thinking like a dog about the fact that we barely ever got to see the party truly BE a party all together. like all six of them.
for the majority of season one, will is in the UD. we really only see the core four's dynamic with each other when the play DnD in the beginning and end s1, which is probably like 10-15 minutes worth of scenes together showcasing their friendship. el is introduced to lucas, dustin, and mike, but we don't get to see will. at this point, we really only see mike, lucas, dustin, and el together, which is 4 out of 6 party members.
in season 2, we don't even see el with her friends until the very end because she in hiding in hopper's cabin. we have some screentime with the core four, but will is possessed for the majority of this season. we really only see the core four have fun and stuff in the beginning at the arcade, hanging out at school, and trick-or-treating. max is also introduced this season, but they're still getting to know her while will isn't fully possessed yet. so, el and later will are not seen much with the other party members. mike is also only half there because he spends most of his time being concerned with el and (mostly) will. here, we really only see the lucas, max, dustin, and mike every now and then, when he's not by will's side, together, so that's 3.5 out of 6 party members
in season 3, we see the party hang out together at the beginning for like 5 minutes maximum. then they are divided into two groups when el and mike break up. and then even more when will fights with mike. furthermore, we barely see dustin with the party cuz he spends most of his time with the scoops troop this season. anyways, even when el and max reconcile with mike, lucas, and will, dustin is still missing. it's also really disappointing that el and will didn't interact at all this season considering how much they hyped up their possible dynamic with how similar they are in season 1. so, that's like 4.5 out of 6 party members.
it gets so much worse in season four when el and will are ACROSS THE COUNTRY and the duffers didn't bother having them talk to or write to their friends because they both revolve around mike this season. back in hawkins, max broke off from lucas, dustin, and mike due to grieving. and there's still a rift between lucas and dustin n mike due to the whole basketball thing. and when mike arrives in cali, he just further divides willel. and then el gets sent to nina, so that just leaves her by herself and away mike and will. so, the party is basically divided into half this entire season and then some.
and season five just makes me want to cry. max is in a coma and her and lucas' arc revolve around each other. el is on her own and barely talks and interacts with any of the party members, including mike. will and mike have some scenes together, but they just get worse after volume one. dustin is totally away from the party as he is mostly with steve this season. mike and lucas have some scenes together, but they are all superficial. el and max reunite for like 0.5 seconds. and then el fucking dies. we have a DnD scene in the epilogue but el is dead so what even is the point. everyone was all over the place this season and the party dynamic was practically nonexistant.
all in all, in like 10 minutes total from season 2 and three, we see the party hang out together. and then for the rest of the show, they're split up. as a fandom, we hype up the idea of them all being a super close-knit friend group, which i love to death, but it's so sad when compared to canon because they barely interact as a party in the show. it's so clear that as the show goes on, the duffers prioritize friendship less and less because they're focusing so much on the relationships (which they messed up as well in the end). especially considering that friendship is supposed to be one of the show's central themes. missed fucking opportunity to have one of the most elite on-screen friend group ever.
