#the angela and el situation....

[bylertruther]

will when he told the police that el hitting angela with a roller skate was an accident and also when he defended her and max spying on them last summer

[love-byers]

discogate, revisited

the stranger things directors are freaks about centering and symmetry. go watch any episode i promise you'll see loads of shots where everything is perfectly centered to the point it can't be coincidental. so when a stationary shot is so obviously not centered, it probably means something.

so why is that disco ball not perfectly in the middle of the screen. why. it's literally making his head shine. all of the other lights above the rink meet at the discoball, so it draws even more attention to it.

a disco ball is the center of attention. it shines brighter than anything else in the room.

to me this is a clear representation of what was going on that day between the love triangle. on the surface it seems like mike isn't paying attention to will and has all his attention on el, will is a third wheel being ignored by the couple. but we later learn that wasn't true at all, at least for mike. he was watching will all day and wanted to talk to him. "You were moping, you were rolling your eyes, you were barely talking you basically sabotaged the whole day."

all of mikes attention that day was on will. he was talking to el, but he wasn't truly paying attention to her because if he was, he would've noticed el was lying and definitely would've noticed el's entire demeanor shift when angela showed up. she so clearly didn't want to go with angela, but mike just let it happen. because that wasn't his focus. we're talking about the same dude from

"He's quiet today."

"He's always quiet:"

also notice how as the camera zooms on el the ball is between mike and will.

and as that happens, el is trying to hide how upset she is at her situation, her lie. literally forcing a smile. i think this is meant to show the reality of the day. el and mike we're not focused on each other. el wanted to come off like a popular cool girl, lying about parties and friends. her goal of the day was not to bond with mike, but convince him that she was super cool and her life in lenora was great. mikes gay ass was pretending like he didn't care about will and wasn't paying attention to him. i did an elaborate analysis on mike's behavior that day here. and both of these lies were exposed. el's because of angela, and mikes because of will. mike got so fed up with will not paying attention to him that he literally could not hold up the act anymore. it got under his skin so bad he literally couldn't take it anymore.

and both mike and el five reasons as to why their day was ruined.

el, to angela: You ruined my day.

mike, to will: You were rolling your eyes, you were moping, you were barely talking, you basically sabotaged the whole day!

there are several examples of lights surrounding couples in ST, but the first one i think of is jopper.

no, that lamp was not there coincidentally, it was on purpose

no, the discoball was not there accidentally.

and this comes back to what i talked about first, symmetry and centering. joyce and hop on either sides of the screen, the lamp perfectly in the center, and they even chose a place where the wall has a straight line so the lamp could fit perfectly in it. and it looks super nice. and there's also the association of st couples with electricity and sparks of romance.

so i ask again, what the fuck is up with that discoball. cause something is UP.

discogate you will always be loved by me

[fandomnerd9602]

Tiger/Spider (2)

Ava Ayala x Spider-Man!Reader

She sat on the balcony overlooking New York. You swung in happily, wearing your classic red and blue suit with white webbing.

Ava couldn’t help but giggle.

“What?” You asked as your removed your mask.

“Nothing. I’m just thinking about how much work you’re gonna have.” She smirks happily.

“Well Jameson has been wanting me to work longer hours at the Bugle” you rubbed the back of your neck.

“Good we’ll need the income” Ava giggles as the sight of your confusion.

“What? Ava what do you…” she cuts you off, playfully smacking you in the chest with a small pink onesie.

Your eyes went wide, “what?? Y-You’re-?!”

Ava laughed and nodded. You wrapped her in a hug and spun her around. “Ava?! A baby?! I love you! I love you so much!!”

Ava kisses you happily, “I love you. Always and forever, my Spider”

“Always and forever, my tiger”

Ava bolted awake. Her mind racing with thoughts of you. The dream was always the same. Her little baby was crying softly in her crib.

“Oh my little cub” the young mother cooed as she got up and tended to her daughter. She kissed the hairline of her daughter's little face, gently trying to soothe her crying infant. “Another nightmare?”

Ava held her baby to her chest gently rocking her baby, “momma’s here.” Ava began gently singing an old lullaby.

Estrellita, ¿dónde estás?

Me pregunto qué serás.

En el cielo y en el mar,

Un diamante de verdad.

Estrellita, ¿dónde estás?

