NOTES / EPISODE EIGHT.
wearing a watch doesn’t only just provide mike with the time. it’s also something that helps counter his anxiety. counting the seconds hand ticking slowly by. helps control his breathing.
the watch though can provoke his anxiety on occasion following ever being late. having someone be late. which could actively cause him to momentarily self destruct.
some notable signs of mike’s anxiety are : pacing, bouncing his leg, fidgeting fingers, he becomes easily agitated and angered . becomes rather unstable.
mike actively tries cooking. doing chores while he was younger helped provoke him to actively learn skills. cooking being something he’s picked up from mother’s cooking. while he was younger, he’d be in the kitchen helping her prep dinner. mike always strives to expand his knowledge. he enjoys the challenges of adapting / learning new things .. michael wheeler can make a Mean omelette.
the scene of mike kissing jane really does rub me the wrong way. personally, from both standpoints, mostly jane’s : i don’t see her reacting as such a way with mike kissing her. it’s something new, for not only her but mike as well. i don’t like the idea of forcing something like this shipping. i think the duffer brothers put it in their just to enforce. but that being said : MIKE & JANE HAVE A BOND. sure, y’boi’s got hearteyes but i’m not sold on the shipping & i do have a lot of opinions on it. mike is her best friend more than anything. platonic kissing / cuddling / happiness is very much alive : even though he may have his crush. let mike be a child.
MIKE & JANE HAVE A BOND : this is something i’m going to stress over & over, okay. because it’s very important to me & my portrayal of mike. while losing her at the end of 1x08, it’s more than just losing a friend / crush. he lost someone who was there for him. who didn’t question him. who listened to him. someone who UNDERSTOOD him. this is rare for mike.
right off the bat, mike is an observant human being. remembering minuet details about people ( especially ) friends. when jane passes out after rekin’ the bitch that blasted benny : he notices. something is different. something is off. immediately picking up.
mike is fiercely protective over all his friends : but especially will & jane. this, is by no means, saying that mike views them as weaker. views them as any less. he’s just more prone to protecting them. but he would 11/10 die for dustin & lucas. ex : cliff scene :)
at the end of 1x08, mike calls out ‘el’ multiple times before finally calling out ‘eleven’. while panicking over his friends, mike will use their ‘full name’ showing his true distress. it’s just a little thing but that’s when you know he’s serious.
END NOTES : SEASON ONE.
