mike's curls. You know that this is a metaphor, right?? Such a obvious metaphor, and also—

- sure grandma, now let's go take some pills

[therainscene]

For a while I've been questioning whether Byler would still work if Will has powers. After all, one of the major issues with Milevn is that Mike feels inferior to his superhero girlfriend -- so if he decides to get with Will in the same season it's revealed that Will is powerful enough to defeat Vecna, would that really be a good ending for Mike?

...As though Mike hasn't already chosen not to get with Will after being impressed by his supernatural abilities lol. That's an important clue.

Now I'm back to thinking that it works better for Byler if Will has powers... but only if they're nothing like El's.

El is a criticism of how male wish fulfillment tropes tend to view women, as @emblazons explains well in this post. Her powers serve as a metaphor for female sexuality: she was raised to obey patriarchal expectations on how and when to use it, and her arc is about learning to reclaim it on her own terms.

Importantly, it takes the form of superpowers to emphasize its appeal to the sort of insecure boys like Mike who idolize the straight heroes in nerdy media and think their own lack of girlfriends is the reason they struggle to feel like Real Men With Real Value.

Will's supernatural goings-on, meanwhile, are the opposite of male wish fulfillment.

There's a reason Will's visit to the Upside Down makes reference to Alien's horrifying male sexual anxiety metaphor--

--and why the S5 teaser threatens a repeat of it.

Will's supernatural abilities can be thought of as a reflection of queer sexuality in the minds of homophobes: he slips into alien dimensions and is violated by the monsters therein; his body reacts unpleasantly when both the Mind Flayer and the boy he likes are close; the Shadow in his head allows him to be puppeteered by a sinister villain who preys on children.

This serves as an unwelcome reminder that social and sexual dominance isn't an inherent feature of being a man, but a privilege that can be violently revoked for failing to perform Real Manhood™️ correctly.

(I've lost count of the number of times I've spotted straight men who were bullied as kids for being too sensitive say they identified with Will... up until they realized he was gay. Then they resented him for being a "stereotype". Way to side with your bullies, dickheads.)

I wouldn't describe Mike as a homophobe -- he stood up to Troy, after all, and he's never been afraid of Will, even at Will's spookiest -- but I would describe him as staring down the barrel of the Nice Boy to Dickhead Man pipeline: he's at risk of turning into the sort of prick who throws women and queers under the bus because he's desperate to pass his worthless nerd ass off as Acceptably Masculine™️.

Mike's arc is about realizing he'll be much happier if he stops simping for society's toxic ideas of how men should behave and starts seeing the heroic value inherent to who he actually is.

And since part of that involves admitting he's in love with the stubbornly authentic boy whose insight and honesty and kindness have always called him to action...

...then I think it will feel more satisfying if Will's powers continue to clash with the patriarchal values that draw Mike towards El and comphet.

That means no macho superhero abilities: just more of the unsettling theme of interdimensional travel, connection to the Mind Flayer, and eldritch knowledge.

Because what Will does have in common with El is that he needs to reclaim his power from the controlling men who forced it onto him in the first place -- "interdimensional travel" is really just the closet, and "connection to the Mind Flayer" is really just lived experience of homophobia and abuse.

These aren't fun things, but they're also not the problem: they're a means of recognizing that his nature is not the problem. Will can't self-actualize without accepting this about himself--

--and Mike, much like the men in the audience who resent seeing themselves reflected in a "stereotypical" gay boy, can't self-actualize without accepting that this lesson applies to him too.

[fleetwood-will]

Will unconsciously shaped the dimension to reflect how it already feels to live in Hawkins

Will may have unconsciously shaped the dimension to reflect his inner self. His fears and shame are projected into a reality built with the dark matter of the Upside Down. Just as Vecna can exploit people's trauma to create visions, I think Will can actually shape the matter rather than merely create illusions.

Essentially, he doesn't just create a dark version of the town; he reflects the truth of what it feels like to live there, taking into account how the town already looks down on him.

[houseofcreel]

“Will can actually shape the matter rather than merely create illusions.”

Wonderfully said!

