Me @ Mike : I've never been more excited to see a character be put through complete and utter hell, but definitely for the right reasons.
Let me tell you why it's literally perfect to put Mike through the grinder next season.
1. I wanna see him cry. Like actually cry. No pussy half-assed silent tears, we don't want that. I want to see him sob, just the most heart wrenching hopeless sobbing sension of his life. HE DESERVES IT.
Make Finn's performance in S2 look like child's play. (We're getting Finn an oscar- lmao)
Do you realize how relieving it would be for him to finally let out his pent up emotion he's been building up from S2? Alot. And I hooe he gets the sobbing session he deserves.
And this is just a little bonus, but it HAS to be for himself. He needs to be crying for HIMSELF!!! I can't express this enough that Mike needs to be crying for himself.
I don't want him to be crying for Will, or El or anyone. I just,,, want him to look at himself, realized how much he's been FUCKED over and just,,, cry about it.
He's not okay not matter how much he tries to convince himself, he's tried so hard to remain strong, cause he doesn't deserve to cry about it. They've had much much worse, who is he to cry about it huh??
But I want him to realize that he's tired. Pretending to be strong is really tiring. And I wanna see him break under the pressure and just let go.
Allow himself to accept that he doesn't need to bottle his own emotions for the sake of others.
2. Whether you like it or not the other characters definitely take him for granted. (Don't @ me I'm not hating on them.)
Eventhough, he's evolved in the making of half the plans, he's barely cosidered to be the leader. Dustin said they were a democracy. That's not true, cause yall look to Mike's approval anyway, if it was then Max joining the party back in S2 shouldn't even be a problem since you guys voted him out. But yet it was, cause whether they're aware of it or not, they still look for Mike's approval.
Hopper listens to his plans/strategies, but eyerolls at Dustin's DnD theories. No one questions his strategies, cause they almost always work.
And yet,,, he doesn't get the credit. If Nancy's plan worked, she's praised for being the leader. She is the official leader, despite her plan in S4 having a butt load of holes and was a dumpster fire of a mess.
When Mike's plan works, he doesn't get praised cause it's what expected of him. (Why should we praise him when it's literally his job as the leader?) But when it doesn't work, he gets the blame.
(Bro why do you have oldest child syndrome despite being a middle child😭)
So it would be nice to see him, let's say, get kidnapped or something and the party realizing that they don't have the luxury of an already well-thought out plan in the span of 5 secs set for them.
3. It's a great wake up call, not only for the characters, but for the audience as well. Yeah, I don't care if I sound petty. Make them see how much shit he's actually been going through, while Mike haters are too busy giving his traits to other characters instead *cough* Steve *cough*.
His whole story arc is about the "invisible" side effects of trauma, that I don't really see often portrayed in media?? (At least that I know of)
People LOVE comparing Mike's trauma to other character's and then claiming he doesn't have trauma when HIS doesn't match THEIRS.
In fact, his trauma response is the exact same as Max, yet people give those two completely different treatments. And honestly that part isn't really their fault, cause we aren't shown his Pov yet, and i'm pretty sure yall would hate Max just as much if she started acting like an asshole to Lucas/the party and we weren't shown her inner struggles that she's been burying.
Except Mike doesn't get that luxury. (Like I said they're keeping him for S5 hehe 🤭)
I don't mind when people say he's been a bit of an asshole, cause he has. (This doesn't mean you can make shit up to make him look like an asshole.)
But let's be honest everyone was an asshole to a degree in S3 😭 I facepalmed at ALL of them, not just Mike. People just like shitting on Mike, cause he's easy to target.
Hopper was also out of line in S3 why don't I see you guys halling on his ass just as with Mike?
It's when people say that that's ALL he is.
Just either the love interest, the asshole best friend, or the hated side character. (I am in your walls)
He's such a well thought out and well written character and it pains me when people only see what's above the surface and call him shallow or character assassination, when he's just going through trauma like a realistic person would?? Trauma is messy and it isn't something you guys can just put into a neat little catagory which was the problem with Mike's trauma in the first place.
"You're just making up trauma for Mike so he'll look angsty!!"
MATT DUFFERS SAID HE HAS DEPRESSION-
No mentally healthy 12 year old would step off a cliff for his friend's front teeth.
No 14 year olds should have a look of utter disbelief and surprise when someone shows genuine concern to them.
He was surprised when his mom hugged him. HIS MOM. WHY SHOULD HE BE SURPRISED THAT HIS MOM SHOWED HIM AFFECTION-
(This was supposed to be a shitpost,,, but it got a bit out of hand hehe sorry-)
