#i love mike and el as besties but as a couple? absolutely not

[thranduel]

the big difference between these two relationships

*these are my own personal opinions based on what i’ve observed in the show!! obviously all of these characters love each other so much but i just don't think mike and el work together romantically, while mike and will do (and there are so many reasons why!)

as we all know, mike and will completely understand each other and relate to each other, they feel like equals, they're honest with each other, they have many deep and meaningful heart-to-heart conversations and they can actually be themselves when they’re together. mike and el don't fully understand each other or relate to each other, they feel completely different from one another (mike admitted he feels inferior to el and el admitted she feels like she doesn't belong anywhere), they lie to each other, they don't have any deep and meaningful heart-to-heart conversations and they can’t even be themselves when they’re together (they literally prove this in the show).

el believes that mike has been scared of her several times and sees her as a monster (obviously we know he doesn’t actually think she is one), but the point is that she still feels like a monster, and there are several scenes where mike unintentionally triggers traumatic memories of brenner right after he gets angry at el when she does something that scares him (like when she accidentally hurt lucas and and when she hit angela with the rollerskate). obviously mike and brenner are NOT the same at all, they are completely different people, but there are some parallels between them when it comes to how they view el as a superhero and how they put pressure on her to always save the day (“you’re MY superhero!”, “you can fly!”) and how they praise her for her powers more than who she actually is as a person. they’ve both called her “incredible” several times but it’s always about her abilities. but with will on the other hand, mike has always made him feel safe and comfortable for who he is and he doesn’t feel like a mistake at all because of mike. he has always been extremely protective, observant and caring towards will and he knows how to make him feel loved and accepted. the only time mike upsets will is when he excludes him, but the only reason he excludes him is because he forces himself to pay attention to el and then he pretends to be someone he’s not when he’s with her… see, it just shows how it’s not healthy or fair to anyone and mike can only be himself when he’s with will.

mike and el

season 4 episode 3: during their fight scene, el tells mike that she’s different from everyone else. he tries explaining that he understands what she’s going through because he’s been bullied his whole life but she says he never will. this already shows us that they don’t feel equal to each other in the relationship and they’re never on the same page, because unfortunately, they are very different and have experienced different things in their life, and no matter how long they date, they always will be different. obviously relationships can work like this in some cases, but the thing is with mike and el, they don’t have any sort of character growth or development at all. they don’t become stronger as a couple. in fact, i think they’ve only gotten worse. they can’t even communicate honestly or be themselves around each other. they’ve never had a meaningful heart-to-heart conversation or resolved their conflicts properly. they constantly lie and pretend to be people they’re not (el literally lied to mike the entire time they were sending letters and acted like her life was good when it wasn’t) and mike acts so different around el and forces himself to focus on her which results in him excluding all his friends. this isn’t healthy or fair to anyone, and continuing to force two teenagers in a relationship where they don’t understand each other and can’t even be themselves with each other is really weird. anyways, el says “you think i’m a monster too” and mike doesn’t really try hard to deny it, he just lies and makes her feel like she’s being ridiculous like he’s done to her this entire scene. we know that mike obviously doesn’t think el is a bad person at all, but there have been several times where he has been scared of her and she knows that too.

in season 1 when they find will’s body, mike slaps el’s hand away and yells at her because he feels betrayed. he realises that el is just a stranger that he’s been trusting and following around even though he barely knows her, and when he sees the body and believes it’s will, it absolutely breaks him and he thinks she’s been lying to him. a few episodes later, el freaks out and sends lucas flying across the junkyard with her powers, and it knocks him unconscious. mike is understandably terrified and angry because his friend got hurt. he yells at her again and this triggers a traumatic memory from the lab. this shows that mike’s reaction reminded her of brenner (there are actually many parallels between mike and brenner, and even in mike’s monologue to el in season 4 episode 9, he says the same things brenner said to el. they both go on about how she’s a superhero that can fly and she obviously doesn’t want to hear that all the time since she’s her own person as well, but they never seem to mention her actual personality or what she does outside of being a superhero). in season 4 episode 2, el hits angela in the face with a rollerskate. mike looks terrified and it parallels to brenner again because mike's words triggered a traumatic memory. even at the dinner table, mike is still annoyed and makes a sarcastic comment which upsets el. in episode 9 during his monologue, he lies and says he’s never been scared of her which we know isn’t true. that entire monologue was pretty much filled with lies that contradict things we’ve already seen and it just felt like an insult to el. i also didn’t like how mike said “you’re my superhero” and listed what she can do with her powers but he couldn’t even mention anything about her personality, because he doesn’t even truly know her since they can’t even be themselves with each other. they don’t even share any similar interests and hobbies. the only thing mike knows about her outside of being a superhero is that she likes eggos and that’s about it.

you can argue that he tried making her feel good about who she is in his monologue but he was lying during so much of it that it doesn’t feel genuine at all. people also need to realise that it’s unhealthy that mike has an inferiority complex. he literally admitted that he feels inferior to el because she’s a superhero with powers. he said it wasn't fate or destiny but dumb luck that superman landed on his doorstep. he saw that el was vulnerable and needed help and he just happened to be there. he also probably feels better about himself for being able to get a girl with powers because no girls have ever shown any interest in him before (and it doesn't seem like he had any interest in girls either). but the entire time he was talking in the car, he was talking about himself and how he wants to be "needed" by el because it boosts his confidence but he never mentioned what el actually needs, especially at that time in her life when he met her. she just got out of a lab and needed to grow rather than being pushed into romance before knowing what romance was. mike had a crush on her but she didn’t have a crush on him. she thought he would be like her brother and she only saw him as a friend that cared for her. obviously mike didn’t have any bad intentions when he kissed her, he was just a kid and it was supposed to be cute and wholesome, but the point is that he did what he wanted when she didn’t even understand the concept of romance and crushes. she didn’t really have a say and she didn't have any time to learn about this stuff. mike is the one that decided what their relationship was going to be without giving her a chance to discover herself first. it was also harder for el because she couldn’t communicate the same way mike could, so everything happened so quickly for her and it just doesn’t feel right that she couldn’t decide on her own. their relationship would've been so much better if it developed slowly and el had time to decide if she liked mike romantically HERSELF, without mike being the one to put things in her head. i think it's also important to mention that there was a literally an entire plot in season 3 that focused on how mike has prevented el from discovering herself and what she likes. max literally encouraged her to break up with him, and when she did, she looked the happiest she had ever been. max actually allowed her to find her own style and think for herself instead of letting the men in her life tell her what to do.