Me pregunto qué serás.

Her mind wanders to her earliest childhood memory. Her tia Soledad gently rocking her crib and singing the same lullaby.

Cuando el sol se ha ido ya

Cuando nada brilla más

Tú nos muestras tu brillar

Brillas, brillas, sin parar

Estrellita, ¿dónde estás?

Me pregunto qué serás.

Small flashes of memories came back to her. Her familia. Angela. Soledad. Hector. You. It all was coming back to her.

“(Y/N)?” Her breath hitched.

You didn’t sleep for the last few days. How could you? That White Tiger. Her voice. It sounded so much like Ava. Her form, her tone, all of it reminded you of her. There was no way it could be anyone else.

And so that’s what led you to a meeting with Matt Murdock and Angela Ayala at a diner.

Matt, an upstanding lawyer who you’ve moonlighted with Ava in the past, sat at a booth, gently tapping his cane. Angela sat across from him, an old family book in hand.

“(Y/N) good to see you again” Matt shook your hand.

“So you got some news for me?” You got straight to the point.

“Angela? Care to explain?”

Angela opens the book to a passage that had an image of Ava’s amulet. Angela nervously read it aloud, “in certain cases, the amulet is known to bestow resurrection upon the wearer in dire situations”

“Why wasn’t I told about this sooner?” You asked, you could feel your heartbeat picking up.

“It didn’t work for tio Hector” Angela shrugs, “it’s a myth. I’m sorry (Y/N). I had only begun to accept you and Ava fighting crime when she died”

Matt slaps down a folder. “I did some investigating pro bono for you Web Head”

"Investigating?" you and Angela look to Matt, his head remained down.

"Was the casket open or closed?" Matt asks matter-of-factly.

"Closed" Angela speaks up nervously.

Matt pulls out a coroner's report and hands it to you. With hands trembling you read the report allowed.

8:00pm - body of Ava Ayala delivered to coroner's office. Injuries match up with cervical fracture on the neck. Death instantaneous.

8:15 pm - body of...

Your body tensed up. Your eyes looked over the entry several times over. Angela looked to you in sheer dread.

8:15 pm - body of deceased disappeared. Cameras show a blast of green light emanating from the chest area and after which, the cameras in the office went haywire.

9:25 pm - after much deliberation, the coroner and staff on hand decide to cover up said unexplained event. Tapes destroyed. Family given empty casket and told that said casket is to remain closed.

Your face went white. A loud ringing filled your ears as Matt adjusted his sunglasses. "Her funeral. Her death. It was all just a cover up." Matt states with a somber tone in his voice.

"what the hell?!" Angela stands up, slamming her fists on the table. "You mean to tell me, my grieving hermano here, my entire family, that Ava may not even be dead?!"

"I can pursue legal action against the coroner's office and--"

"No" you state plainly.

The two look to you a little confused. You stand up. "I saw the White Tiger, a few nights back. This tells me that my Ava might still be alive. If it's her, I'll find her. But until then we have to keep this between the three of us. Got it?"

"Yeah sure thing, Spidey" Angela answers quickly. She knew how deeply this affected you. That you thought you lost not only the love of your life but also the baby she was going to have.

You walked out into the cold New York air. Something about it felt extra cold and bitter today. Angela ran out after you.

"Hey! Arana!" she grabbed your shoulder. "Do you really think it's her?"

"I do." you put a hand on Angela's shoulder, "this stays between us, got it? I don't want to give Soledad or anyone else false hope"

"You got it." Angela nods, "but you bring her back to us"

You give her a reassuring nod and take off into the streets. You were going to get your Ava back.

Ava patrolled the late night New York skyline. She stood on top of the Empire State Building, crouching down into a tiger like stance. Her mind racing with thoughts of you. Her mind was slowly piecing the tapestry of your love back together. But that would have to wait. Muse was on the loose.

You crawled down the top of the Empire State. “This place brings back memories” you whispered in her ear.

Ava turned around, curved knife in hand. “You?” She recoiled, her voice muffled slightly by the mask.

“Wait. Please. I just want to talk.” You jumped down and came face to face with this White Tiger lookalike. “Out of all the places in New York and Hell’s Kitchen, you chose the Empire State. Why?”

“I always loved it.” Ava shrugs, “why? What does it mean to you?”

