Mike's shed speech genuinely soooo much more romantic than it was now because like actually seeing it, that meeting was SO casual and fast it was not dramatic at all or a big deal and Mike was CRYING and shaky breathing thinking about it. Told a full story and everything. For a two-second event.
Great example of POVs. His description of his experience is so deeply emotional, dramatic, full of love. The event was extremely cute and beautiful! It was also two sentences and then it was done.
It was just a funny wakeup call. "Do you wanna be friends?" ":)" is what happened.
And thinking about in the context of how much he loved Will seven years later looked like this.
There's just such a contrast in a way that reminds you. In the same way that the 8mm filter, narration, and music made it as beautiful as Will saw it, it wasn't the event itself that made it beautiful, it was Mike's perception of it. The event itself looks like a normal day.
Just the reminder that all that emotion, all that internal world and reaction to the memory, it was all him. All his inner workings, retrospect, and lens he sees it and Will through. Just how different it looked reminded me just how much of that emotion was all just Mike's feelings for Will at 13, looking back saying "and now look how much I love you, all because I did that".
But at the time he, of course, wasn't feeling that. And seeing that just called out to me how much that speech wasn't a recounting of a memory. It was Mike telling Will how much he loves him now, for that to be the lens through which he sees their first meeting.
The subtextual love story of Mike and Will in Stranger Things is a work of art
'Byler' is much bigger than ships, bigger than fandom; and although many people aren't welcoming of it, I hope more people will join us in seeing its beauty.
You don't even need to ship Mike and Will to enjoy the subtext of their love story. There are people here who don't consider themselves 'Bylers' at all, but they understand the subtext and support it. I do ship them, personally, I think they're adorable and they'd probably be my favourite characters even if the subtext was never a thing at all. But a story is not about ships.
A story is not even about fandom. A story should never, ever revolve around the wants of its fandom. That's why, if I'm really honest, a part of me feels that it shouldn't have been a long-running series, but instead a movie or a book. Something that doesn't create long-standing attachments, something that isn't constrained by fandom.
The biggest problem this subtext has is the expectations of the fandom, which are completely at odds with it. And as much as I admire the Duffers, this is kinda their fault. The way they decided to do things unfortunately created a mess, and no matter what the outcome of the final season, there will be a huge mess for everyone to deal with. As much as we hope to be happy after seeing the final chapters, we can't escape the climate it'll inevitably create - both within the fandom, and outside in the general public. If Byler is endgame, then our joy will be dampened by the cries of others. If it's not... we'll be devastated at the loss and waste, and the position that would put us in against the naysayers. The whole situation is really unfortunate.
'Lol Bylers are delusional and it's your wants that you demand to be canon!' Well that's not quite accurate.
As this fantastic article pointed out, the subtext of Mike and Will, and the subtext of sexuality, LGBTQ issues, and politics, is very real, and for some people, actually very obvious!
A lot of media has subtext, which a lot of us viewers don't pick up on. At least not consciously. The author of the post introduced the idea of subtext with a couple of examples, one of which was the British series Merlin, to the author's great amusement. (And yes, it is amusing because Merlin and Stranger Things have something in common. It's funny and painfully frustrating at the same time... like being a Byler.)
Stranger Things, despite what many people in its fandom seem to believe, is a work of art in subtext. Yes, the commonly accepted canon text also has layers which are artfully crafted. But it's the subtext that truly makes the series great.
For reasons that I will go into in another post, I think it's extremely important that the story comes out of the subtext, and becomes fully revealed on the surface. But let's just suppose, for a moment, that it doesn't; worst case scenario it doesn't get revealed and it's kept hidden away (despite that ultimately being pointless and a waste of time, if I'm honest):
There is no such thing as 'delusion' in subtext.
Nightmare on Elm Street 2 was confirmed to have gay subtext. Yes, a Freddy Krueger film has gay subtext of its protagonist Jesse dealing with his homosexuality - in the 80s.
Quote from Screen Rant:
'Beyond that, the film's release in 1985 was at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the United States, which caused a lot of stigma surrounding gay men and subsequent gay panic was on the rise… Chaskin has since said the subtext was always intentional and he had written the script to comment on the AIDS crisis, gay panic, and the angst young men experience if they struggled with their sexuality.'
Did you know the beloved 80s film Stand By Me, based on the novella by Stephen King (The Body), is actually quite ambiguous? Some people think the friendship between Chris and Gordie reads as queercoded, with some pointing to Chris in particular as giving gay vibes (please read about this, I'm begging; Search this on Google and see what comes up). Despite loving this movie for 20 years, I never saw it until I realised that other people did! Now I have a new perspective on the characters, scenes (one in particular which I never really understood the meaning of, but now have an idea what it could be), and the film is even greater than before. Subtext is fun!
Nightmare on Elm Street 2 confirmed. Stand By Me up to the viewer's interpretation - which, considering so many people have the same interpretation, isn't invalid. Even if some people take offence to the suggestion and try to argue against it as though it affects them personally…
And so it may be in Stranger Things. If hundreds of thousands of viewers see the subtext, write extremely long articles explaining it in depth, create 1-3 hour long videos explaining it visually, and write hundreds of posts about its intricate details and the possibilities of those details, then logic would have it that the subtext is there.
And that subtext doesn't care about fandom. It doesn't care about shipping. It cares only about its message.
