#baby's first in-depth byler analysis

[stranger-things-rewrite-takes]

I can't stand the backslide in fandom analysis capabilities. I had hope back when the byler film analysis renaissance hit in 2022, but that just fizzled out into "uuuu :( it's too complex". the show isn't even all that complicated, either. so far, it's been very straightforward. compare it to x-files or dr. who, and people will see how not convoluted the plot is. hell, compare it to lord of the rings lore.

like 001 for example. if you start the show with 011, you're gonna have to explain 001. that was always coming. that was easily predictable as a point that was eventually going to come up. el was always going to have to meet her source. the only plot twist in that is that he's tied to the upside down. or another example, people are saying time travel is too complex. meanwhile they've been spoon-feeding us time travel references since the very first episode of the show. it was coming. they've been very blatant about it. same with the new stage play thing. henry's full backstory was always coming. it was going to have its big exposition. unless they had gone the route of "001 was a test tube baby", there was always going to have to be an explanation for him.

it's basic storytelling, and honestly the easter eggs have been really fun/clear for all three of the points i mentioned, but people want a mushy, digestible plot. heaven forbid they have to think about the plot for longer than 2 seconds in a row.

tl;dr: my hot take is that the show has been fairly well done, people are just brainrotted by spoonfed media and would rather have the show be told at heartstopper levels of media comprehension.

Okay yeah no I definitely get this. I’m kind of going back on something I said earlier about the convoluted-ness of the plot but it’s less that it actually IS convoluted (it’s not actually, you’re right, the lore can be summarized as “guy gets powers, guy can’t be contained well so the lab tried to replicate him, guy gets sent to alternate world where monsters roam. This world collides with ours, plot happens.”) and more just that it’s executed in a way where I think a plot twist was preferred over incomprehensible horror that the show appears to constantly WANT to do but doesn’t have the guts to stick with it in a meaningful way.

I VERY much appreciated the heaps of analysis when it came to Byler stuff back in 2022- it was a gold mine for good old fashioned in depth analysis. Got me to ship the two, anyway.

The time travel is not complex at all lol it’s been set up for ages with little nods here and there at least- and straight up in your face “TIME IS IMPORTANT” in others. I can’t remember all the instances off the top of my head but I can do a deep dive at some point (if inclined) about how time travel has been set up as a point in the show.

[shutuperce]

something something mike wearing will’s colours during these moments and what it all means 

1. there’s a lot to unpack here but THIS ENTIRE montage. first of all, el dumps him when he’s wearing will’s colours and not his own. this is the only occurrence of him wearing just yellow as opposed to yellow and blue. 

he’s wearing it for all of the romantic-coded material girl montage of el and max, including this iconic gay panic where we see fear in his eyes at the sight of women’s lingerie.

and this ridiculously romance-coded shot of him kneeling next to a jewellery case with will in the frame. there’s a post out there somewhere explaining this better but why would will be in the shot? lucas isn’t, despite the fact that he’s also standing right there. and mike didn’t really have to kneel down, my bad posture king could have just hunched over the case for the same, will-less shot. and yet here we are. idk man sort of proposal-coded

honorable mention: el is momentarily wearing blue and yellow in this scene. she’s putting aside mike for the moment and exploring both herself and a new friendship. she’s realised she doesn’t need him to function and be happy, and it feels like she’s also giving him permission to start exploring other relationships, hence the yellow for will. this is good, this is healthy. 

also, every single garment to the left of max is green or yellow hm

2. same outfit as the first point, but the byler rain scene. first of all, look at my guy. mike “heart eyes” wheeler indeed.

he knows he’s crossed a line with his “not my fault you don’t like girls” line. he was there for all of will’s bullying, all of lonnie’s taunts. mike knows how much that hurt will. below is his face just before will leaves. he knows what he’s done.

but, hang on a second. will just suggested it was dumb that mike is throwing everything away for his girlfriend, which makes a lot of sense. it’s unhealthy to do so, as is highlighted multiple times in this season. we all know it’s important to have relationships outside of romantic ones - those of family, friends, mentors, et cetera. will wasn’t suggesting he also didn’t want a girlfriend, or mike was wrong for wanting one, just that mike needs to stop throwing everything else in his life away. he’s trying to cling to childhood as well. but mike’s response is to lash out with the line - why? is he projecting? is he making a desperate attempt to clear the air about his own heterosexuality (or lack thereof)? i believe he is. he wouldn’t intentionally use that insult - an insult that has been crushing will his entire life - against him unless there was some kind of internal struggle surrounding his feelings for will as opposed to el.

and here. aha. michael wheeler. little man. your girlfriend just broke up with you, but what’s on your mind? upsetting will.

mike knows he crossed a line, and he’s back to apologise, donning a green raincoat over his yellow shirt. this is where the importance of it being ONLY yellow and not blue in this outfit comes in. he’s focusing on will. he may not have been during the rest of the day, but here, with the will-and-mike colour over the will colour, he’s not thinking about himself anymore. he’s put all of his confusion and pain aside to focus on making it up to will, biking to his house and knowing exactly where to find him when he isn’t home. season 1/2 mike is back for a moment and in-tune with will. there’s also the green, to emphasise how he’s trying to prop up their relationship once more. it’s the first green he’s worn all season, because it’s the first time he’s really focusing on healing his friendship with will. that is the only thing on his mind at this point, not any of his own concerns or needs.

