#hayes analyses

[hayesdraws]

Okay, for you all, I'm going to go back through and explain why every mike/Will scene in vol 2 leads to endgame, but that can start tomorrow.

For right now, I'm going to tackle the coming out scene and specifically Mike's reaction.

It starts off strong. No one really knows where Will's going w this, and he's talking about them all being friends, and playing d&d (Mike smiles) and it's sweet. Mike's warmed by Will. Obviously.

and then Will says the thing. "I don't like girls." And, while the rest of his friends are in the shot right after, Mike is the one we're obviously supposed to be looking at. He gets serious. Sits up straight.

It's the focus, bc Lucas and Dustin are almost stone still. But Mike is physically affected.

only After the line, when Will goes to elaborate, does it show Lucas and Dustin's reactions.

"I mean I do. Just... not like you guys." and ohhhh suddenly D+L understand. Suddenly they get it, and they sit up too.

And Then. Will makes direct eye contact and talks about his "crush". And Mike....

He perks up, just slightly- the tick of an eyebrow.

He glances down, quickly, and looks back up.

His face is twitching, unable to hold still.

Will then starts talking about the fear of losing loved ones- of drifting apart, and That being why he didn't come out: because he was scared.

And as he's saying this, we cut to Mike. Mike, who is no longer in a frame of three- him, Lucas, and Dustin. No, this is a close up, and he's almost completely alone in the frame, and he swallows. He's still; frozen.

After, it takes Three people hugging Will before Mike can join. Usually he'd be there, right after Jonathan, but he hesitates. He hesitates. He waits.

And he's the first to move to pull away from the hug.

Finally, this↑.

"I need to show him I'm not afraid anymore." And it cuts to Mike. Who nods, determined.

All of this points to Mike having something- a secret of his own. Something he's afraid of and that Vecna can use against him- something relating close enough to Will's speech that had him nodding along and seeming more affected and moved by his words by the second.

I think this scene was done perfectly. Coming out is scary, but a little less so when you've already had three people cheering you on (Joyce, Jon, Robin) and offering unwavering love/support about your queerness.

Because of this, and his bravery and strength, Will now has this extra layer of protection when they face off against Vecna. He knows how his friends and family feel about him, and his secret. It can't be used against him ever again.

I mean, literally none of his queerness can. He literally just looked Mike in the eyes and told him he was his crush.

Mike, though, he's not safe.

He, before this day, wasn't even aware he knew other queer people. He's always felt completely and utterly alone in this, and we've seen how societal norms and pressure from others affect his life and decisions. He is afraid.

He is so, so scared.

But he just saw Will come out, and saw everyone's reactions (Except Nancy's... and the rest of his family's), and he's seeing that it can actually be brave and beautiful to accept yourself.

Will is now the one helping Mike to feel like not a mistake.

We still have the finale, and I think this scene alone built up to a lot.

Just because Will has all the answers about himself does Not mean he has all the answers regarding his love life (Mike's not Will's Tammy- and that line did Not mean what y'all interpreted it as, and that's okay).

Mike also now not only knows that Will is a safe person to talk to, but that Will Has (Had. He said "Had" and I'm wondering if that will come up at all) A Crush On Him. THE BOY HE LOVES HAS LOVED HIM BACK.

So, we still have the finale. We still have that monologue Finn teased, and the emotional acting Finn's supposed to deliver, and I know we're going to see it all.

He's, in these last seven episodes, been building up a lot of fear, and anger, and pain, and he doesn't have an outlet. And he just has his biggest insecurities/fears thrown at him by the love of his life in a very emotional, beautiful way. He's a ticking time bomb and that was the fuse.

So, get your butts out of the trenches of despair, rewatch volume 2, and pay attention to Mike.

Watch him put his hand on Will's arm, and watch how he talks to Jane, and notoce that Will is the center of almost ever conversation Mike has, and see how we've gotten even less of his storyline than even volume 1, and understand that the epilogue will be big.

(I think we live in our heads a little bit, about Byler and this show. We love the plot and all the characters, but we have so many wants and expectations regarding Byler that we forget that this is a show with a giant cast and a giant plot, and that while Byler may be a center, endgame ship, they're not going to have all the screentime. They never have.

And s5 takes place in only a few days, so there's not really time to show the ships having moments- especially ships that aren't canon yet and are slowburn and it's supposed to be a surprise that Mike likes Will back *(bc it is. Will just admitted that he "knows" Mike's not like him. We're not supposed to know that he Is like him, actually.)*

So, while we want Byler to be the main plot and to have emotional moment after emotional moment, the reality is that this isn't Their show- it's the whole party's, there are other characters and stories we need to follow.