I’ve only seen The First Shadow once, but I believe there’s specifically a part where Henry tells Patty he can’t “physically” make her dreams of her mom a “reality”, that it’ll always be a dream.

That’s the key difference between the two of them and definitely why Will is considered “the key” by the Mindflayer and by extension Vecna. Will has the power to actually shape matter, to create.

[henrysglock]

Not to keep ragging on Will (because people often tend to claim that me discussing his questionable behavior is me "hating" on him), but while it was incredibly callous and utilitarian of him to suggest sending Mrs. Driscoll back to the source, given that it would have meant certain (unnecessary, premature, possibly even avoidable) death for her—which he, as a flaying victim, should know—isn't it also at least a little suspicious that he suggested that the Hawkins gang follow Mrs. Driscoll to the source/to Brimborn, when that quite literally would have been sending them to their deaths as well? (See: what happened in the cabin and Starcourt, except less prepared) He was, essentially, trying to send them straight into the Mindflayer's lair. Its new hub, even. [Mike voice] It's a trap!

Functionally, it's no different from the whole "somewhere he doesn't want me to see" in ST2 with the soldiers, except this time it's his friends (and the only people putting up a resistance to the Mindflayer, at that point). Will would have walked them right into it, if they'd blindly followed his suggestion. Something something, "Not me. Everyone else"...

I'm not saying Will was trying to kill his friends. Obviously not. But if it's not an aspect of Will possibly still being influenced by the Mindflayer, then it's us being shown Will's impulsiveness, utilitarianism, and naivete re: taking down the Mindflayer (i.e. doing whatever it takes, regardless of or with no thought for the consequences. See also: Will not giving El any guidance or warnings about the Mindflayer before she goes into Billy's mind and his general indifference to her being at risk of overusing her powers/that posing a threat to her safety.)

Good thing they didn't go through with that, I guess.

[mikequeerlersnintendo]

Stranger Things Spinoff Books

hey so, i feel like the spinoff books (specifically the dustin experiment and lucas on the line) aren't talked about enough in the byler community. i know they aren't technically fully canon but they're atleast a secondary type of canon. i'll use this post by @queerxqueen (author of The Dustin Experiment) as an example.

the books are canon unless proven not to be for the most part. i feel that what really does it for me is the fact that the authors of the book have to *adhere to the canon* of the show. i think this means a lot and i'll show you why (also does it not bring you immense joy that a FELLOW BYLER wrote that book):

all of THIS has been reviewed by folks at netflix and writers of the show. this is practically PROVEN to *adhere to the canon*. do you get what im getting at... so although the books are a whole different level of canon from the show.. its not necessarily wrong to take it as an extension of what we already know

meaning i can live happily and believe that mike actually did pry the phone from dustin and hogs it just to talk to his precious bbg william byers (without being a whole fuckload of wrong) :)

[strangertheory]

And to anyone that says "but this detail here isn't consistent with canon" I would tell you: think of canon not as a perfect map of details that stay perfectly consistent, but rather a list of critical details or rules that the creators decided should always be consistent.

Sure, the books and comics and The First Shadow might clearly depart from what you think is canon in a number of little ways, but perhaps what stays consistent is what is most crucial. Or, from another angle, perhaps the lack of consistency reveals a meta layer to the rules of the universe, and maybe there's alternative narratives for a reason.

But it's intentional. They're not being lazy about it.

[jay-mp]

Rough concept art for the ranger and zoomer

[givehimthemedicine]

How will your opinion change if the final series confirms El to be lesbian?

my opinion about El's motives not being romantic? none tbh. even if El and Max were both lesbians, I still wouldn't really want them to be motivated by romantic feelings for each other, or be together in the show's conclusion. a platonic love story between two people who are of compatible sexualities, and aren't already in other relationships (and so have nothing "stopping them"), is also very valuable to me. maybe even moreso.

if they explicitly state that El's motives for Max have been romantic all along? that would suck. it would ruin everything El is supposed to have been learning about love and put her back in the same romance-worshiping dead end trap which the show's themes have been preaching against for years. it being Max instead of Mike doesn't make it any better.