3. the grocery aisle scene with el. this scene honestly felt so platonic to me, despite mike’s halfhearted attempt at telling el he loves her. plus the wording of “blank makes you crazy.” crazy. crazy together, you mean? 

in this scene the yellow is more subtle, because it’s more about mike being unsure of himself and his emotions than directly referencing byler. but he can’t say it. he can’t say i love you. maybe there’s something - or someone - who’s making him hold back. this might be a bit of a stretch, but the yellow around his neck on his collar could be something about his feelings for will holding him back from telling el he loves her. even though will isn’t directly trying to keep them apart, there’s something constricting mike in this scene, like a collar. that being said, the button is undone, suggesting mike is trying to put his confusion aside and be dedicated to el. 

4. double date time, baby. mike’s got a lot of yellow on for the iconic hand-holding and lip-glancing movie theatre scene. but his gay ass little jean vest in blue is over his yellow t-shirt, possibly depicting mike covering his emotions surrounding will. 

it’s also the ensemble he’s got on when we clearly see the state of el and mike’s romantic relationship in the scene before. el isn’t interested in his goofy singing, clearly saying she “doesn’t like it”. this continues a common thread of them not having much in common. it’s established that they spend all of their time making out and this is scene as ‘unhealthy’ by hopper. 

5. the shed scene. need i say more. the yellow is subtler than some of the season 3 moments, but this scene is an important reminder that at their core, regardless of any romantic implications, will and mike are best friends. that’s something el and mike never got a chance to be, and i hope season 5 will explore platonic elmike because i really do think they are good friends. 

but back to this scene in season 2. we see mike at his best: loyal, kind, soft with will, concerned for his best friend. unlike with his protective moments with el (when she’s getting arrested in season 4, when he tells her she doesn’t have to use her powers to find billy in season 3, etc), there’s no hint of a saviour complex. he reassures will, but he isn’t saying, it’s okay, i’ll make it all okay like he does with el. he just opens up, unafraid to express his feelings and cry in front of will. that’s another thing he’s never been good at with el: opening up. as mentioned before, will and mike are best friends, and this scene as well as the rest of the byler scenes throughout season 2 shows us the level of both devotion and honesty they have with each other.

he’s got the same subtle yellow stripe below, where he shows up at the byers’ and knows something is wrong with will. again, it’s established how well he can read his friend and how much he loves him. he’s always been very in-tune with will’s emotions, although this is clouded with confusion about his own in later seasons.

6. mike what are you wearing scene, aka In The Closet At The Rink-O-Mania. well. he’s wearing yellow, for sure. and there’s already a lot of good content out there surrounding his sunglasses and el, so i’m just gonna go ahead and focus on his (eye-scorching) yellow ensemble (maybe it’s a metaphor for how obvious his love for will is). warning: very unserious analysis below because it’s been said so many times and is also painfully obvious, just like mike wheeler in a crowd. 

mike wheeler is back at it again, stunning in blue and yellow to burn the eyeballs of innocent californians. and he’s seeing will and el again!! and he’s awkwardly half-hugging will for no reason!! which, as many have already said, makes no sense from a platonic pov. why can’t you hug your friend? you’ve done it many times before. y’all are KNOWN for having no personal space around each other. and if mike doesn’t know about will’s feelings, this awkwardness is because of his own feelings for will. 

then there’s the whole “you’ve been moping, your bad mood is making me in a bad mood cus i love you and i can’t see you unhappy, will baby please talk to me 🥺🥺” shit that goes down while his GIRLFRIEND has just been publicly humiliated and bullied and is crying in a closet. so um. mike. anyways. 

7. honorable mention to his warm sort of yellowy shirt with blue during the whole byers leaving scene where el kisses him and he doesn’t kiss her back, where he makes heart eyes at will, et cetera. i’ve run out of analysis juice and y’all know what i mean anyways. 

8. finally, just going to go ahead and point out that mike is wearing all green when he’s leafing through will’s art. so yeah, byler endgame. thanks for reading <3

love from, the homophobic dog