#St5 speculation

[will80sbyers]

So apparently this picture

was at the Turnbows home... idk how she knows that but I trust it lol

Which also means that at some point both Will and Mike are there... ? Hopefully they go together! 🫶

[eddiemunsonbrainrot]

oh so the Byers are DEFINITELY staying with the Wheelers the season 5 Gods (a.k.a the Duffers) are looking down kindly on the bylers imagine all the content

[mikewheelerdefiodental]

When Netflix jumps into a commercial in the NFL game on december 25th, and suddenly i hear a little boy singing "Should i Stay or Should i Go"

[butterflysonnets]

el finding out mike is queer and has feelings for will, smiling softly at him and holding his face gently in her hand and saying, you are in love, mike, but it is not with me, and mike being absolutely mortified and devastated, i'm so sorry, el, i'm sorry, i do love you, i do, and el saying, i know, friends don't lie, i know you love me and i am sorry i ever said you didn't. i did not know the difference. mike shakes and shakes, and el steadies him with her hands, telling him, it's okay, being in love is a wonderful thing, isn't it? and mike just choking out a broken no and it's not supposed to be like this, i'm scared of losing you, i'm scared of losing him, i'm scared i'll lose everyone, and el just hugs him tight. you won't, she promises, you won't, i think you will just… gain yourself? and mike laughs through his tears. he laughs and laughs, and el never stops smiling.

[lizbetlovesbyler]

“one season is not enough time to execute byler well enough :(((“

some people don’t understand how LONG s5 is going to be

it took them a YEAR to film EIGHT episodes.

for some comparison, it took them less time to shoot season 4 DURING A PANDEMIC

(i’m not counting the months of hiatus during quarantine, but total days actually filming. following health and safety regulations on set was bound to slow down production even more)

the same season 4 that had them filming in lithuania, mexico AND atlanta…during a pandemic!

season 5 has solely been filming in atlanta, with no haults in production since january and they’ve only just finished.

i cant say for certain how long s5 will actually be but it is at least as long as season 4 which was more than 730 mins long (>12 hours)

for eight episodes with the same total runtime, the episodes would average an hour and a half long.

with maya hawkes’ comment of “we’re basically making eight movies” id wager we’re looking at a way greater runtime than ever.

so, yeah, they have more than enough time to execute byler to a decent standard.

and we all know there’s no way they’re going to settle for just “a decent standard”

[gaysforbyler]

Genuinely if mlvn is still a thing by ep 6 I’m gonna be annoyed. WE GET IT, they’re in a forbidden love triangle, let’s move on. El isn’t the only thing coming between Mike and Will, let’s explore literally anything else. I don’t want to waste four and a half seasons on a non canon couple while we only get an episode

​I get the slow burn. I get it. But at what point is the payoff not worth it?

[evilbookworm]

5 days till a release date and possible teaser? *SCREECHES*

[will80sbyers]

Okay so my thoughts about these pictures...

Spoilers under the cut!

I think these might be from the first episodes 1 or 2 or 3 ( I think ep. 1 because they look fresh lmao), Nancy is in her nurse outfit that she has for some reason probably related to the plot and I think El is possibly training her powers with Hopper and Joyce because she wants to be ready to fight Vecna, again probably in the first episodes because of the outfits they all have on -

oh also they have the bikes of the kids in the car idk why

I think this may also be from the first episodes, maybe ep. 2, and Erica is at the Turnbow residence for some reason - maybe she knows Derek if it gets confirmed that he's their son like we thought and

there's this lady on the left of the picture because of the outfit so Erica is having a meal with them ? I had thought that Lucas was there at the mansion to pick her up and yeah I think that's happening probably!

I think this pic of El could be either at the lab somewhere or in the military base maybe? I'm not really sure of this, seems like there's action happening tho

This might be from around ep. 3 or after because of the outfit Robin has on, we know Murray drives that truck in and out of the military checkpoint

After episode 4, Dustin is in the lab in the upside down, and I think Steve is for sure with him - not sure why they go there

They are dressed like after ep. 3 I think (?), not sure where they are, there's stuff like a chainsaw in the back but I can't recognize the place...

This must be part of the first episodes too because Joyce had that shirt at the radio station too

in this one they are dressed like after ep. 3 I think, they are for sure inside the radio station

and I do think that I guessed right, and the one getting blood on her was Joyce, not sure if she's the one that gets hurt tho, it could be Karen and then Joyce gets blood on her - to me it looks like the same type of shoe

No actually maybe it's not the same but maybe she changed the shoes and the first one is in the first episode??? I'm not sure now but it's the same style so I'm leaning towards the blood shoe being hers too

and, finally, here they are clearly watching the byler kiss! That's it :)))

[effusivecleric]

i can't wait until these moments parallel each other

[mikewheelerdefiodental]

so, is he coming back for this season, maybe?

there's that script from maya that has a thomas on the scene, so it could be him

[5thsideblog]

if the creators wanted us to think mike and el were this beautiful power couple that will stand the test of time and have their big cheesy fairytale ending why not schedule finn and millie to have a q&a together…. Instead of finn and noah…. why are they grouping finn and noah/mike and will together SO much this season. Like i know we haven’t officially entered promotion yet and won’t for a long time but even all the leaks ive seen photo wise ive seen more for will and mike than mike and el. it’s crazy 😭😭 like the more i think about it none of the crazy theories or overanalysis is what makes me think byler will happen, it’s simply the way the creators choose to group them together all the time. When one of the guys is literally in a canonical relationship with the main girl.