mike and will

season 4 episode 8: during the car scene, will confesses his love to mike using eleven’s name. he mentions how he feels like a mistake sometimes because he’s different but mike is the only person that doesn’t make him feel like a mistake. they were each other’s first friend, they’ve known each other for most of their lives, they have always felt like equals in the relationship, they’ve experienced the same struggles as they’ve been outcasts their whole lives and got bullied at school, they both understand each other better than anyone else and they can be themselves with each other. neither feels superior or inferior to the other (unlike mike and el, where mike literally admitted he feels inferior to el because she’s a superhero with powers and he wants to be “needed” by her… the whole thing isn’t healthy or fair to anyone at all). mike and will have only had two fights and both times it was because will felt excluded by mike because he was too busy with el. in season 3 episode 3, will felt called out when mike said “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls”. he was obviously already hurt for many reasons here, but hearing this would’ve made it even harder for him. but we know that mike didn’t mean it that way and he immediately regretted it because he just said it without thinking (it also sounded like he was actually projecting because of internalised homophobia). the other time they argued was at the roller rink and it sounds like mike is projecting here too when he says “we’re friends” twice and gets defensive about it. after both of these fights, mike immediately goes to apologise to will because he can’t stand seeing him upset and he had to make sure he was okay and knew that he was genuinely sorry for hurting him. it’s important to note that mike is stubborn when it comes to apologising but he always apologises to will without question. in season 4 episode 4, he doesn't let will try to blame himself either. mike takes full responsibility for the way he treated will and admits that things have felt weird because hawkins wasn't the same without him and he was afraid of losing him. this is a parallel to the scene in season 4 episode 8 where will also admits that if he was mean to mike or seemed like he was pushing him away, it's because he was scared to lose him too.

“if [i] was mean to you or [i] seemed like [i] was pushing you away, it’s probably because [i'm] scared of losing you just like you’re scared of losing [me]”

even though he used el to disguise his feelings, i think mike will eventually realise will was talking about himself here because it's the only thing that makes sense. el never pushed mike away and they stayed in contact by sending each other letters, but mike and will lost contact and pushed each other away because they love each other and they're scared of losing each other. that's why this line during the car monologue can only be applied to mike and will. also, when mike said his monologue to el, he copied a lot of what will said and he was basically responding to will's love confession for him without even realising it.

anyways, the scene where will told mike he doesn’t feel like a mistake because of him also reminded me of the one in season 2 where will and jonathan are talking and will gets upset. he says “mom, dustin, lucas, everyone. they all treat me like i’m gonna break, like i’m a baby, like i can’t handle things on my own”. notice how he doesn’t mention mike? that’s because mike has never made him feel that way. mike stayed by will’s side throughout all of season 2 to take care of him but he never treated him like he was a baby or made him feel bad about anything. he was just there by his side and provided support when he needed it. when will was explaining what he saw on halloween night, mike listened so carefully. he didn't make him feel like there was something wrong with him and he told him that they'll both go crazy together. in season 2 episode 5 when will is talking about the mindflayer spying on them, mike tries making the situation positive by saying how it would be cool for will to be like a super-spy. will almost let out a little laugh because of it even though he was terrified in the moment. it just shows that mike always makes him feel better. and when will was anxious and shaking, mike noticed and put his hand on top of his to calm him down. mike is also the only person that will opens up to when he's struggling which shows how comfortable he feels around him. in season 2 he told him about everything going on with the mindflayer, and in season 4 he's the first person that he spoke to when they arrived back in hawkins. mike also helped will snap out of his upside down trances in season 2 and he would always make sure he was okay and stayed by his side. even after will becomes "the spy", mike never takes his anger out on will or yells at him because he knows it's not his fault, and he stays by his side even though he knows it's risky to be around him. in the shed scene, he was so calm and gentle while telling will the story of how they first met. they were both crying during this scene and it was extremely emotional. it's also probably my favourite scene in the entire show.

there’s such a big difference between both of these relationships and i think it’s really important to discuss. it's obvious that all of them love each other so much, but the difference is that mike and el don't work together romantically at all, while mike and will could be one of the most well-written and genuine relationships because they understand each other better than anyone and they fit together so well. i think mike and el could have one of the strongest and most beautiful friendships too, but they just don't work together as a couple and we've seen why so many times. anyone that pays attention to the show would see that mike and el can’t even be themselves around each other and mike's character got worse the moment he started dating el. he was just reduced to her boyfriend, had no individual character growth and development AND it's just simply not healthy because he feels inferior to her and pretends to be someone he’s not when she's around. he sees her as an awesome superhero with powers but he can’t even name anything about who she is as a person or anything about her personality. el also hasn’t had the chance to grow on her own and make her own decisions. even when she’s starting to finally have her own character development, she always ends up back with mike, and the fact that he needed to say a monologue (that was literally filled with lies!) to “give her strength” while her best friend was suffering in front of her just feels really weird and the entire thing was cheesy. it’s just not healthy or fair to either of them. mike and will on the other hand have the closest relationship in the show and understand each other better than anyone else. it's also just been fully confirmed that will has been in love with mike from the very beginning and they have the most history and build up, even if we don't see all of it on screen. mike can only be himself when he’s with will and that says SO much too. they see each other as equals, they’re always on the same page and they love each other for exactly who they are. obviously mike and el love each other too, i just don't think they belong together romantically because their relationship just simply isn't healthy. i think they rushed into it way too quickly and mike got carried away because she's a superhero, as he's said over and over again. he couldn't even tell her he loved her when she was crying in front of him without her powers, but the moment she gets her powers back and will confesses his OWN feelings for mike and convinces him that el "needs" him, he can suddenly tell her he loves her? i don't know, the whole thing is just messy lol.

[deansluvbot]

my stranger things ships ratings

mike/el: 1/10 they seem kind of toxic also they got together when el literally had no concept of what love was. she could barely speak.

will/mike: 6/10 eh, it’s alright. will obviously has a crush on mike but i feel like mike just doesn’t like will like that. they are growing apart to much as well

lucas/max: 9/10 love them!! they are so cute, soulmates. they lost a point because they keep breaking up and getting back together

el/max: 9/10 love them!! el is so much herself when she’s with max and they are both so happy when they are together.

el/max/lucas: 10/10 love this!! both elmax and lumax won! max can date them both no problem

max/mike: 1/10 nah, they are all platonic. frenemies. i don’t see them as a couple as all

el/lucas: 5/10 it’s cute! love them. not much to say about this

lucas/will: 10/10 LOVE THEM!! comfort ship. they are so cute!! i don’t care if i get hate for this

lucas/dustin: 10/10 I LOVE THEM!! another comfort ship. they are adorable

mike/lucas: 5/10 personally i don’t ship them but they would be cute. i have no problem with people shipping this

will/dustin: 3/10 they are platonic besties. they would be cute i guess. i don’t ship but i can see how people do.

dustin/suzie: 7/10 they are cute. loved the never ending story scene. did wish they had more scenes tho

max/dustin: 5/10 they are okay. dustin’s little crush in season 2 was cute but i see them as chaotic besties. i can see how people ship this tho

el/will: -10/10 they are siblings!! if you ship this don’t talk to me.

dustin/mike: 0/10 i didn’t even know people shipped this. definitely not. they are friends only

max/will: 0/10 definitely not. they are platonic only!!

steve/eddie: 10/10 LOVE THEM!! OBSESSED!! comfort ship for sure. wish they had more screen time!! the whole opposite dynamics, the jock and the freak, all the flirting and looks, love it!!

robin/nancy: 10/10 LOVE THEM!! again opposite dynamics! perfect!

robin/steve: -10/10 robin is a lesbian, that’s just erasing her sexuality. block me if you ship this. THEY ARE PLATONIC BESTIES

steve/billy: -10/10 same with this, block me if you ship this! billy is a literal racist and abusive.

eddie/billy: -10/10 no! same with this, block me if you ship this!! or any billy ship tbh

jonathan/nancy: 5/10 they are cute. shipped them a lot in season 1-3 but they are no as compatible anymore. they have different paths in life. still cute tho

jonathan/argyle: 9/10 absolutely love them. they are chaotic boyfriends.

steve/nancy: 1/10 no just no. kind of shipped them is season 1 but they are friends and friends only

jonathan/steve: 8/10 it’s cute. jonathan was definitely steve’s bi awaking. the opposite dynamics of jock and freak again. adorable

eddie/chrissy: no just no. they are lesbian and gay solitary

robin/eddie: -10/10 again. ROBIN IS A LITERAL LESBIAN. block me if you ship this. they are lesbian and gay solitary

joyce/hopper: 10/10 love them. my parents. need i say more.