[givehimthemedicine]

Will is the party member of whom I have the least idea what he is to all the other members. Mike, yeah we got it, and Lucas seems to be his best bro. but what is he to Max? El? Dustin?

jumping off my post the other day about how much Dustin has to offer his friends, and how even though he's not El or Max's frenemy, bestie, or romantic interest, I said he's a well defined and highly desired personality within their friend group, not just some misc face filling out the crowd.

which is kinda what Will is, tbh? at least to Max?

he's the even 'safer' friend than Dustin so to speak (in terms of a lack of either hostility or romantic tension) but that's not explored the way it is with Dustin. Will's just not on the radar in a sense. he's missing or out of commission so much of the time, but even when everybody's together and lucid, there's very little interaction.

there's so few Will Max crumbs that there weren't any clips of him to put in her Vecna montage. I can think of 2 or 3 times they even acknowledged each other speaking and I wanna say those were all about the MindFlayer.

this moment keeps me up at night. Will and Max have so much to bond over and yet they're barely anything to each other individually at this point. I'd love to see that explored in 5.

Will and El are so narratively entwined and yet have interacted fairly little, even as brother and sister.

Will and Dustin are core four, and obviously good friends, but what do I know about their friendship individually? I feel like we have some lore tidbits about every other combo. what is Will to Dustin?

what does Will offer the others, aside from Mike and Lucas? I don't mean that in an anti Will way but in an I need to know more about Will way. putting him in a jar and shaking him. What Are You. What defines your presence in the group. What is your role in the friendship ecosystem.

[henrysglock]

Okay, so here's the thing. If, per TFS, Henry can open gates the same way El can (specifically wall gates, too, which are distinctly separate from Vecna gates)...then what was this all about?

Why is Vecna, if he's Henry, seeking a power he's already got?

Now...the Shadow doesn't seem to be able to open gates on its own in TFS or filmed canon, and regardless of which theories you subscribe to, it's hell-bent on getting people to open gates. It just needs someone to open a door.

So when we think back on what that sequence in 4.09 actually showed us:

It's all about opening gates for creatures—and, especially in conjunction with this:

It's about opening gates for the Shadow.

Just needed someone to open the door, did we?

And I know I've mentioned it in passing before, and usually I write it off as having been uninformed because I hadn't finished S4V1 at that point, but I do hold onto the theory that Vecna isn't Henry at all—he's just a flesh vessel—and he was built by the Shadow as a means to open gates and communicate with humans without flaying them.

Looking back, that's the message they were pushing:

Vecna was, allegedly, a newer, better version of the Fleshflayer—one trained based on El.

Like, y'know...

New Coke?

And like, you might go "Yeah. Henry was flayed. He's the vessel. Vecna is Henry"...to which I respond by directing you back to the top of this post.

If Vecna is Henry, then why does he need to learn from El and develop a novel method to open gates? Why does he need to be New Coke? Is he not canned Classic Coke's predecessor, Classic Coke in a glass bottle? [points furiously at “the gunfire shattered the tanks”]

It stands to reason that Vecna's not Henry, then. Not physically, at least.

And, tangentially speaking, it would answer the question of "why does Vecna have specialized holes in his back for those tentacles?" and "where did Vecna's dick go?" and "why does Vecna lowkey have womanly hips?" and "Why is Jamie so tickled by the Vecnussy thing?" The Shadow is sexless. If it created a human form, that form would have a mishmash of every human, creature, or otherwise that's been consumed by it: Males, females, tentacles, and demogorgons. Why would Vecna have a dick? Why wouldn't Vecna have specialized holes? Anyway.

[timblriche-deactivated20260106]

Cinematography analysis: This was NOT Mike's POV looking at the library, it was Jonathan's. What is Mike actually looking at, and what makes this shot different from all the rest?

I've seen a lot of people question this and wonder if Mike is looking at Will, or at the destruction of Hawkins. I'm a film/photography nerd, and I come bearing cinematographic evidence to prove my point of what makes this shot different from all the rest in this sequence!