[taeiris]

mike didn’t hold back this time

[letterstomichelangelo]

GUYS THIS IS NOT A DRILL

[conflictofthemind]

Take Me To Church-Gate

A few weeks back, I received a tip that Noah and Finn came into Atlanta for a couple of days to rehearse a scene alone together that never ended up being filmed. This was around the time of the convention that Finn ended up missing in early June (and we initially theorized was for the playground scenes).

I since received confirmation of not only this, but that the rehearsal in question was for a scene at the UD church set. The filming never went through because Noah got an eye infection / sty, so the shoot was rescheduled for early August. If you've seen me mentioning looking forward to August, this is what that was about.

The Eye Infection:

Let me link this post to begin with, barring the 'James' stuff who has proven to be false. I heard about the eye infection and my alarm bells rang immediately - I have a friend myself who wears contacts occasionally and whenever they get sties, they're always caused by the contacts. When has Noah worn contacts before in the show? When Will is being possessed by the mindflayer in Season 2.

The church is an interesting location, because it most definitely has to do with Henry as well. When the original countdown for TFS was being posted, there were images of a church - a location that may have been changed during development. The characters most likely go there as part of the continuing Henry investigation.

And we know Henry was exorcised at some point, but it failed. The sign going into the church is also a likely clue to this, referencing Mark 9:29 - a verse about a failed exorcism.

Conclusion for this part: Will very likely becomes possessed again while in this church. My source tells me they usually only do big rehearsals like this for scenes involving action, too.

My opinion is that Will was never fully exorcised either. I mean, he still has a clear connection to the mindflayer with all the tingles on his neck and the possible literal psychic connection he has to Vecna as well.

It's Byler, Too:

I suspect that Jamie has some part in the scene as well (given they scheduled it during his latest block on set), but the focus is on Will and Mike - being the only two other main characters on set at the time, and the only two rehearsing.

But going back to the church thing.... I wonder what kind of symbolism is created by bringing two gay characters who both have a lot of internalized shame into a location that is honestly the source of said shame? It's honestly not even symbolism. It might just be referenced in plain text. Looking back at that church sign:

"This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer"

"This kind" really evokes the dehumanising language used by homophobes to refer to gay people. And the driven out by prayer part, well that really evokes conversion 'therapy' practices of praying the gay away. So what if this is where Will and Mike finally admit their love for each other, and kiss. And what if that is actually what's able to drive the 'demon' away - gay love.

Especially during the Satanic Panic arc we are sure to see come full circle with the reckoning of the Hellfire Club in Season 5.

An arc which Mike is surely at the centre of as well, being not only a Hellfire Member in the past, but being family to the new disappeared child in town.

And it's not like Mike's love is what's been shown to us time and time again as the way to break Will out of his mindflayer trance. Oh, wait.

Consider it incredibly fanfic-y, but it's on the table now. An action scene at the church involving Byler where Noah is wearing contacts - Will becoming possessed just like Henry again and being made to fight Mike as not only part of the plan to get all of the Wheelers, but also as something that would break Will's spirit permanently. They're all alone with nobody to help save Mike. But the plan is thwarted through the power of love, and in a place that represents a lot of shame for gay men (especially in the 80s) - they finally come together. And it is love that frees Will from his trance. Whether through a confession or true love's kiss. It would be so dramatic and atmospheric.

Additional evidence:

Jopper's Season 4 reunion and kiss inside the Russian church, of which this would be a parallel.

The whole idea of "we kissed, as though nothing could fall. And the shame was on the other side" from David Bowie's Heroes - the shame being in the actual church from the rightside up, but they're alone together on the other side / in the Upside Down.

It is also very likely that this scene is from Episode 5 or 6. I've asked and nobody seems to know which episode it is from, but following the logic of Episode 4 being when the characters enter in groups into the Upside Down, and here Byler are all alone, it is definitely after some time has passed and groups have split further. They're definitely not having any kind of confession in the first half of the season, so this timing sounds positive.

Multiple rehearsals. Noah contacting his acting coach recently for advice. Them even having to cancel an entire shoot because of a sty indicates close-up shots for sure.

Anyway. I'd really love to see people's thoughts on this. I feel like there's even more I could get into in follow-up posts, especially if other people chime in with their thoughts. I have been buzzing about this scene for weeks now. I want to start another gate for old time's sake, so please use #churchgate if you want to make your own posts about this!

[tags-wheeler]

everyone's talking about "oh look, nancy and el content!" or "oh my gosh! more hopper and mike stuff!!!" but why are we brushing past the fact that there is going to be JOYCE AND ROBIN CONTENT???

LIKE, HELLO??? this dynamic could be AMAZING??? supportive mom + a dorky lesbian??? SERIOUSLY!!