(let me know if i forgot any!!)

[unmatchedtemptress]

Chaotic Stranger Things Headcanons because why the fuck not?

Will is the BIGGEST little shit

If Jonathan were to get glasses, Will and Argyle would call him a nerd because they’re mean like that (despite Will being a nerd)

Will stretches like a cat (and Mike may or may not enjoy it because his shirt rides up enough to see his belly)

Animals love Will (he thinks it’s because he smells like Chester but no, he’s just an animal magnet)

Will is super non-threatening however, he could blow up a building if he wanted to (canon)

Brenner throws those bouncy yoga balls at children when they don’t do what he asks (totally not canon, I just find it fucking hilarious)

Will brags about getting more women then Lucas and Dustin despite being gay

Mike and Lucas are type of bros to go into a mall bathroom to make out but like- “no homo”

And Will and Dustin are the type of bros to act like an actual couple “full homo bro”

Lucas is the type of bestie to joke about those “I fucked your mom jokes” and just overall flirt with the rest of the party’s moms

Lucas and Will are like mean girls from the movie “Mean Girls”

Dustin is sick of everyone’s bullshit 24/7

Will is fluent in a few languages and he just yells at homophobes in non-English languages because “wtf could he be saying??!” And they’re scared shitless and Will just- chases them and the party watches from a far

Will “dies” again, but he was really on a vay-cay with a cousin of his and he forgets to tell his mom but he comes back in the middle of the school day, his mom at work and Jonathan at school and there’s this assembly, he goes there dressed up like a damn cowboy and knocks down the door with his boot and yells out “howdy bitches” and hopper is trying not to laugh is ass off

Lonnie falls off a roof while drunk one time and he’s on the news because someone fucking records it and Will and Jonathan see it and almost die of laughter

Lesbian el ❤️💕♥️💗💕💗

Max and Will braid each other’s hair (because I think Will having long hair is amazing)

Mike and Max draw on each other with sharpies whenever the other is asleep

Lonnie being the new and improved “Florida man” (me and Izzy were cracking up too hard with this one)

Max would yell and make fun of her students if she were a teacher

Dustin is a turtle collector, he goes to stores with his friends and he somehow buys a turtle

Max’s favorite word is No

Mike somehow manages to be a golden retriever and a gremlin at the same time

Will, El, and Max make this big cuddle pile

Will and Max have roasting battles (because Will roasts everyone.)

Will is hella fucking sassy

Will enjoys watching horror movies DESPITE living through a literal hell

Will and El give the best hugs and cuddles

Mike gets super fucking whiny when he’s sick

If the party were to all move in together, Dustin would make everyone coffee because he likes pushing the buttons

El hates coffee because it’s too bitter for her, so she just drinks apple juice instead

El steals Jonathan’s camera a lot so she can take pictures of the people she loves most whenever they aren’t looking

Lucas dances weirdly and everyone else just judges him from afar

Everyone (besides el) had a crush on Will at some point because he’s not only cute but he’s also just amazing

Max finds out that Will kissed Mike, Dustin, and Lucas at some point and was just like “yeah! go kiss them losers!”

El LOVES to watch Will do something art related, it’s just so peaceful

Mike gets really good at flirting and really just loses his awkwardness as he grows older

Dustin jokes that he’s gonna say “fuck science, I’ll just be a dumpster driver” a lot when he’s younger but then it actually happens when he’s in college

Steve calls Will “mini byers”

Steve and Will are the best of besties (same with Steve and Dustin but hey, that’s canon)

Steve has the absolute FATTEST crush on Jonathan and rants to Robin, Dustin, and Will because he’s a chaotic bisexual that rants

Nancy is really just a lesbian with internalized homophobia from her stupid ass useless piece of shit dad and tells Steve and Jonathan and they’re both super supportive but they’re both also like “well. that was pointless.”

Robin is in denial with her crush on Nancy

Everyone is gay. No one is straight.

Steve tries using a gun at a monster at some point and he misses every time but he then just throws it at its head like it’ll actually give damage

Steve probably has a daddy kink, whether it’s being called daddy or calling someone (Jonathan) daddy (most likely the second option)

Steve the bisexual king

Will gives everyone rocks and Steve treasures those rocks

Will makes fun of Stonathan but in an affectionate way

Robin laughs like a dying whale, it’s so loud

Mike and Robin are little gremlins together and they annoy Nancy A LOT

Karen adores Will, always has and always will

Steve and Robin make fun of Will for being clumsy

Will makes fun of his trauma and has dark humor

Every time robin walks into the room, someone makes a joke about the Red Robin thing “Red Robin, Yummm”

Robin is the chill lesbian while Nancy is the sassy lesbian

Nancy is unbelievably supportive

After getting to know Robin, Nancy actually starts to open up quite a bit, like she starts to joke more often, she starts getting less serious about things, and she really starts to get out of her shell (she just needed that little push to let her know that it’s ok to not be normal)

Mike makes Nancy get all the spider in the house because he’s too much of a cry baby to do it himself

Mike and Nancy make fun of each other’s crushes on Will and Robin but in a sweet sibling way

Mike popped his nutsack when he was 12 years old and had to go to the hospital (no one lets him live it down)

Mike made cheese as fuck pick up lines towards Will when they were freshmen in high school

Jonathan may be good at cooking but he’s a terrible baker

Jonathan care so much about his family; Joyce and Will, and Steve just adores him for it

Holly loves Will to death

Will and Jonathan being sweet protective siblings and caring for each other to the ends of earth but that doesn’t mean that they don’t make fun of each other

Hopper has the biggest soft spot for Joyce omg

And Joyce sees everyone as her children; Will, Mike, Dustin, Max, Lucas, El, Steve, Robin, Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle

Argyle loves nothing more than weed

Argyle is just one high bitch 24/7

Dustin is Argyles favorite because he just finds Dustin funky but in the cool type of way

Will is confident as fuck

Elmax are the chillest couple of them all, they just cuddle and make fun of everyone

[cosmicbrowniefan]

i can’t stop picturing a stranger things x it crossover

there are so many fucking things i’m picturing and i need you to picture it too so here.