“This is where I met her.” You touched the surface affectionately. “My Ava. This is where our story began”

“Your Ava?”

“Please. I need to know.” You took a cautionary step towards her, “I’ll remove my mask if you remove yours.”

“Listen Web Head…that’s not how this…”

Her remark was interrupted with a police scanner report of Muse attacking a nearby area.

“Duty calls” Ava leapt clear off the building.

“Wait! Ava?!” You shot a web line and swung after her. You chased her for several blocks of New York. Her speed was enhanced. Her agility was better than before. You could barely keep up with her.

Ava landed in an alleyway. Muse had just cut into a victim. “Your blood will make the basis of my next work of..”

Ava threw a dagger which pierced his thigh.

Muse screamed in pain before throwing several knives at Ava. One cut thru her side.

Ava gritted her teeth, trying to keep herself focused. Muse sucker punched her square in the face, leaving her disoriented.

“Perhaps you’ll make a better masterpiece” Muse readied his Bowie knife. You swung in and kicked him in the chest.

“She’s spoken for, pal!” You said.

You and Muse traded blows. He cut several deep cuts into you and your suit. Your mind wasn’t in the game, you could only think of Ava and how disoriented she looked.

Ava tried to attack the psychopath but was kicked away. Muse slashed you clean across the chest. The blood loss was starting to disorient you.

Ava, thinking fast, thru a knife, lodging itself in Muse’s left eye. The villain was forced to flee, screaming in agony.

You turned to the White Tiger and fell to the ground. Ava slowly approached you and removed your mask.

A gasp escaped her lips. Your face was etched in her head. In her heart. “(Y/N)?”

You woke up in some run down apartment on a couch. Your wounds properly bandaged and dressed.

Your eyes wandered the apartment until they found her. Sitting there across from you.

“Ava?” Her name like a hidden prayer on your lips.

“(Y/N)” she gently replied with tears already forming in her eyes.

“How are you…?! I thought you were…” you tried to think straight.

“Who were we to each other? Really.” Her question interrupted your train of thought.

You sat up. The answer, you didn’t even have to think, it just poured out, “you are my everything. My greatest dream. My worse nightmare. My love. My light. My very life. Ava…I’m so sorry”

Ava jumped into your embrace, hugging you tight as if she would lose you if she let go. “I’m so sorry!” She tried to explain, “The amulet…it…it brought me back to life. I-I could remember anything.”

You just held her tight, kissing her shoulder. She wasn’t a dream, a variant, or some illusion, she was your Ava.

“Y-You’re here now” you whispered as you lean your forehead against hers. “That’s all that matters”

“I remember everything now,” a sad laugh escaped her lips. “You, tia Soledad, tio Hector, Angela…”

A small cry broke your moment. You froze, your eyes locked with Ava’s.

Ava gets up quietly and guides you to her bedroom. There laying in her crib you spot a beautiful baby girl. You feel your heart stop and then start all over again.

“Now I know she’s yours.” Ava says softly. You could only look at the little two month old. So small. So innocent. You never knew you could fall so hard and so fast in love with someone.

“Y-You can pick her up” Ava wipes away a little tear, “she needs her papa”

You tenderly pick her up, little coos escaping the tiny baby. “She’s perfect” is all you can say.

Again so many thoughts running through your head but only one question came out, “what’s her name?”

“Isabelle”

“Isabelle” You held your daughter in your arms. Her gentle whines just broke your heart.

“She looks so much like you” Ava gave you a sad smile.

“She’s got a good bit of you too” you smiled right back. “we made a pretty good kid”

Ava wraps her arms around you from behind, just inhaling your scent. The familiar smell was like heaven to her.

You sighed. How you missed having her in your arms. It felt so serene. So much like home.

“Daddy’s here” you gently whispered to your baby a soft little promise, “and I’m never leaving you again.”

You kissed the top of your daughter’s forehead and laid her gently in her crib. Your little Isabelle was fast asleep. Ava couldn’t help but smile a little. You were such a natural with children.

You turned to Ava and hugged her tightly. She looked into your eyes. You looked into hers.

“I missed you. So much.” You whispered.

“I missed you. My spider”

She kissed you tenderly. Her hands gently caressing your muscles. Her touch was like fire as it danced across your skin. You’re very being ached for her.

