The Byler x Little Women (1994) parallels were more direct than you probably thought
The trailer for season 5 is (hopefully) dropping soon! So why not bring back an older Byler theory to help wane your inevitable byler doubt? (And a thank you to @thewisewill80sbyers for supplying some awesome parallel gifs)
Part 1: What we already know
Mike is Laurie. Laurie is a wealthy young man who feels ordinary and directionless. Though kind and free-spirited, he’s bored, insecure, and pressured to conform to gendered expectations of manliness. He finds purpose by attaching himself to people he sees as extraordinary.
Mike mirrors this. He idealizes the heroic and fantastical—superheroes, sci-fi, D&D—where he can feel important. In reality, he often feels inadequate. What he doesn’t see is that his true brilliance lies in his loyalty, compassion, and heart.
El is Jo.
Jo March is awkward, clumsy and intense. She has a special gift (writing), which sets her apart. She sometimes has emotional outbursts due to the intensity of her emotions. Above all, she has relentless need for independence and freedom. She envies men for this reason.
El is also markedly different from others—her special gift is her powers—but they are as burdensome as they are extraordinary. She too struggles to fit in, often coming across as awkward. She lashes out when she feels powerless or trapped, due to the intensity of her trauma.
Will is Amy.
Amy March is sensitive and pragmatic. She matures the most in Little Women, growing from an impetuous child to a poised young woman. She is an artist, but she's also pre-occupied with what others think of her. Amy believes she must sacrifice romance in order to marry well to secure stability, and ensure the happiness of others.
Will follows a similar path. Once the smallest and most protected member of the party, Will is now described by Ross Duffer as, "coming into his own as a young man" in Season 5. He is also described as sensitive and is an artist. Like Amy, he is resigned to sacrifice the desires of his own heart, to avoid ruffling feathers.
Part 2: Season 4 parallels
Here’s where things get a little tangled, love triangle-y and anachronistic. Bear with me.
In Little Women, there’s a 4 year time jump between childhood and young adulthood.
In Stranger Things, the time jump between Seasons 3 and 4 is only eight months, but due to the rapid emotional development of the characters—and the visible aging of the actors—it feels longer.
This dissonance actually works in favor of the parallel, and may be why it was chosen.
Laurie confesses to Jo
Laurie clumsily confesses his love for Jo in a moment of desperation, afraid that he will lose her. This loosely mirrors Mike’s clumsy attempt in season 3. It also mirrors both his fight with El in Vol 1 and his monologue in Vol 2.
Jo rejects his suit, insisting they could never work together or make each other happy.
She says they would quarrel (fight) too much.
This reminds me of El confronting the issues in their relationship in Vol 1, while Mike became evasive and feigned obliviousness. Like Laurie, Mike refuses to accept the truth of this connection.
Something SUPER important and subtle about this confession scene in Little Women (1994) Before Laurie confesses to Jo, he is complaining about the responsibilities and expectations set by his grandfather: Laurie: "[Grandfather] is exceedingly bent on locking me up in one of his offices... If I don't, I'd have to defy [him]. I can't go against the old man. When I imagine myself in that life, I can think of only one thing that could make me happy." So, Laurie is resigned to live a life that feels inauthentic and unfulfilling, but if he must do it, he at least wants to do it with Jo. (Someone who can make him feel special by proxy instead of feeling special himself). If we're interpreting Mike as a repressed homosexual (and we are, to be clear), then does this parallel not make complete sense? Mike, internally: "If I have to be with a girl, if I have to model the relationship of my parents... I want it to be with El."
Movement, travel and emotional distance
Both Jo and Amy leave home after this time jump: just as El and Will leave Hawkins at the end of season 3.
At this point in Little Women, Jo and Laurie are separated by a literal distance. In Stranger things, Mike and El are also separated by an emotional distance, in which they struggle to be truthful with one another about their feelings, even once reunited.
Jo goes to New York alone to pursue being a writer; mirroring El’s "arrest" and solo journey at NINA to recover her powers.
Amy is in Europe working on her painting, and Laurie discovers her there as a more refined and mature version of herself. They are now in proximity to each other without Jo's presence, clearly mirroring Mike and Will being partnered together in California.
This proximity starts off a little awkward, though: Laurie is now attracted to Amy, but Amy appears emotionally unavailable due to her courtship with Fred Vaughn.
The Painting is Fred Vaughn Now, it’s possible Will finds another temporary love interest in season 5 to mirror this plot-line. However, I posit that Will's painting itself is Fred Vaughn in this parallel. Because to Mike, the painting represents an obstacle to Will’s heart. If the painting isn’t for him, then he’s led to believe Will has feelings for someone else. He immediately asks about it at the airport—not out of idle curiosity or politeness, but to quietly probe for the truth.
This moment parallels Laurie’s reunion with Amy in Europe. When he first sees her, he quickly asks Aunt March if Amy and Fred are engaged. Laurie, like Mike, is trying to determine if the door is still open.
Both Laurie and Mike are given vague, unsatisfying answers. Aunt March replies, “Not yet,” implying that an engagement may be imminent.
Will, meanwhile, doesn’t offer the painting to Mike, nor does he say it was meant for someone else. Neither Laurie nor Mike receives the emotional reassurance they’re seeking—and both walk away feeling displaced.