so obviously we are going to stick with the storyline of mike wheeler and richie being twins

i’m definitely picturing a massive dnd club with mike w, will, dustin, lucas, richie, bill, stan, and eddie

richie gets threatened to be kicked out constantly bc of how fucking annoying he is while playing

max is always making fun of them for being obsessed with their “nerd game” but she’s secretly a little jealous that they have this thing together so she decides to make her own group for competitive uno playing and it’s made up of her, el, bev, mike h, ben, will, and stan

max decided that the others were too loud and annoying when playing games and enjoys pissing them off a little bit by not letting them join in

the losers club and the party always have competitions of who’s fought worse demons

these competitions are basically just arguments

also they’re only between mike w and richie

i also have this theory that pennywise and the upside-down kinda destroy each other due to richie taunting both pennywise and the mind-flayer and saying that each isn’t as scary as the either

leave it to richie to destroy hell by making fun of demons

but yeah enough of that clown fucker and the dnd villains let’s get back to our favorite kiddos

you thought steve was stressed out before? just wait until the party becomes friends with the losers club

suddenly this mf gained a shit ton more children to look after

which robin thinks is absolutely fucking hilarious

there are definitely a couple different sleepover squads that pair off from the whole big group of them but let me just say my two favorite squads: the chill squad and the chaos squad

the chill squad consists of will, bev, mike h, stan, ben, and el

the chaos squad consists of richie, mike w, bill, dustin, lucas, eddie, and max

the chill squad basically just makes food and plays games and has deep talks

the chaos squad basically plays videos games, screams at each other, and runs around the neighborhood at night

some of my other favorite squads include when the group is split up based on their crushes

aka richie, bill, mike w, bev, and max are a squad that talk about their crushes

and eddie, stan, will, ben, and el are a squad that talk about their crushes

obviously. on each other

but i digress

you know what else i love to imagine? ben expanding the clubhouse to fit the entire squad

you thought eddie and richie argued over the hammock? yeah just wait until max, lucas, and mike w join in on that shit

ben very quickly reaches into his savings account to buy a few more hammocks to attempt to reach some peace and quiet

but richie and eddie very conveniently continue to argue over one hammock, each claiming that it’s their favorite hammock

and that results in each of them begrudgingly sharing it (even though that’s what they both wanted all along)

one of my favorite duos has got to be will and stan

those two are straight up besties

and they constantly make fun of each other for the stupid stuff bill and mike w do

and they are really good for each other to talk to about their feelings and their depression and it’s really therapeutic for them

also, bev, max, and el are the power team

talk about girl power, those three are smarter than all the others combined in one

and the boys would 110% have blown themselves up at this point if it weren’t for them

ALSO

LET’S JUST TALK ABOUT HOW PISSY RICHIE GETS WHEN MAX BEATS HIM IN STREET FIGHTER

this mf will literally spend his life savings trying to prove that he’s better at it than she is

“dude, stop trying, she’s already got the new record on dig dug”

“ANYONE CAN DO THAT”

mike h and el have a game they play where they add tally marks every time mike w and richie argue with each other for being literally the same fucking person

lucas once suggested they make it a game where they take shots but after five in a half hour, the two of them decided to call it quits

speaking of lucas, he is BEYOND ecstatic to finally have someone in the group that enjoys sports

he and bill play basketball together, and he, bill, and stan play baseball together on the school team

the others always come to their games to support them but they don’t pretend to understand what was going on

i also really think dustin and bev would be great friends

like something about their energy just meshes well together and i have a feeling they’d do something like start a podcast

in conclusion. i love all of these kids so fucking much and i could talk about a stranger things x it mash up for forever

[booksandpaperss]

With all the playlistgate stuff going on, I decided to do a re-listen to Mike’s basement beats and BRO

WE DO NOT TALK ENOUGH ABOUT HOW THIS SONG IS ON MIKE’S PLAYLIST.

I know there are sooo many posts about songs that are byler or Mike or Will coded, but I implore you to stay with me on this one, it’s worth it—

For reference, here are the very starting lyrics:

My love and I, we work well together

But we’re often apart

Absence makes the heart lose wager

Til love breaks down, love breaks down

Now what couple in the show does that sound like? Hmmmm hint it’s mileven

And then right after that set of lyrics we have:

Oh my, oh my, have you seen the weather?

The sweet September rain

Rain on me like no other

Until I drown, Until I drown

Rain? RAIN??? Man, I *wonder* what moment this could be referencing…

Oh but the chorus is *by far* the best part:

When love breaks down

The things you do

To stop the truth from hurting you

When love breaks down

The lies we tell,

They only serve to fool ourselves

Every single analysis on s3 and 4 Mike summarized in only 6 lines of song lyrics.

And for me, a very specific s4 scene comes to mind:

Like were these lyrics not near exactly what this conversation was about??

“Sometimes.. it’s hard to open up like that. To say how you really feel. Because… what if they don’t like the truth?”

“When love breaks down, the things you do, to stop the truth from hurting you”

Same line, different words. Which, if we’re really analyzing these song lyrics here, would lead me to believe that the junkyard scene was about more than just one or even two secrets. This song lyric doubles as being about lying to someone you care about to stop the truth from hurting them, AND being about lying to yourself to avoid the truth that is already hurting you.

Ergo, it’s safe to assume that the same goes for the byler conversation in the junkyard. There’s already visual cinimatic proof that we’re meant to understand that conversation was about more than one thing: it’s clearly Will talking about his feelings for Mike, but Mike nods, he agrees with Will’s sentiment. The scene is already meant to be more than what we see at face value, I see no reason it cannot be even more multi-faceted. It is;

1). About Will hiding his feelings for Mike,

2). About Mike hiding his truth from El, and

3). About Mike finally *concluding* his denial arc of his own feelings for Will (per the song).

Again, this set of lyrics can honestly apply to the whole of Mike’s s4 arc and even parts of his s3 arc, it’s just that the junkyard scene in particular really feels like a direct reference to the chorus.

And deep dive analysis of lyrics aside, it is undeniable that this song is meant to be about lying to yourself, in whatever capacity you decide to take it. Just even more confirmation of how absolutely right we are that Mike has been lying to himself, otherwise why would this even be on his playlist??