And the message is amazing, beautiful, wonderfully told.
Which is why I still struggle to understand why so many people are against this… besides the shipping. Especially people in my own age bracket, my own generation. I understand immaturity, its lack of perspective and its terrible takes, but mature adults mocking 'Byler', calling the interpretation of subtext a 'delusion', is really not a mature take. Dismissing subtext interpretation comes from personal bias against that interpretation (please I'm begging you to read what the Internet has said about Chris and Gordie).
It's so disheartening to see people vocally hating the idea of Mike and Will being a thing. It's a much better story than the alternative that so many people want. Don't get me wrong, Stranger Things is a great show even without this subtext. But in comparison, it's not amazing.
If we look at the subtext, however, Stranger Things is a fantastic series. I don't see why anyone who identifies as a progressive, liberal ally would be against this subtext. It has a great message and it's a message we need in 2025.
Is it really true that it's mostly queer-identifying people on this side of the fandom? I think we are the majority, but that begs the question: Why? Are we the only ones who can possess the sight? Are we the only ones who like it?? Depressing thought.
Maybe people would say they're fine with subtext and fans of the subtext.. as long as it stays subtext and we all shut up about it becoming text. That way, they get what they want, what they expect, and what they're comfortable with/relating to.
Well, if it doesn't become text in season 5, I'll be very disappointed and very confused; Because I don't understand why such a deep LGBTQ message would be kept hidden. Why have it as only coded subtext that mostly members of the LGBTQ community pick up on and talk about? Sure, it's nice, it forms a story that people can relate to, appreciate, and build community around. Subtext is nice. But it doesn't do anything. It doesn't say anything. It has no impact on wider culture and political climate.
I'm sure it's happened many times before. But Stranger Things has laid out such an intricately-woven tapestry, and it clearly has something to say, especially with season 4 and its themes of Satanic Panic (remember we talked about gay panic above), anti-conformity, and its subtle reference to Stonewall. They clearly want to say something, and this isn't even subtext - it's right there!
So despite my fears that they'll leave Mike and Will's love story in the subtext, I'm expecting it to come out.
Stranger Things, say something, speak up, be authentic and be who you really are! I'm counting on you to reveal who you really are, out, and proud!
Okay! So, I was rewatching the pipe burst scene recently and realized something.
We've seen Mike and Will in a very similar situation before; with Unknown Hero Agent Man's death in the back of the van.
I won't show the part of them piling their hands on top of each other while applying pressure to his open wound, but I think we all remember what it looked like.
Of course, one is more gruesome than the other, but these scenes still parallel.
The boys (and Jonathan) are all franticly applying pressure to the wound, even grabbing napkins to help, like Will tried using his jacket, but there's also a resemblance with Mike begging Will to get something to write on and Mike volunteering Will to take off his jacket to stop the leak.
After they fail, and Harmon (unknown hero agent man) dies, what do we see Mike and Will doing?
Burying the body.
And after that? This conversation about being afraid to open up about how you really feel. ("Because, what if they don't like the truth?")
A Season later, (4x05 --> 5x04) it's reversed. Mike is the one to contribute the "Big One" that caused the pipe to burst with his shovel.
Not only that, but this time around, Mike is digging an opening, instead of burying.
I think it's also worth mentioning that Mike is the one to poke his head out of the opening he dug as well. (Making him the first to notice the leak, too.)
Anyways. Unlike the Unknown Hero Agent Man incident, the water completely drenches the both of them as they try and contain the leak the same way they tried to stop the bleeding in the back of the van. (Saying this with the fact that Mike and Will barely got blood on them, apart from their hands , when trying to stop Harmon's bleeding).
Even the dialogue echoes all the "More pressure. Keep putting pressure!" in the van scene.
Does this mean Mike and Will are in a place where they can no longer contain their feelings for each other like they could a season ago? That, for Mike, he's finally met with these feelings face-to-face, and from this point on, won't be able to bury the hole he's just dug (or fix the pipe he's just burst)?
This was, by the way, the moment I was talking about, when Mike momentarily let his guard down. He unconsciously sent a signal that Will received. That's why his mind kicked in and he ended his projection (Tammy).
Will simply realized in that moment that Mike is not heterosexual/normal. He is like "me," so Will.
The romantic music in the background was a perfect fit. By the way, the radio mast could be seen in the background (the signal was received)
it’s so difficult to be a byler fan after season 5 because on the one hand, i have a hard time believing that the very clear queer subtext in mikes character is real because the duffers are fucking homophobic and don’t have the brain cells to actually develop a character as complex as the byler fandom has.
but on the other hand, how can i not believe the queer subtext that is literally right there. there are so many unbelievably obvious signs of closeted internalized homophobia going on in that epilogue that’s it’s actually confusing how the duffers could leave that there without it being intentional. i know it’s not intentional because they’re pricks and dumbasses, but how is it not intentional. how can you be so impossibly straight that you don’t notice what a goldmine of a character you have in front of you, and what a miserable ending you’ve chosen for him.
i feel like i’m doing mental gymnastics every five minutes
A coincidence i find funny about the s5 pipe scene is that "pipe" is a slang word for a bl*wjob in my native language. So when my stupid brain reads "the pipe scene" he's like "oh yeah, the bl*wjob scene 😏" like it's part of the byler subtext and water symbolism 😭
