Im still seated, thinking about conformitygate because it's still fun for me to theorize
You need to be aware you're trapped somewhere to even start to think about the escape, right?
let's borrow it from the snl sketch, let's go with the meta of it (the duffers were apparently at the snl live, and as if the 'documentary' wasn't full of anything besides being an actual documentary), so why not, they said it...
And they specifically made that sketch of Mike, Lucas and Dustin. Will wasn't there (Let's ignore the bit from the sketch of the why) either bc 1. Vecna has him, or 2. he's the only one free from the illusion - because he already said all his fears out loud.
Something which these three didn't!
Dustin lied to both Mike and Lucas about getting into the fight with the high school bullies, something that Steve even reacted to with a look because it was so weird that Dustin would lie to his friends. Despite his friends knowing the reason why Dustin was acting off (Eddie's death, fearing of losing anyone else), there was never really conclusion between them about it.
Lucas felt guilty for not being able to save Max (even when he did all he could in that moment), and he was dealing with that guilt for so long and mostly alone, always sitting by her bedside in the hospital, but from what we've seen he hasn't talked to anyone else how he actually felt about it.
And Mike, of course, where do we begin. His s4 monologue to El being full of contradictions? Not being able to say he loves her? talking to Will about his insecurities but not sharing what he couldn't say to El. All his different acting from s3 that could lead to his own repressed feelings and being closeted? All of that and so much more? Yep.
Now, in s5 vol. 1 we had Robin talking about a comparison to a movie about escaping prison- The Great Escape, while they were making a plan to get the kids out of both the military and Vecna's reach.
At the same time Max and Holly were talking about being taken prisoners inside Henry's mind, and I have a few scenes here put side by side that show more of the story behind it, (and something i didn't have space to touch on in my other Hourglass theory here)
Hourglass & Timeloops
Breaking of cycles