Anyways stream Mike’s Basement Beats bc there is so much good stuff on there and I will forever stan it 😎😌

Tagging my fellow Mike’s Basement Beats Stan @yuriberryva and my #1 bestie @significant-ace-nnoyance bc Ik u guys will probably wanna see this 👀

[demadogs]

Why do you think will/Byler seems to get more active, targeted hate/homophobia than Robin/Rockie (or ronance)?

theres a lot of reasons.

robin became an established queer character the season she was introduced, and she was never in a hetero relationship before. for byler, mike specifically, its different because they hate the idea of a character they love “suddenly” being revealed as queer. because they refuse to look into all the queercoding, all theyve ever known is mike as a straight character in a relationship with a girl so they would be pissed if they found out theyve actually been rooting for a queer character.

robin and vickie also arent main characters. they see them as the shows representation points and thats the only purpose they serve. mike, will, and el however are the main characters and we so so rarely see main characters in media thats not explicitly a queer story end up being queer. this just doesnt happen. and if it does happen, their sexuality and feelings are revealed in the first season, second at the latest. never the last. and they also never leave a long term hetero relationship for it. again, this goes for shows that ARENT considered a queer show. maybe youd see this in heartstopper but a scifi horror show about an evil alternate dimension??? this is so rare.

because of that, they think we’re absolutely ridiculous for believing it will happen. i think the aggression and homophobia also has to do with them subconsciously seeing the signs that we’re pointing out and theyre getting mad that mlvn isnt the perfect couple they say they are. and/or theyre seeing the massive numbers of byler shippers compared to mlvn shippers and thats enough to piss them off and worry them that mlvn isnt endgame.

the biggest thing i think tho is mike. they chose to show mike deeply struggle with internalized homophobia and people dont like that. they see him with a girl and think “SEE!!!! HE’S STRAIGHT!!” even tho their relationship is obviously unhappy for both of them. a lot of times internalized homophobia is represented with the audience aware of their true feelings. this is one of the first times ive seen it played out where we’re given clues, but not seeing mikes pov at all. they wont like that. they’ll feel tricked.

robin also hasnt been represented as repressed at all. she assumed steve wouldnt want to be her friend but other than that she is not ashamed, just careful because she needs to be. i think homophobes prefer this in media. when they see the ugly side of it they claim theyre focusing way too much on the gay shit.

also the fact that will is their second canon queer character. like i said, they see robin as just a tool for representation points so the fact that theres a second queer character completely unrelated or uninvolved with the first one makes them think “you already have robin why do you need another gay character!!” i think this would also be the case if will was canon first and then robin was introduced.

i also think the fact that theyre guys makes a difference too. i think with robin and vickie, even tho its well established that at least robin has feelings, they can play it off as some girly besties hanging out but with guys its so different. we saw max and el holding hands in s3 and no one thought that was weird but we probably wouldnt see lucas and dustin like that. so i really dont think theyll like it if/when byler kiss.

for ronance i think since theres zero chance of that actually happening and most people who ship them are well aware of this, they dont even bother with the hate. bylers already half canon tho so they feel like their precious hetero ship is threatened.

i could write a whole paper about this honestly. theres so much else.

[bylrlvr]

unpopular opinion kind of but I want the painting reveal to be after the time jump. I still think midleven would break up pre-timejump, but the painting wouldn´t be neccesearly mentioned. obviously the break up would be initiated by el, mike wouldn´t really have the neurons to bring up the painting, his brain too full of mini identity crisis. plus I think it would be funny how the painting reveal would be the ultimate domino piece to make mike gets his shit together, but yk, no thanks. I need mike to get absolutely confused and stressed for two years, if will had to do it for a decade, then it´s his turn. then, what after those two years? I imagine elmike being besties is in, but mike´s not really bringing up the painting yet bc, even though they´re friends, how do you tell your ex that the painting her brother (who youhave some complex feelings for) gave you two years ago is the reason why you think of yourself as not a completely useless person? kind of an awkward conversation. so, I kind of have a personal headcanon on how this scene should go. first of all, parallels. what parallel am I referring to? not other than robin´s coming out scene. takes place after the time jump, so apocalyptic vibes are in, and what else to do in a apocalyptic moment than let it all out? both el and mike sitting at hopper´s cabin bathroom floor, maybe they´re on a mission or maybe just talking shit. it´s a nice moment, a heart to heart. probably their most genuine conversation, something they never really had while they were a couple. between laughts and sharing memories, mike thinks he should finally share his thoughts on the painting, I mean, it´s a pretty wholesome moment, they´re friends, it shouldn´t be awkward now. can I tell you something? just don´t make fun of me or, think I wanna make it awkward or anything, I mean, since we´re broken up and all- el just tells him it´s fine, we´re friends now, that was a long time ago, and it´s kind of the end of the world, you can get it off your chest. mike´s kind of nervous, but also kind of relieved, so he just says it. yk, two years ago I couldn´t tell you, because yk, the start of the apocalypse and all, and well, it would have been pretty awkard cause we had jus broken up- but, whatever. I guess I just, never really thanked you. el gets silent. yk for, the painting.el laughs. what painting. mike just blinks at her and laughs nervously. well, I guess you forgot, I knew it would be awkard. but, um, yeah, the painting you gave me? well, more like will. but it was technically you. el´s confused, but let´s him finish. I mean, it was a cool painting, but I guess the best thing tha came out of it was what you said avout me. you probably meant it platonicaly, but I really, um, I really liked it, I loved it! I was being a complete douche and you still manage to say those words about me. I was pretty confused though, it didn´t really seem like you but, it meant a lot to me. el thinks she must test the waters, now she´s as confused as mike was. what words excatly meant a lot to you exactly?. mike´s flustered now. well, about me being the heart, important yk? again, I was being a prick and yet, you saying those things about me, that you needed me, it was, probably the nicest thing someone has said about me. it caught me off guard, but it´s also the thing that has made me believe I´m not compeltly useless so. thanks. it´s nice to know you´re needed. el´s still staring at him, confused, but with a smile in her face. that´s really sweet. mike looks up to her. yeah. he let´s it slip as he smiles. I mean- no hard feelings. we´re friends now so- he gets cut off. but I never said that. el adds. what? and that´s when it hits them. both of them. you could say el´s being robin on this situation, she´s hearing mike´s (just like rob with steve) confession, but it´s mike who´s actually coming out with his feelings. there´s a breeze of an unspoken scret in the air, and then-

i- wow. i have nothing to add on to this, just one question: what is your ao3 (for scientific purposes)

[sennqu]

the post about the pocket and letters reminded of a post i wanted to make a while ago that i essentially left in the drafts because it could be taken as fighting words lmao.

but anyways, basically the post was about the fandom tendency for the parallels to supercede the text. in my view, the parallels are there mainly to support what the text is already saying or just as like a neat easter egg. but in itself the parallel isn't like... the reason for the text.

example: the rain fight and the eyewitness parallel.

S3 shows Will having absolutely no interest in Mike and Lucas' relationship troubles, preferring to bullheadedly steer the afternoon to a game of DnD. Mike and Lucas get annoyed with Will and derail the game. Will in turn gets mad that he wasn't being taken seriously and leaves. This leads to the rain fight between Mike and Will, with Will as the instigator. The crux of their fight is that Will believes Mike's interest in a stupid girl like El is ruining the Party, while Mike believes Will is being childish and refusing to grow up. Important to note that they are around 13-14 years old during this.

The direction and cinematography of their fight is paralleled to the fight between a closeted high school age couple in the tv show Eyewitness. The character Mike is paralleled to is dealing with internalized homophobia, saying things like "I'm not gay like you" and clinging to a straight relationship, while the character Will is paralleled to, Philip, is the more self-confident party.

The parallel in itself doesn't give the motive for Mike and Will's fight. i.e., the reasons for their fight aren't the same as Lukas and Philip's fight. But what the parallel does do is give the observant viewer (if they are familiar with Eyewitness) a clue that Mike and Will's relationship may have a romantic component by comparing them to a romantic couple. It's just not a 1 to 1 thing.