Remember: the camera also tells a story. And a sequence like this takes a lot of planning, effort, and coordination behind the scenes.

When you break down the sequence, you can actually pinpoint exactly which POV belongs to who, and where they are looking. The cinematography is that particular about the details here. It's seriously so cool!

Note: The purpose of this entire sequence is to show us the characters' reactions to what they are seeing out the window. However, this is distinctly not the case with the Mike/Will shot in particular. It is filmed differently and therefore serves a different purpose. For a follow-up exploring the unique purpose of this shot and possible interpretations with feedback from a film student/cienmatographer, read part 2!

The filming follows a very strict & consistent pattern... however, the Will/Mike shot is the ONLY exception to their rules:

1. Every time we focus on a character, we are also shown a corresponding POV shot of what they're looking at through the window. Elements in the foreground (e.g. window frames, etc) are kept consistent. EXCEPT for the Mike/Will shot! It's the ONLY time we are NOT shown what the character is looking at! 2. All close-up shots were filmed from outside the van, through the windows, with added reflections showing what the character is seeing (either a practical effect, or likely VFX added in post-production). POV shots also show their view through the window. This is cinematic language to signal the characters are looking outside. EXCEPT for the Mike/Will shot! It's the ONLY close-up shot filmed inside the van, NOT through a window! There is no window between Mike and the camera!

What does this cinematic language mean?

It's meant to convey that Mike is not necessarily focused on the destruction of Hawkins outside the windows in this particular shot. Or at least, the purpose of the shot is not to show where the characters are looking, but how they are feeling. My interpretation: Hawkins is devastated, and yet Mike is still thinking about Will.

This is the only time the showrunners intentionally avoid showing what the character was looking at, creating ambiguity to give Mike the benefit of the doubt. The next shot, from Jonathan's POV of the burning library, misleads us into thinking that’s what Mike was watching—but it isn’t!

This misdirect is enough to make the viewer wonder what Mike is looking at and what he and Will are feeling, but not enough to make it glaringly obvious. It leaves the door open to interpretation.

See for yourself!

Establishing shots - Driving into Hawkins

Caveat: these close-ups don't have POV shots, since they showed us a bird's eye view of Hawkins instead.

*Note: All the following shots are shown chronologically! Some POV shots don’t have matching close-ups to avoid repetition, but the character's perspective is still clear.

Neighborhood Evacuations

Jonathan: Close-up (not included) → POV

Will: Close-up → POV (and the infamous Phineas Gage imagery)

Hawkins High School

Mike: Close-up → POV

Unknown location

Two-shot with rack focus and pan from Will to Mike (close-up → POV not included). A rack focus (focal point switching from Will to Mike) is a storytelling device here. Why not just start the shot with both characters in frame and in focus? The purpose is to emotionally link the two and hint at an unspoken dynamic or tension, and/or signal a POV shift from Will to Mike.

But we are not shown what Will or Mike were looking at! This is also the only shot not filmed through a window, so there are no reflections to serve as visual cues to show us the van's location. It could still be by the high school (and Mike's staring ahead at Will just cuz), it could be en route downtown, or it could be downtown approaching the library.

NOTE: The editing is also sneaky! From this point on, the sequence shifts from close-up → POV to POV → close-up. Reversing the sequence of shots was likely intentional with the purpose of allowing Jonathan’s POV to follow Mike’s close-up, therefore misleading the audience (since both he and Mike are looking forward) and subtly covering the absence of a matching Mike POV close-up. But they filmed Jonathan through the front windshield (you can tell by the reflections), or otherwise applied the VFX window or reflections for him, but they did NOT do this for Mike!

Just imagine how much more cramped the camera crew had to be to film Mike from inside the van, OR they had to remove the glass windshield entirely OR if the windows and reflections are VFX, they intentionally didn't add it to this shot. All I'm saying is, this shot took effort and intention!

Downtown Hawkins - Hawkins Library on fire

Jonathan: POV → Close-up. You can see the windshield wipers, dash, hood antenna, and corner of driver's side window frame in his POV shot.

