I’d be curious to hear more of your thoughts in terms of your opposition to the DID theory, if you’d be down? I personally do buy into the gist of the theory, although I don’t necessarily agree with all of the details that KP has suggested. I think the basic DID theory does a lot to explain all the supernatural things going on in Stranger Things in a way that makes sense. Particularly in terms of Will, the upside down/demogorgon/mindflayer, and El all seeming to be connected somehow in a way that hasn’t yet been explained to us. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts, since I always enjoy reading what you have to say. Thanks for considering! :)
[Referenced post.]
Hello! I have plenty to say about this, so thanks for prompting me to share. (And thank you for the compliment!) Apologies for taking so long to respond- I wanted to make sure that my answer was good enough. I'll preface my answer by noting that I am not an expert on DID, nor am I a system.
Simply put, this theory makes no sense to me, and it doesn't explain any of the supernatural aspects in a way that I find satisfying. It's long, winding, and convoluted, gives outsize importance to one character in what is an ensemble cast, and, well, I just can't see it! The evidence that supports the theory feels weak; instead of concrete foreshadowing, it's backed by easter eggs, simple visual parallels, over-dissected VSF movies, and David Harbour vagueposts. It also heavily relies on extra material (such as Will Byers: Secret Files), which, in my opinion, is semi-canon at best.
I'm fond of a friend's way of describing it- there aren't any "breadcrumbs" that lead me to the natural conclusion of "Will has DID." Rather, it seems to me that the breadcrumbs are merely rearranged to point in a convenient direction.
The cherries on top of this "disagreement sundae" are my feelings- which are very mixed- on people without DID creating a popular theory in which the entire show revolves around one system. I'm not eloquent enough to explain why, but it makes me uncomfortable. That the DID theory characterizes the Mind Flayer- the evil, bloodthirsty monster- as a persecutor alter only adds to my discomfort. Persecutor alters seldom act violently towards people outside the system.
If the DID theory is the interpretation that you prefer, then you are more than welcome to it, but this is why I don't!