Another example I guess would be the awkward byler airport hug vs. the Ron-Hermione scene. The comparison implies a romantic component for Will and Mike's relationship but it again doesn't match up 1 to 1 with the actual character motivations.

Like, Will was ready to give Mike 6 months worth of hug despite being the character shown in text to be the one in love with his bestie. The only thing that actually stopped him was that Mike himself didn't want a hug.

[allaboardtheussharringrove]

So @billy-baby mentioned That 70’s Show and Harringrove, and it reminded me of a *whole ass* set of hc’s about a 70’s/Stranger Things AU that has been sitting in my notes for literal years collecting dust, so here it is:

-Billy & Hyde would be besties, probably neighbours in the same shitty neighbourhood

-They headbang to hard rock and metal, jam to 60’s & 70’s rock while drinking TONS of beer and hotboxing the Camaro and El Camino, respectively

-Bands they’d have in common: AC/DC, Black Sabbath & Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, KISS, Judas Priest, Van Halen, and Led Zeppelin just to name a couple

-Hyde always gives Billy shit for like, never wearing a shirt, Billy gives Hyde shit for his ever-present sunglasses & sideburns

-They know each other’s parental problems, and take refuge in the Forman’s basement/the empty Harrington house (yes, we’re talkin’ a Hawkins, Indiana/Point Place, Wisconsin mashup here)

-Billy still has a major crush on Steve (Harrington that is, Steven Hyde will only be referred to as Hyde [and that possible name mix-up could cause some hilarity whenever anyone calls out “Steven”, and some embarrassing rumour drama for Billy, Steve, & Hyde (or omg a block party at the Formans where Kitty calls out “William! Steven! Michael!” And she turns around and has Billy, Will, Hyde, Steve, Mike, and Kelso starting at her expectantly)])

-Billy probably also thinks Eric and Kelso are kinda cute, but total dumbasses, they both definitely annoy him

-Fez would have a totally awkward and hilarious crush on Billy, and you just know Billy would flirt with him on purpose just to make him nervous (this might make Steve a lil jealous and annoy him to no end)

-Jackie would have the BIGGEST crush on Steve, after Kelso, and drag him around to go shopping and shit, he would tolerate it but Billy would absolutely hate her as a “bitchy rich entitled snot-nosed brat” cause she would be vocal about him being poor and he’d have to be calmed down by Hyde and Steve all the time

-Billy would give Hyde an unimaginable amount of shit for going out with Jackie, hooo boy!

-Steve would get a kick outta Kelso, but I think he and Eric would be pretty close friends, with Steve always pushing to hang around at the Forman’s cause Eric’s parents are always present, as opposed to his empty house (he adores Kitty Forman for SURE as the mother he never had)

-But the gang would surely hold parties at the Harrington’s....and only sometimes get away with it (both these groups are known for their KEGS! and the 70’s teens would lose their damn minds over Keg Kings Billy & Steve)

-Billy would put the charm on for Kitty sometimes just to see her blush, and Red would get annoyed and just a little threatening saying something like “Like to see how charming you are with my foot up your ass” and Billy being the abused kid that he is automatically takes it a little too seriously- probably flinches, goes a little pale, stutters out a “Yes sir, sorry sir”

-This would make Kitty and Red a bit concerned, pay a visit to the Hargrove household- I wouldn’t be surprised if they experience Neil putting Billy down or catch a glimpse of a smack or something and they would for sure take action with Red intimidating Neil cause you know he could

-Anyway! Girls. Robin and Donna would be THE BEST FRIENDS EVER, cause Donna had no other cool girl friend to hang out with and you just KNOW Robin might have an “itsy bitsy” (huge) crush on Donna, cause she’s Hot Donna, also they’re both super into female empowerment (and honestly, when Donna/Eric break up I could see her maybe falling for Robin too)

-Donna and Billy would be buds, she might like him for a hot minute but be cool with him being gay (Out of everyone in the 70’s gang, I think he’d most likely share this with her - cause she’d probably figure it out - even if it’s just to gush about their dumb, brave, pretty brunette boys to each other)

-Max would LOVE Donna, not just because of the hair (but also redhead solidarity is important), but because they’re both badasses and would totally vibe together- Max, Billy, and Donna would be an unexpectedly fun trio (and Billy would complain about having to drive the “GingeTwins” around all the time or something to that effect)

-And Jackie having to babysit Erica (because Donna does it sometimes, but she’s out for the night) would be the best thing ever good lord, Erica would put Jackie in her place, but they’d probably make up some schemes together too

-Also Erica would be absolutely appalled at having a similar name to Eric, she’d probably call him something along the lines of “Supreme Nerd” or “King of the Nerds” and have an endless supply of unimpressed looks for him during their debates of whose name is better

-Eric would totally join Mike, Will, Lucas & Dustin in their nerd exploits (STAR WARS!) And he and Dustin would get into loooong nerd debates

-I think Kelso would join Dustin & Lucas (and maybe the other boys too) in doing mischievous experiments including but not limited to: pyrotechnics, wrist rockets, radios and electronics... He’d begrudgingly listen to the scientific explanations of the boys (which would all fly right over his head) and they would have a moderate success rate, but also have to run away from the trouble they’d get in

-Lucas and Hyde would always be cool, but after finding out about Hyde’s biological dad they could become closer (Hyde’s dad and Lucas would have the best banter)

-Will and Eric would geek out over comics, and I think Eric would be super nice/supportive about seeing Will’s drawings

-Jonathan would be pretty quiet at first, but might talk to Fez since they’re both kinda the odd man out in each group (and he’d be genuinely NICE to Fez, *side eyes 70’s teens*)- then he’d be roped into doing random/stupid/mildly illegal stuff with the gang

-And despite Billy & Hyde being besties, I think Jonathan would bond with Hyde over shitty dads (plus I think Hyde would love Joyce, and she’d be another offer of refuge for him & Billy) and WEED WEED WEED

-Actually that might definitely be a sub-trio: Jonathan, Billy, & Hyde- they’d all have each other’s backs when it came to family drama (and later on when Hyde gets his record store, he’d offer them both jobs and Jonathan would be over the fuckin’ moon and work there)

-Billy would for sure work for Red in his muffler shop, and Red would take him under his wing, probably unwittingly become the father figure Billy never had.