El's POV → El Close-up → pan over to Mike (technically we don't get Mike's POV shot here, but that's just to avoid redundancy since he and El are looking at the same view). More cinematic language: note how the camera pans across the window frame to split up two characters within the same two-shot. This signals emotional separation and distance between El and Mike.

The church

El: POV → Close-up

The church (cont.)

Mike's POV (that looks like El's head's silhoutte) → Mike's Close-up (missing) → back to El's Close-up (zoomed in)

To conclude... the Mike/Will shot was purposefully filmed and edited differently from all the other shots in this sequence. :)

PART 2 Follow-up: feedback from a film student/cinematographer on the unique purpose of the Will/Mike van shot

Post by @timblriche · 1 image

💬 0  🔁 0  ❤️ 0 · Follow-up: feedback from a film student/cinematographer on the unique purpose of the Will/Mike van shot · I showed in my la

[eeriesilkworm]

It's All Relative:

Mike Wheeler’s bedroom isn’t just queer-coded, it’s politically charged in context — thanks to this print.

Alternative title: Triangles, triangles and more fucking triangles.

The more you look, the clearer it becomes that Mike's bedroom is an absolute masterclass in queer-coded set design.

I probably don’t need to address the famous "one way" sign pointing to the closet — that symbolism should be obvious. However, I do want to focus on the print which has been placed (quite intentionally) beneath it:

Relativity (1953) by M. C. Escher

Relativity is one of Escher’s most recognizable works. It’s a lithograph (originally a woodcut) that depicts a labyrinth of staircases inside a world where the normal laws of gravity do not apply. In fact, it appears to have three centres of gravity occupying the same space.

It plays with dimensions, which is fitting for a show like Stranger Things which is about alternate dimensions. The three gravitational forces could even be referencing the three known dimensions within Stranger Things: The Rightside Up, The Upside Down, and the mysterious Dimension X.

But beyond that, this image also speaks to Mike’s character and psyche. Otherwise, it wouldn't be placed inside his bedroom which represents his personality, privacy, and inner world.

The Meaning of Relativity

Relativity is obviously the state of being relative.

To be relative means that something gains its meaning or significance only when compared to, or understood in relation to, something else.

When you focus on a single point of gravity in Escher’s print, the scene appears normal. But when you assess the image as a whole, you notice that something is off. The three centres of gravity are made interesting when we notice them in relation to each other. That's why it's called Relativity.

Basically, we're being told that if we want to better understand Mike Wheeler, we need to look at him relatively.

We need to pay attention to the context and look at the bigger picture.

Well, you don’t have to tell me twice. Let's zoom back out.

In the bigger picture, the blocking has Mike stood between his bed and the closet. Framed above him is the "one way" sign, and the print of Relativity.

This is our point of interest: the spot our eyes are naturally drawn to.

All Signs Point to The Closet

As it turns out, the “one way” sign is highly relevant to this analysis.

That’s because the perceived significance of the "one way" sign is relative.

On its own, a “one way” sign in Mike’s bedroom is just a traffic sign and nothing more. In relation to the closet, however, it transforms into a visual cue for the state of being “in the closet.”

The symbolism of the “one way” sign depends entirely on its relationship to the closet, and Relativity (1953) underscores that fact with humour and cheeky precision.

It's a slapstick fish-to-the-face for anyone still denying the possibility of Mike being queer. It’s as if the set designers are saying, “Look at the sign in relation to the closet. And just to make sure you see it, here’s Escher’s Relativity sitting right between them to give you instruction.”

It's not even hidden in plain sight — it's being pointed to.

And here’s the kicker: the sign, the print, and the closet aren’t just thematically connected — they are spatially triangulated.

Their relativity is both metaphorical and literal!

It's also queer imagery: Special thanks to costume designer Amy Parris for confirming that the creatives behind Stranger Things are well aware of the triangle’s significance in LGBTQ+ history and symbolism. (More on that later).

The Penrose Triangle (Tragedy)

The triangle imagery becomes even more overt: at the centre of Relativity sits an inverted Penrose triangle, also known as the Penrose tribar or impossible triangle.