But we won't be let down on New Year's. I know we won't. And y'all should believe, too.)

find my other Mike analysis here

[hayesdraws]

I promised vol2 Mike analyses and I'm here to deliver.

I think I'm going to literally talk about every shot he's in because for the first time in ST history he appeared more as a side character than anything. And I know that was intentional

NOTE: I can't screenshot anything on Netflix rn but I'll provide scenes, episodes, and in some cases time stamps so y'all can go watch what I talk about

Ep5: The Shock Jock

We have: The hug, and Mike and Will administering First Aid to Lucas.

So far, it's pretty normal. They're being normal, and they have typical screentime. Mike is ecstatic about Will being a sorcerer. He's telling everyone he can.

He's [Mike's] still taking charge, and acting as loving/caring as ever. He's helping Lucas up the ladder, and everything feels right.

Next comes: "Three, to be exact."

And wow is that gay. We've talked about this already.

NEXT: The Will and Robin scene. It's not got Mike in it, but it's important to mention. Because he asks her if accepting herself was enough to bring her to date Vickie, and she tells him "No." She tells him that she had to come out to someone- her best friend- and feel the outward acceptance before she could have the confidence to tell Vickie/get with her. (So what does he do? He tells Everyone. He embraces it head on. Step two of getting ready to date has been checked.)

We then have Mike, up there w the Frankenstein'd Demo.

And call me crazy, but the direct reference to Frankenstein was a bit wild, because Mike's basically Elizabeth. He's in (or was in) a bit of a toxic relationship. His love interest (Will) was canonically confirmed dead and was brought back to life. His love interest (Will) has canonically been compared to undead creatures. Mike has canonically been the only one to treat Will "Normal" and like Will's "Not a mistake" after all of the supernatural elements. Mike has canonically compared himself to a female love interest of an otherworldly male being.

Next, is the shot of Will on the ground, Robin on his right (And our left) and Mike on Will's left (And our right). That's not much to work with, except...

Right and Left in film typically has meaning. One thing I was taught and have studied is that, subconsciously, a person (A) positioned to someone's (B) right (for viewer's eyes) will seen as B's rock. The person they'll lean on and turn to first. Right = safe, and good, and wanted.

Left positioning can be reserved for, a lot of times, more negative feelings.

And so I think this positioning was intentional. Because, to viewers, we know Mike is Will's safe person. The love of his life. But, from the characters' standpoints, Mike's on Will's left and Robin's on his right.

Because she's shown that she's there for him these last few days, and Mike is feeling repressed and scared and like he doesn't know how to make the next step. (Idk, is any of this making sense? I can write something longer later)

Then, when Will is thrown backwards after fighting Vecna, Mike's the first to take action. He's at Will's side immediately, but when he gets there, he doesn't touch him. He reaches out, thinks better of it, and pulls back. (at the end, with 9:34 minutes remaining)

"Come back to us, Will." He says in the softest voice ever.

And then, w 8:50 minutes to go, an aerial shot of Mike gently placing his hand on Will's arm. Everyone else is already in their positions, so the shot makes Mike's movement specifically stand out.

EP6: Escape From Camazotz

First scene: Mike and Robin and Lucas. But, more than even episode five, something is a bit... off. Mike's not taking initiative as the leader. He's not the one coming up with the plans OR giving much input. He's taking in information, and adding tiny bits of participation, but his mind must be elsewhere because he's not as invested as he typically would be.

Bla bla bla Mike and Jane hug. (I love ElMike (And we really need a new platonic name for them bc I'm tired of typing El) but this scene's not important lol. He meets Kali.)

"He's just in here." Mike leads Jane and Kali and the others to sleeping Will.

Conversation w Hop where they're catching each other up. Then conversation w Jane.

1) He calls her a friend. "Friends don't lie."

2)They're arguing a bit, and he pushes his happy ending at her again- the waterfalls, and the moving and hiding.

3) The conversation is about Jane and Kali and Brenner and Henry, and the endless cycle of experimentations.

4) And yet, Mike brings everyone into it- the core four. And then he singles out Will specifically. Their conversation ends with, "Because this is our story. And it starts with getting Will Back."

(OMG MY BOY HE'S SO PRECIOUS I LOVE HIM)

AND THAT'S THE LAST WE SEE OF HIM THIS EPISODE?!?! He has so little screen time this season/volume and I'll talk about that after this. Bare with me.

EP7: The Bridge

The first scene in this episode w Mike is him hugging his mom and finding out she "did the laundry". He's impressed and excited, so cute lol.

He comforts his mom. And how does he do that? By bringing up Will. He mentions Will, and how they saved him. To comfort her about Holly. Will is still, always, at the very most front part of his brain.

And then.... we don't see him for a while. At least, not on his own. He's in the background a lot, and he has some lines, but he's treated like the side-est character of all side characters.