In-authenticity and conflict
Another striking parallel between Little Women and Stranger Things lies in how both Laurie and Mike begin to act strangely—almost out of character—when reunited with their respective love interests.
Laurie is drinking, smoking and flirting with women, neglecting the music he once claimed to love. He drifts through his days aimlessly, cynical and disillusioned.
Mike is putting up a front of being nonchalant and “cool” in front of Will. He avoids eye contact, doesn’t hug Will, and struggles to speak to him directly. Even his wardrobe choices reflect this shift. Costume designer Amy Parris revealed that Mike’s Season 4 California look was him, “trying to make it work”—a subtle nod to the fact that Mike is performing a version of himself, rather than being himself.
Disappointed with their reunion, Will and Amy both hold their love interests accountable for their behavior.
The clearest parallel here lies between Laurie and Amy’s picnic in Little Women and the Rink-O-Mania scene in Stranger Things. These confrontations don’t go over well: Laurie and Mike are extremely defensive and frankly, butt-hurt.
Amy calls out Laurie for squandering his potential and living without purpose. Laurie then lashes out in jealousy, criticizing her for wanting a practical marriage.
Likewise, at Rink-O-Mania, Will tries to express his hurt. He points out how distant Mike has been, how one-sided their communication has become. Mike, like Laurie, deflects. He places the blame back on Will, saying he should’ve reached out more.
Accountability and re-connection
Laurie and Mike then extend an olive branch to Amy and Will, taking accountability for their behavior. Their apologies are more about actions rather than words.
(It's giving: "I didn't say it." "You didn't have to.")
Both directly reference something their love interest said in the previous argument, revealing that—despite their initial defensiveness—they had been listening all along.
Check out this interesting parallel:
Laurie takes Amy's advice about going to London—he's doing this to earn back her respect and prove his worth as a romantic suitor.
Amy, during their fight: "...why don't you go to your Grandfather in London and make yourself useful?" Laurie, in his apology: "I've gone to London to make myself worthy of you."
Mike uses coded language to indicate that he's ready to let go of the "cool guy" facade and be closer to Will again.
Will, during their fight: "Well, we used to be best friends!" Mike, in his apology: "I think it'll be easier if we're a team. Friends. Best friends."
Shared loss and tragedy
When the middle sibling Beth dies (spoiler alert?) Jo, Amy and Laurie return home to be with family and grieve together.
Similarly, El, Will and Mike return to Hawkins very shortly after Max's death.
This is a parallel to be sure, but there are very notable differences.
For one, by this point in Little Women Laurie and Amy are now married!
However in Stranger Things, Mike and El are technically still together, even if they're not exactly on speaking terms.
So where does this lead us for season 5?
Part 3: Season 5 predictions
The Little Women parallels might end in season 4, but it feels extremely... unfinished. I think if they continue, it will focus more closely on El's arc than Byler. Hear me out.
Predictions for El: Confrontation and reckoning
While in New York, Jo meets Friedrich. Friedrich is older, but he feels like an equal to her. He shares her love of literature. Unlike others who simply praise Jo, Friedrich critiques her writing with honesty and respect. At first, Jo finds this hard to swallow. But eventually, his challenge helps her grow—not just as a writer, but as a person. They slowly fall in love.
Now, El doesn't have another love interest in season 4 and I can't imagine her getting a new one in season 5, so this is where the parallels might get a little... creative. (Think Fred Vaughn is the painting creative).
Perhaps for El, Friedrich represents someone like her. Not a love interest, but an equal.
A reckoning. A challenge.
I posit that Friedrich is Henry.
After returning from New York, Jo is inspired to start a school to educate children (specifically girls). Friedrich himself is a professor.
Likewise, I think we can expect to see El educating reforming children like her. She will be inspired by Henry: not because he's a good person (because he isn't) but because she can do what he couldn't.
She will end the cycle of abuse and choose not to become the monster.
Predictions for Byler: Secrecy and subtley
In the 1994 film (which these parallels are based on) we don't get a lot of information about how Laurie and Amy got together. Their love story happens quietly, away from the eyes of the other characters and even the audience. They fall in love in Europe and marry before returning home, revealing the news gently and with some hesitation.
I think Stranger Things may take a similar approach with Mike and Will.
Instead of a dramatic, last-minute confession in the climax of battle, I predict that Mike and Will’s romantic connection will begin to develop much earlier in the season than expected—but quietly.
Their relationship may be portrayed with ambiguity on the surface, but still carry clear romantic coding beneath: shared looks, coded language, physical closeness, a clear shift in tone. Enough to let the audience know something is happening, even if the characters themselves aren’t saying it out loud.
It won’t be a loud reveal: It’ll be a secret. Like Laurie and Amy, they may choose to keep their evolving relationship private for as long as possible.
The reveal of their relationship will be gentle and hesitant: not just to the other characters, such as their friends and family, but to us. The audience.
Don't worry, I still expect there to be a Byer kiss and confession scene, I just think their actual relationship will quietly evolve in privacy.
Well, that's all for now folks. I'll edit this or add another part if I make any more connections or predictions. What do you guys think?