An impossible shape is a form that can be drawn, but cannot possibly exist in three-dimensional reality — unless it is an optical illusion. Psychologist Lionel Penrose and his mathematician son Roger Penrose popularised the Penrose triangle in the 1950s, describing it as “impossibility in its purest form”.

It's... actually quite tragic, when you think about it.

The impossible triangle suggests that Mike feels trapped in an unsolvable dilemma — caught between two realities (the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional) — with no way to reconcile them.

That’s because Mike is at the centre of a dysfunctional love triangle:

The two-dimensional reality that only exists within his mind: a romantic union with Will Byers. The three-dimensional reality that exists within real life: a romantic relationship with El Hopper.

But remember, the impossible triangle is an optical illusion — it doesn't actually exist.

Like Relativity, when you assess the bigger picture (rather than focusing on a single point) something about this love triangle is… off.

It’s not just impossible; it’s fake.

In Relativity, the three points of gravity hold equal importance. This mirrors the way Mike, Will, and El each contribute equally to sustaining this phony love triangle.

They’re all either hiding something or being dishonest.

Their dysfunction comes to a head in the Rink-O-Mania scenes, where it is most obvious. It's the crux of the blame-game that even fans can’t resist joining: Who’s the real asshole in this love triangle?

Dustin already gave the most succinct answer long ago: they’re all being little assholes.

But that’s the tragedy, isn’t it?

These aren’t bad people — they're timid teenagers. The impossible triangle isn’t a joke at their expense; it’s a reminder that all three are stuck in a structure that can’t hold.

And Mike isn't the perpetrator; he's just at the heart of it.

That’s why Relativity hangs in his room and not El’s or Will’s: the impossible puzzle is his to solve, because he’s the one with the most to lose. Since the problem with this love triangle is fakery, the only real solution is honesty. Relativity foreshadows that Mike will be the one to break the illusion — to reveal the truth.

The Pink Triangle (Triumph)

Of course, the fact that the triangle in Relativity is inverted is also significant. Maybe not in Escher’s original intention, but certainly for the creators of Stranger Things in relation to Mike Wheeler.

See what I did there?

As Amy Parris has noted, the inverted triangle is queer imagery, because it is linked to the pink triangle.

The pink triangle has a horrific origin:

During the Second World War, it was used in Nazi concentration camps to mark gay men and trans women. At the time, the inversion signified “sexual inversion” — an outdated, offensive term once used to pathologise homosexuality.

Much like the word queer which was used as a slur before being reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community, the pink triangle (or inverted triangle), was also reappropriated.

It’s now a symbol of pride, gay liberation, and equality.

This reclamation began in the 1970s, sparked by Holocaust survivor Heinz Heger’s memoir The Men with the Pink Triangle. In The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), Dr. Frank-N-Furter famously wears a pink triangle over his heart.

I used the word triumph in my subheading with intention, because triumph implies victory over persistent struggle and enduring resilience.

After the Holocaust, the queer community faced another devastating battle: the AIDS epidemic.

The conservative Reagan administration was infamously silent during the crisis’s peak years in the 1980s — and Stranger Things is set squarely within this political backdrop. In this era, the pink triangle’s significance re-emerged, taking on new prominence as a symbol of the ACT UP coalition and the fight against AIDS.

Their slogan?

SILENCE = DEATH

Does this slogan remind you of anything from the show? Because it should. Eddie Munson said something strikingly similar in season 4:

"It's forced conforming... that's what's killing the kids!"

Silence = passivity, compliance and conformity.

This wasn’t just an empowering line to capture the spirit of Stranger Things; it was a direct and intentional reference to the fight against AIDS.

And let’s be clear: Eddie Munson is heavily queer-coded. He appears to have used the hanky code, showed a clear attraction to Steve, and was persecuted by his community during a mass hysteria that mirrored the real-life Satanic Panic.

So Mike Wheeler — a teen growing up in a Reagan-voting household, a member of the Hellfire Club, and one of Eddie Munson’s chosen protégés — keeps a symbol of queer resistance and liberation hanging in his bedroom.