You kissed her back, your hunger for her burning over. Ava let out a little moan, pulling back to look at you. Her eyes darkened a little.

She took ahold of your hand and gently pulled you towards her bed.

“We have tonight” she smiles at you.

“Yes we do” a genuine smile made its way across your face. You kiss her jaw and neck as you pull at her tank top. Little whimpers escape her lips. A few escaping your own.

You hoist her up and lay her down on her bed. Ava giggles softly as she pulls you down with her.

Your love. Your rhythm. Your pace. It was like muscle memory for the both of you. Her gentle cries of ecstasy were like forgotten music to your ears. Her fingers raked down your spine, sending pulses of euphoric bliss through your body. Your pants, your soft moans were her drug.

If tonight was all you had, then it was gonna be a good night.

Muse continued to paint on the alleyway wall. A cut on his arm provided the paint for this project.

“Spider…Tiger…they’ll be my greatest work of art yet.” He muttered under his breath.

He stood back and looked at his work. The Spider symbol painted to look like it was shattered.

To Be Continued…

Tags @deafeningsharkslimeempath @marveldcfandom @ma1egamer @jacenradio7 @multi-fandom-enjoyer @orion-owls @texaswolf23 @edgeofthedark0 @jadenyukiyusakufujikiyutoduelist @iiconicsfan25 @pinklawyerwinnerzonk @vikingking-05

[greenfiend]

Amadeus and Will’s Envy

So… for a while now people have been analyzing the Rink O Mania songs (Tarzan Boy, You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)) and how they relate to Byler… but Rock Me Amadeus has been sort of ignored/not delved into very deeply. So this post is about why that particular song may have been chosen and how it relates to Will’s character.

Rock Me Amadeus begins playing very silently in the background as we see Will sombrely roller skate alone behind El and Mike. The music begins playing loudly when we see Angela entering the scene.

Rock Me Amadeus is a song that was heavily inspired by the movie Amadeus, which is a tale about envy and how it can consume us.

Amadeus is a story about Amadeus Mozart through the eyes of his competition Salieri. Salieri is in awe of Mozart’s talent, but does not deem him as worthy of it. He is deeply envious of him. At one point in the film, Mozart even unknowingly “steals” Salieri’s love interest.

Now Will probably can relate to Salieri to a degree. But, here’s where the major distinction lies: Salieri is so consumed by envy that he roots for Mozart’s downfall.

Will feels neglected, hurt and oh-so jealous of El taking his place and stealing his love interest. However, when El is put in an awful situation, he attempts to help her out of it, unlike Salieri with Mozart. Will chooses to push his envy aside to help El; Salieri pushes Mozart down further.

Here’s the kicker: In the film, Salieri lies to Mozart about a commissioned piece, with the goal of passing Mozart’s art as his own. Will does the exact opposite! He creates a piece completely on his own, and gives all the credit to El, who he claims “commissioned” it.

[justcameheretobyler]

The rinko mania scene is pretty interesting.

The first time I saw that scene, I wasn’t mileven supporter anymore cuz, after s3 I just didn’t enjoy their interactions, and I wasn’t yet a byler supporter neither knew about them, but Mike is my favorite character since day one so I always pay attention to him, and I actually liked his friendship bond with Will.

In s4, Will’s feelings were kind of obvious from our POV, that’s actually Will’s POV, so when they didn’t say hi, when he was focusing on Eleven and then the “we’re friends’ line, at first, my thought was “does Mike know about Will liking him and he’s trying to block him or something?” But even then the dialogues didn’t match.

Will’s POV (our POV) was about El having troubles, lying to Mike and him being the third wheel. But Mike’s speech was totally out of that context.

Then, when I read the whole “Mike thinks Will likes a girl, probably called Angela, he made her a drawing and he’s acting weird” then it hit me.

If that was Mike’s POV, the scene perspective changes 180° and it makes sense. Then Will’s and Mike’s lines complement each other giving the message to the audience, if it reaches of course.