-Nancy, hmmm, well she’s on the richer side of town so her and Jackie might be friends? but she’d for sure get annoyed with Jackie’s shallow bullshit

-OH and Robin would also hate Jackie I think, ‘cause of her entitlement and relentless obsession with boys (poor Jackie, I’m not setting her up for anything great here huh)

-So that’d be why Steve is friends with her, if only ‘cause he feels bad when she alienates herself from the rest of the teens, they (and I hate to say this) *could possibly* date for like 5 minutes, it’d be a REALLY hard time for Billy...and Kelso. And those two would probably come up with some hairbrained scheme to break them up (and succeed, but each get ripped a new one because of it)

-But at least the group of teen girls would be bigger if Donna, Robin, Jackie, and Nancy all hung out together sometimes (and if they tried to have a sleepover or something there would be toooo many idiot boys trying to creep on them, I think Billy would be the voice of reason and tell them they’re all being dickheads)

-And he’d give Fez a fuck ton of shit for being such a voyeuristic creep, probably make him stop hiding in people closets (wait what? Fez is like constantly coming out of closets in that show?! hello?? is that a thing??? Oh ho-ho they’d have a whole talk about that)

-Steve would get a kick outta Fez, probably think he was the funniest dude on the planet, as I’d say they’re the goofballs of the group (and yes, I am mostly excluding the King Steve narrative from this and using only cool mom Steve, cool? cool.)

-Steve might also have a lil crush on Donna, (‘cause a strong personality and blue eyes is like his kink, we all know this) but Eric would throw a fit about that and then they’d be all buddy-buddy discussing Donna & Billy (I think Eric being kind of a dumbass about his own gay kiss might put Steve off for a bit [and make Billy super hesitant and real pissed], but I also think Eric would be cool with hearing Steve out about his big bisexuality-discovery-adventure)

-Donna and Eric trying set Steve and Billy up by saying they’re all gonna hang out, and then like locking Billy/Steve in a room together or something and leaving😈

-When Billy/Steve’s relationship comes out, Hyde’s reaction is probably “That’s cool, man” Kelso would make some corny statement about how hot *he* is, Fez would probably fangirl over it with big ole heart eyes, Jackie would be like “weird, whatever”, Kitty would get flustered and then overly excited about it after a while, Red would be uncomfortable but okay with it saying something like “I better not catch you two dumbasses doing anything in my house”

-Ohmygod, Red as a father figure to Billy, Kitty as a mother figure to Steve, and they end up being so supportive of the boys ‘cause they have to put up with so much parental shit (say what you want, but the Formans have compassion) and they convert their house/backyard into a little private prom for the whole gang just so Billy/Steve can dance together and be themselves

-Billy, Steve, and Robin would die laughing every time they saw/talked to Leo. And I feel like Robin would talk her way into a job at the Photo Hut and then just end up being the manager and hires Jonathan herself to do the developments

-And you know how Hyde is always punching Kelso in the arm? Well he’d always get one, and Billy would punch the other arm as he’d classify Kelso a special kind of idiot, they’d always be teasing Kelso together, but Billy (and Steve I’m sure) would have some wicked BURNS that Kelso would love

-Steve and Kelso as friends? Sure, pretty boys gotta stick together~ especially when Steve gets called that by Billy, and then Kelso insists he’s a prettier boy, and Billy either rolls his eyes or flirts aggressively cause Kelso doesn’t understand WHY that’s Steve’s nickname, and it’s a whole can of worms you guys

-(And I didn’t forget about El, I’m just not quite sure where she fits in this AU... she probably doesn’t have powers and is the new kid who moves into town cause of a bad home life, she’d befriend Max in school and then I think Donna would take her under wing, then she’d be a hit with the teen gang cause she’d break her quietness with witty comments/one-liners, and since she’s very intuitive still, she gravitates towards Billy & Hyde and there would be some touching heart-to-hearts about shitty parental situations followed immediately after by inappropriate offers of beer to which she responds with a firm “gross”)

-And finally, *the Circle* would be so much bigger and funnier with the Stranger Teens in it

[sulietsexual]

Could you elaborate why you were dissapointed in season 3 of Stranger Things? I haven't seen it yet but feel free to spoil stuff, already saw tons of gifsets on here.

royalweirdonj said:Thoughts on Stranger Things 3?

Okay, so I have some mixed feelings about this season, so I’ll talk about both the good and the bad and why I was ultimately disappointed with this season (at least in part). So we’ll start with …

What I Liked 

First and foremost, I absolutely loved what they did with El’s character development and characterisation this season. El is a character who hasn’t really had the chance to grow or develop because she’s always so isolated and/or going through so much trauma. In Season 1 she was basically just a traumatised child and in Season 2 Hopper kept her very isolated and her weird sojourn to find her mother and her sister didn’t feel authentic to me. But this season finally gave her the opportunity to start to develop her own sense of self and I loved that, especially the medium through which she did so, ie her friendship with Max.

We’ve all wanted this friendship since Season 2 but I don’t think that any of us realised how glorious it would be. El is a reserved and unsure character (when she’s not being pushed to save everyone) and so she really needed someone like Max in her corner, someone who was loud and assertive, who would stand up for her when she couldn’t stand up for herself and who could show her how to be more dominant and make her own boundaries and rules. I loved the shopping montage, particularly the part where Max helped her pick out clothes that felt like her (”Not like Hopper or Mike, but like you.”), as well as their sleepovers, the way they investigated everything together and the bond which formed from them being the only girls in a group of boys who didn’t always understand each other. It was a really sweet and organic friendship and I’m so glad that the Duffers decided to develop it.

And speaking of friendships, I also adored the dynamic between Steve and Robyn, the way the show turned what we all thought would be a romantic relationship on its head and instead turned it into a sweet and snarky friendship between two people who genuinely liked one another. Robyn herself was a great character and her presence on the show greatly improved the overall tone. I loved how smart and quirky and snarky she was and Mia Hawke really made the character feel authentic. And I really loved the subversion of her and Steve’s relationship and her coming out scene. Steve Harrington proved what an absolute cinnamon roll he is with his reaction to her coming out; I loved that his only response was to tell her that she needed better taste in women and I loved that in the Three Months Later sequence they were still besties looking for jobs in the same place so they could stick together. 

Steve Harrington remained the awesome character he’s always been. Loved that his and Dustin’s friendship is still so intact and that they still care about one another so much. Also loved him sneaking the other kids into the movies on a regular basis. And I liked how the series demonstrated that while he isn’t book smart, he’s smart in other ways, such as figuring out where the music on the recording came from or using the vial of green substance to jam the elevator door open. It shows that he knows how to think on his feet and that he pays attention to his surroundings and is street-smart. I love what they’re doing with his character, allowing him to continue to grow into a more kind, smart and compassionate character with every season.

Also, I loved seeing Science Teacher Scott Clarke again! I missed him in Season 2, so seeing his epic reappearance was amazing! Wish he’d been in more than just one episode.

Characters aside (although, I should mention that I love Joyce Beyers more with every season, her “Mom Voicing” the Government was brilliant and I liked that they touched on her grief over Bob’s death) but that aside, the season felt really well-paced. Only having eight episodes meant that the story progressed quickly and there wasn’t a lot of filler, which was good. There was also so much excitement and action going on that it was very easy to binge-watch the whole season. That being said, I feel like the season changed direction mid-way through, which brings me to …

What I Didn’t Like

Following on from the previous paragraph, I feel like Season 3 started as a character-based season and then quickly switched to a plot-driven season (and on an added note, I was kind of annoyed that the plot this season was literally the same as last season ie the Mind Flayer has taken over someone close to one of the party members and they have to close the gate to stop them - again. Also, the subplot with the Russians was kind of lame). 

