i think something makes sense to me more right now than it has ever before 😆 and i know it's been talked about so many times but it never truly clicked for me until now and i wanna share how it just clicked.
There are the exact same scenes because they function narratively in the exact same way. They're placed within the penultimate episode for the same narrative reason. Not only do they parallel in their content, but they are also intentionally formatted to have the same effect on the story. And apparently, they both got the "half a day" filming schedule which seems to be a very pointed statement. It's obvious that they're both important scenes to their seasons; however, their importance could be for something more than just a big character moment.
I know that I'm late to this! But it wasn't because I ever doubted the fans or anything. And it's not like I didn't believe in the parallels between the two scenes. It's taken me so long because I have a hard time fully trusting the writers' intentions. I hardly ever trust writers, no matter the story, so I felt like I was hanging back on the outskirts of this theory.
But it finally dawned on me tonight that these scenes not only parallel each other thematically but also structurally. Both scenes are emotionally similar; centered on lies, fear and misdirection. However, they also function in the same way within the context of the story on a technical level. They have the same placement within their seasons and the same narrative importance beyond just a character arc. Right now, I'm more confident than I've ever been that we watched the Van Scene again through the Coming Out Scene.
We already believe that in season 4, the Painting Lie was the catalyst for the loss. Will masked his feelings and misdirected Mike which then caused Mike to lie about his own feelings. In the Coming Out Scene, we know that there was something very wrong. Not only was there something off in Will's behavior but he also reduced his love for Mike as just a crush and implied that he had gotten over him. He deflected his feelings for Mike once again and Mike was left confused and misguided. In both instances, Mike was hoping that it was him. In season 4, he hoped that the painting was for him the moment El mentioned it in her letter. Then, he hoped the painting was for him from Will exclusively. In season 5, he hoped that Will's crush had been on him. Every time - in the airport, in the van and in the WSQK - he was left disappointed and confused. Each moment caused him to hesitate, doubt himself and withdraw. These scenes parallel each other emotionally.
Right after Vol. 2, I remember writing a post at like 3AM to basically say, "it's fine! It's clear that Will is lying. Just look at Mike. Watch how he reacts. Look at how the camera lingers on him." My interpretation is a little different now, but I truly think we watched the Van Scene again. Not just for the parallels but also for the narrative purpose. Will's deflection of his own feelings was the exact same. And Mike's reactions were the same too. The same disappointment, and the same confusion. Will's lie engulfed Mike in feelings of self-doubt, so he withdrew. I'm convinced that the writers structured the Coming Out Scene like the Painting Lie for a very specific reason. Again, I never doubted fans. I just couldn't trust the writers enough to believe it was intentional in the way I wanted it to be. But you know me! I had to take a journey about it.
So tonight, I finally realized that these scenes don't just parallel emotionally but also structurally.
The Abyss was clearly a trap, and they lost there. But the Abyss being a trap isn't just like season 2, it's also like season 4. There are a lot of layers to how I reached this conclusion, so I'll do my best to explain what I mean!
Will painted the Abyss on the barn wall after a vision just like he did when he drew the tunnels in season 2. Additionally, his description of the Abyss is almost word for word what he said while he was setting a trap for the Hawkins Lab soldiers. So, the Abyss is clearly a trap.
But season 2 isn't the only time traps are set. Stranger Things loves referencing traps and setting them. I think that El leaving the Nina Project was the Empire Strikes Back style of trap for season 4. El left training before she was ready to face Vecna and she lost. It's inspired by ESB when Luke Skywalker leaves Jedi training to face Darth Vader before he's ready. Luke had been lured into a trap and he lost that fight.
I was a little confused about the function of the ESB trap in the story because the parallels stop after El leaves the Nina Project. Vecna already had his plan, El just intruded on it. When she got there, he was over asking her to join him. He just said, well, you can watch while you're here. But I think the writers have been trying to get us to notice how a trap works within their story. The bait is obvious, but the mechanism that springs the trap is a little more obscure.
The season 2 tunnels trap helped us understand the Abyss trap in season 5. The season 4 mindscape trap contextualized the outcome. We couldn't catch on to any of these without the context of the other. The Abyss trap started off like the tunnels trap and then became the mindscape trap. They lost in season 4, and we believe they also lost in season 5.
So what is the mechanism that springs the trap? I think it's dishonesty. Lies are dangerous in Stranger Things. Dishonesty and hesitation leads to disaster. It took me a while to get there too, but it is a recurring theme in the show! So, in season 4, when Will lied about the painting, Mike lied to El while she was trapped in the pizza dough freezer. Hawkins fell as a result of those lies. In season 5, Will lied about his feelings, and Mike lied to himself. Now they're stuck in whatever hellscape, conformity dreamworld they're in right now. In each case, we can see the trap spring. Dishonesty, hesitation and inaction leads to defeat whereas truth, friendship and love triumph.
I've always been on board with the theories that season 5 is just a loop of previous seasons, but I think this is a huge piece of evidence for that theory and I wanted to share it. There's a pattern here. A trap is set, a lie is told, and then they lose.
And I just think them telling us the filming schedule of the two scenes is also a clue. It was a pretty popular topic of discussion that the Van Scene took half a day of filming to perfect. Why would it take so long? Obviously, the scene is full of dialogue and emotion and would take a massive amount of effort from the cast and crew. But it could also be a big indication of how important it was to season 4. Likewise, the Coming Out Scene took just as long to film, and I feel like they made sure to let us know that for a reason. It was a scene full of dialogue and emotion. It's understandable that it would take a long time to shoot. But maybe there's another clue there.
I think the importance of the Van Scene is made clearer by this too. For years, fans have speculated that the Painting Lie could've been the catalyst for the destruction of Hawkins. Will was dishonest with Mike, so Mike was misguided and lied to El. They still lost despite the big love confession. Love is supposed to save the day in Stranger Things, and it didn't in season 4. And both scenes take place in the penultimate episode right before the downfall. I just think that all of this could be a clue. The scenes may parallel each other structurally as well.
Lastly, Vecna showed Will the Painting Lie again. He knows about that event. He knows what happened afterwards. That bastard. He did it again!