When we do get a conversation with him again, he's chosen that record to save the world to. It's a Butthole Surfer album (Locust Abortion Technician) and the song that they play over is Human Cannonball.

Interesting, interesting choice. Why? (Prepare for a song and character deep-dive for a quick moment) Because the entire album is this deep, kind of horrific, twisted tale on regret, repression, a failed relationship that has had a lasting effect on the MC's mental status, and more.

Verse 1

"Pardon me, I'm only bleeding

But you cut me to the bone

My imperfections have reduced you

To a lowly animal"

He's saying that he's been wounded by the person he's in/was in a relationship with. And that it's not entirely the SO's fault- he has imperfections that have led to this.

Verse 2

"A part of me was introduced to you

Then it walked right out the door

And tonight (Tonight) you're probably feeling

Like a human cannonball"

Since the day they met, he knew something was wrong with their relationship. He ignored it. And the human cannonball? Referring to the fact that a cannon releases, freeing the ball. As in, their relationship has ended, and the SO has got to be feeling freed from all of this relationship.

Verse 3

"It used to be that loving you

Was easy, unrestrained

And now (And now) I'm only bleeding

But I'm loving only pain"

At the beginning of their relationship, things were good, and easy. They made things work. But now, it's toxic and painful. And yet, it's addicting, almost, and hard to let go of.

Verse 4 is a repeat of Verse 1. Because he might have been addicted to the pain of the relationship, but she wasn't, and now that they're broken up she must feel so much release.

You seeing how this relates to Mike, and Mileven, and his relationship with internalized homophobia?

the second to last Mike sorta-centered scene of the episode is the coming out one. And I've already done an analysis on that.

And then the van scene. Which was completely fine.

As seen now, Mike had so few scenes in volume two that they were countable. Easily.

Which is a change unexpected at first glance, because, up until this moment, Mike was almost the main character. He has always been a center for the show, in plot, and character/relationship development, and individual growth.

Even when we don't have his pov, it's easy to tell what's going on in that head of his, because we've had So Much of him. So, to have that ripped away from us so abruptly, of Course we were left reeling.

But, there's a reason for this. A few, actually.

The first being:

If they showed Mike reciprocating Will's feelings before Will's self-acceptance arc was finished, the audience wouldn't be rooting for him to get over the boy and love himself. They'd be yelling at the tv "He loves you back! Stop hating yourself, he loves you back!" And that would defeat the purpose of showing queer people that their validness as a queer person doesn't rely on whether or not the person you like likes you back.

And, as annoying as I know a lot of us found that part of the plot, it Is important to show. Will needed to fully accept himself and Not rely on his feelings for Mike as validation anymore.

And Mike.... he needed to know that Will's in this healthy spot. That Will used to need Mike, but that now he wants him.

Because Mike has always struggled with feeling useless and unwanted if he's not "needed".

The second being this:

Mike's feelings are supposed to be a bit of surprise. Not a complete, total surprise, but a kind of big, plot-twisty reveal for those who weren't looking. And I think they want to do it during the final, final battle, and if Mike and Will were getting their typical amount of together-ness in vol2, his feelings for Will would have been obvious.

Another reason is:

We know Mike really well. He's the main character. Will is the main character because Mike's world literally revolves around Will. Will is the center of Mike's universe.

So, even without all the extra Mike pov scenes we could've used in the last three seasons, we still know him Really, really well. Every little micro expression tells a story.

Whereas Will is a little different. It's less body language and expressions that tell his story, and more words. More him talking his feelings out. And so, they needed to really focus on Will's entire self-acceptance arc this volume before Will and Mike could even consider getting together.

The fact that they're not getting together through shared trauma and internalized homophobia is vital to them staying together in the long run. Figuring themselves out before becoming endgame = they won't be a repeat of Jancy in a few years (I loved that Jancy scene though omgggg)

There are more reasons but I can't remember all that I thought up earlier (Might add to this later).

But I'm super excited to see where the finale will take us. Because Mike now knows that getting with Will is a possibility (he had no clue he knew anyone else like him LET ALONE That Will had/has a crush on him?!), Mike now knows that if he and Will did work out, it wouldn't be a codependent feeling of 'neededing' each other like his relationship has been with Jane, and he now knows how others (that matter) will respond to a friend being queer.

He has a lot to work through.

(Also, sidenote, but the Duffers have literally said that Mike is basically their self-insert oc. And so, who's to say that the feelings of a possible unrequited love one of the brothers dealt w when younger isn't also referring to the fact that Mike has been blind this entire time and before the end of 507 didn't realize he had a chance? You catching what I'm putting down?)

But we were teased a monologue and some emotional acting from Finn, and we haven't seen either yet. But it's coming.