There was so much characterisation laid down in the first half of the season which was then kind of forgotten about in the second half once the action got underway and then was never resolved. Will spends most of the first three or four episode lamenting his lost childhood and desperately trying to re-connect with his friends. It’s heartbreaking to see how much he craves the days before everything, the days where he felt safe, where his friends were there for him and not concerned with their romantic entanglements. It was actually a really interesting look into Will’s character and how he’s desperately clinging to the old days but once the Mind Flayer comes into play, this is pretty much dropped. Aside from a half-hearted attempt from Lucas to bridge the gap, Will’s disconnect from his friends and the fact that they’re growing up faster than he is and therefore growing apart from him is never addressed again, leaving this particular thread unfinished. 

Hopper’s characterisation and his storyline regarding being a parent to a thirteen-year-old was also left unresolved. Overall, I didn’t love Hopper’s characterisation this season. He seemed overly aggressive and I really didn’t like that he got so drunk when Joyce didn’t turn up for their date. He’s obviously having communication issues with El, and the opportunity to resolve these issues died along with him. His jealousy over any man who even talked to Joyce was irritating and I didn’t like that he essentially threatened a fourteen-year-old kid and seemed pleased with himself when said kid then hurt his daughter (because it meant that he got his way and that’s all that mattered). I understand why he was so alarmed with El and Mike spending so much time together but the fact that this never got resolved in an adult manner irritated me. And his death, well, we’ll talk about that soon because that pissed me off beyond belief.

Billy’s character needed more depth. I did feel a bit sorry for him this season and he definitely felt like a better character than the previous season, but any development he had (including his relationship with Max) happened offscreen, so it was hard to believe that Max would grieve for him so much after everything we saw him do to her in Season 2. Obviously things have gotten better between the two of them and Billy himself is nowhere near as gross as he was (although he’s still a dick) but we never got to see this growth/development, so it was hard to really empathise with his character or feel grief over his passing, even for Max. 

Nancy’s character felt (once again) kind of useless this season and her storyline was (once again) so separate from the main storyline that I really feel that it could have been removed entirely and it wouldn’t have made a lick of difference. Also, I get that we were supposed to feel that she was being treated in a sexist manner by the men at the newspaper but, I mean, she was only an intern. She wasn’t there as a reporter, she was working as a intern and it’s an intern’s job to run menial tasks such as getting coffee, picking up lunch and doing boring tasks like photocopying and filing and the bad treatment she received seemed to be based more off her intern status than her gender. Also, what did she think, that she would become some groundbreaking reporter based off a summer job with zero experience or writing credentials? Lastly, Jonathan barely felt like a character this season, his sole reason to exist seemed to be to prop up Nancy’s storyline and I hated that after Jonathan delivered that epic (and entirely true) speech about how Nancy didn’t understand the lower class and how he needed the job and wasn’t born with the same silver spoon in his mouth that she was, he then turned around and apologised and said that he was wrong (which he totally wasn’t). Yet another example of Nancy treating a boyfriend like crap and getting away with it, but hey, “feminism”!

I also didn’t really like the dynamic they wrote between Joyce and Hop. It was good at first, with him going to her for advice on how to deal with El and Mike. But once she “stood him up” and they developed that weird snarky “banter”, I found myself growing tired of the dynamic. Also, bringing back the creepy conspiracy theorist from Season 2 to tell them they needed to bang (like he did with Nancy and Jonathan) was, again, so annoying. I hate when characters are told that they have feelings for one another, rather than developing naturally. So yeah, never been much of a Jopper shipper and this season made me even less so. Bring back Bob!

Oh, and lastly, Erica Sinclair is the most annoying little snot of a character. I didn’t find her entertaining at all. She was rude, obnoxious and mean, horrible to pretty much every character, took advantage of Scoops tasting policy while acting like an entitled brat and I just honestly could not stand her. I wish they’d left her out of the Steve/Robyn/Dustin dynamic, she was just such an unnecessary addition.

What I Hated

So, characterisation issues and weird bait-and-switches between it and plot aside, there were a couple of aspects to the new season which I truly hated.

First of all, this season was unnecessarily violent. Like, I get that there’s been violence in this show before, but it’s always been stylized violence, usually aimed at bad guys and quite subdued. But this season? Wow. Starting with that horrible imagine spot where Billy envisions bashing Karen Wheeler’s head in, it just never let up. Having grown men savagely beat up teenagers was way more than I needed to see and the violence often seemed really gratuitous and unnecessarily drawn-out. Steve’s torture at the hands of the Russians was really hard to take, especially because it went on for so long. I hated having to watch them punch Robyn in the face. Jonathan’s brutal beat-down from the Flayed Editor of the paper was horrible to watch and, once again, went on for way too long. Also, watching Flayed!Billy literally choke, punch and smack thirteen-year-old El around was horrifying. Also, his taking of Heather (and later on his attempt to take El) was incredibly rape-y, what with him leaning over them while they were incapacitated and telling them “Don’t move/struggle”, “It will be over soon”. Totally uncalled for and incredibly hard to watch. Maybe I’m oversensitive but I honestly don’t think that the show needed to display that level of violence.

The character assassination of Karen Wheeler continued, with her and her creepy middle-aged mom friends sitting poolside to perv on a eighteen-year-old kid. Imagine if the genders were reversed and it was four middle-aged men perving on a young girl? Also, why would she even consider sleeping with a teenage boy? Sigh. Remember when Karen Wheeler was a concerned and caring parent, who was strong enough to yell at government officials when they wouldn’t tell her what was going on and dropped by a grieving friend’s house with food and comfort? At least she and Nancy had that sweet scene in which she was encouraging to her daughter, but the rest of the time she was just useless and didn’t even know where her kids were.

Speaking of which, why did this show separate Joyce and Hop from their kids for so long? And why on earth would Joyce and Hop be willing to be separated from their kids for so long, after everything they went through the previous year? It felt so OOC for them to not even be suspicious that they hadn’t spoken to either of their children for at least three days, just taking the word of other parents that their kids were alright. 

And lastly, the thing which pissed me off the most and actually made both me and my husband instantly switch off from the show and feel like we had just wasted eight hours watching this season, the death of Jim Hopper.

I know, I know, the Stinger maybe hinted that he was still alive. I know we didn’t see a body. I know that there were hints of time travel in future seasons and that Jim Hopper possibly isn’t dead. But you know who doesn’t know this? The characters. And I hate that. I hate that El has now lost her father, less than two years after finally finding one. I hate that she’s now alone, separated from Mike and while, yes, Joyce will take care of her the best she can, it’s never going to be the same. I hate that Joyce now has to suffer through the heartbreak of losing yet another man she had feelings for, less than a year after she lost the first. I hate that she made the decision to move away (even though I understand it) which separated her kids from their relationships and removed El from the one person who still loves her with all his heart. I hate that the season ended on such a downer, with such loss and tragedy and sadness. It really brought down the whole season for me and left me with a horrible, sad and empty feeling and not at all looking forward to more seasons because of all the crap the characters have gone through.

Whew. That got really long. Hope this was coherent!