He also wears a custom-made shirt with a triangle over his heart.

Is that significant? Is it intentional?

Well, we have to go back to Escher’s Relativity, which reminds us that it’s all relative: The inverted triangle in the print hanging in Mike’s room, and the triangle over his heart, only gain their full meaning when viewed in context: the bigger picture.

And in Stranger Things, a story about freaks and outcasts beating the odds, that bigger picture is the AIDS crisis: it's right there, providing the backdrop — the context.

Pride is a Riot

Queer liberation is not supposed to be polite or palatable: it’s about breaking down barriers, opening doors, making people uncomfortable, and demanding visibility.

One of the most prominent visual motifs included in season 4 of Stranger Things is the Creel mansion door.

A door — something which opens and reveals the truth inside (like a curtain, a gate, or a closet). Notice that doors, curtains, gates and closets all play a recurring role in Stranger Things; this show has an obsession with metaphors about opening barriers and revealling truths.

Now, the set designers haven’t just suggested that Mike is in the closet, they’ve implied it’s a “one way” destination. He can’t leave. It’s the impossible shape. A locked door. But Robin already demonstrated how we can open a locked door and let the light (truth) in.

By smashing it with a brick — a possible reference to the Stonewall riots.

They didn’t need to include this moment. The door didn’t have to be locked, and Robin didn’t have to be the one throwing the brick. Heck, they could have thrown in a little fanservice and had Steve take off his jacket and punch through the glass with his fist.

Like the “one way” sign, the significance of the brick is relative — relative to its wielder:

Robin Buckley, a canon lesbian who is partially closeted and partially out.

Interestingly, when we look back at Mike Wheeler’s room — and specifically his closet — we can see that the set designers placed a mirror inside.

Mirrors show our reflection; they expose truths and confront us with our reality and identity. In this case, the mirror also catches rays of light streaming from Mike’s window, just like the beams that poured in when Robin’s brick smashed through the Creel mansion door. Light is truth, illumination and exposure.

The Matter of Perspective

We can wax poetic about Escher’s Relativity all day, but its core principle is simple; it’s about perspective.

Is Mike Wheeler queer-coded?

Well, it's relative. Whether you read Mike as straight or queer depends on your point of view, and your way of seeing the world: Are you sympathetic to the struggles and experiences of queer people? Are you queer yourself and know that experience intimately? Do you see queerness not as an “inversion” of the norm, but as an equally valid expression?

If the answer to any of these is yes, then you probably interpret Mike as queer due to your perspective.

I don’t at all begrudge those who simply aren’t familiar with queer-coding — but I do detest those who refuse to see it, or see it and choose to deny it.

Because silence is death.

Mike’s sexuality needs to be both recognized and canonized, because overt queer representation matters. It doesn't matter if it makes Them™️ uncomfortable — queer lives matter more than stupid respectability politics.

Stranger Things has already been catering to Them™️ by watering down the narrative: keeping Mike hidden behind the curtain, and in the closet.

I don’t mind because I love a riddle, but we’re heading into the final season now. The endgame.

The curtain has to open. The door needs to be smashed. But will they do it? That likely depends on the perspective of the Stranger Things creators themselves. So, what is their perspective? What is the ethos that drives the show's storytelling?

For the answer, we can turn to David Harbour's SAG Awards speech (edited for brevity):

“This award… is a call to arms from our fellow craftsmen and women to go deeper, and through our art to battle against fear, self-centeredness, and exclusivity… and through our craft to cultivate a more empathetic and understanding society by revealing intimate truths… We 1983 Midwesterners will repel bullies, we will shelter freaks and outcasts... we will get past the lies… And when we are at a loss amidst the hypocrisy and the casual violence of certain individuals and institutions we will… punch some people in the face when they seek to destroy the weak, and the disenfranchised, and the marginalized."

And remember the context: a story set in a conservative Midwestern town in the 1980s, in the shadow of the AIDS crisis and the Satanic Panic, where one of the main characters is a canon gay teen in love with his best friend.

I'd say their perspective is pretty fucking clear. 🔺