"it's for outsiders"
This is also what always gets me thinking about the show because what does it mean if the show is for outsiders?
What kind of message would they want to send to outsiders?
Up until the end of S4 we have seen a lot of people trying to fix things they deem broken. Mlvn being a big example here as this relationship has gotten fixed by various people time and time again (Lucas, Max and Will <- I have no hate for any of them. I know they all mean well)
All this fixing though has in the end helped no one.
So fixing it might not be the answer here especially if the show is for outsiders. It also kind of makes sense, doesn't it?
Characters don't need to be fixed because they aren't broken.
They also don't need to be cured because they aren't sick.
What outsiders need is not to get told all the various ways in which they should change to fit into society better or how to better meet other peoples expectations.
What outsiders need is acceptance and validation for who they are.
This then probably means for our characters that real character growth doesn't come from change (like it does in so many other shows) but from their own truth and having confidence in oneself. We have already gotten the perfect example of this when Karen told Nancy to unapologetically be herself in S3.
It also means that what will be the end of our characters journey has already been there all along although we/ or many other people might not have seen it or realized it.
It's not just byler (although I don't doubt it'll be the main focus of S5) but everyone else as well. They will all find their truth (no matter what that may look like) and be confident in it. They'll find acceptance, love and validation in the end.
Because this is the kind of story outsiders need.
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NOTE: I originally wrote this text in a reblog under this post here in October 2025 before the release of S5. I know not all of what I wrote here is still accurate but I do still stand by what I said.