“Will does like Mike, but he’s totally focused on El’s crisis and he puts his friendship first”

“Mike is not ignoring Will, he’s actually paying him more attention than he should, specially considering El’s situation”

“Will thinks Mike is totally pissed about Eleven lying, which Mike didn’t show to care that much, he just wanted her to feel better, even when he didn’t do it right”

“Mike thinks Will is doing fine without him, he’s having crushes, new friends, giving paintings he doesn’t know about and even keeping secrets from him, which made him think he’s losing him”

both of them can communicate at a deep level, they’re always honest with each other, but… then, if they do complement all the time, in our POV we know about Will lying, that means Mike is lying too. I just think Mike is not totally aware of himself either. I think, it wasn’t about him gaslighting Will or El, he was gaslighting himself.

[defleptic]

Byler Proof in S1:E8 "The Bathtub"

I see lots of ppl showing their own proof, so I thought i might throw my hat in the ring here

I'm sorry, but I just have to point out that following the heart-breaking scene of Joyce comforting eleven in the sensory deprivation tank, I find it both extremely sad (because oh my god, im so sorry eleven. You're so traumatized) and just a little funny that everyone but Mike is comforting eleven. El is leaning on him as Lucas rubs her shoulder and acts extremely kind, patient, and caring (we love you, lucas. You deserve the world and I'm sorry you're so underrated). Dustin pats her knee as well, all while Mike sits between them, doing nothing but pondering on hearing his best friend Will telling them to hurry because he's dying and in danger. He doesn't have the patience or the time to worry about anyone but Will, unlike Dustin and Lucas, who are more than willing to comfort her.

Like, his hands stay in his lap so awkwardly the ENTIRE time as he just looks at the floor. The only thing he's thinking about is Will Byers suffering in the upside down, and the possible last word he'll ever hear him say being "hurry"

I genuinely believe that most of season 1 establishes how Mike prioritizes will. It doesn't look like it to most casual watchers because of his seemingly growing interest in eleven.

Its clear hes anxious here. He has to trust that Joyce and Hopper can save Will in a dire situation, but he's confident that eleven is the only one who can do that safely, and shes next to him instead of finding Will. You can see some of that residual annoyance in the following episode, but I haven't fully rewatched that yet.

+ I would also like to point out the junk yard scene when Eleven throws Lucas. I really get the feeling that the only reason he refuses to believe that she "betrayed" them or became a "traitor" is because saving will is ABSOLUTELY hingeing on her and her powers (at least, in his mind). Mike is not dumb, he recognizes her abilities at this point. He knows what she can do. He knows that Lucas' wrist rocket isn't enough to defeat whatever is keeping Will in the upside down. He knows they need her. Her using her power on Lucas was a betrayal in itself. Every time she goes against the mission of saving will or betrays the picture of the iconic "superhero" in his mind, he remembers that she isn't the perfect person (because no one is, but she has to be if Mike wants to convince himself that he has feelings for her. If hes going to like a girl, she has to be perfect, because his facade can only go so far. As proven later in season 4 at rinkomania when he has the exact same reaction. "What did you do?" Thats not because its his best friend she threw or because of angela getting hurt specifically, but because it shows that Eleven isnt perfect.)

Im also saying that I don't doubt that he has some sort of love or affection reserved for eleven. I just don't think it's romantic. He admires her, he admires what she can do.

I think that with all these scenes leading up to their first kiss, it's apparent that Mike's friends and even his sister assume that he has a crush on Eleven right off the bat. Showing kindess to a girl automatically means you like them, so he must like her, right? But anyways, even with Nancy only knowing El for less than a night, maybe even just an hour, she asks her brother if he has a crush on her. Again, I think he just assumes that that's what he's supposed to feel, especially since people keep telling him it is. He feels something for her and her powers, but it's unusual, so it must be love, right?

All in all, I just know that these little details are purposeful, intentional. They go out of their way way put these things here, because every detail is important. He holds Will at a higher priority than his friends do, and obviously you could say that it's because he's Mike's best friend, but so are Dustin and Lucas. Their friendship is, at the very least, "special", as said by Noah lol. I'm just saying, we had more than a few crumbs even in season 1.

All of this is highly speculative of me, I know lol. But, I never see anyone talk about this. Maybe I just missed it and someone else already has, but I just wanted to point it out either way.

[jaegerisim]

Vent post y'all are gonna hate me for.

I viscerally hate how the Duffers treat most of their non white or queer characters and I hate even more viscerally, how y'all big byler blogs in your circle jerk of other 5 big byler blogs casually like to ignore many red flags the show has.

Y'all like to say: "tHe DufFeRs ArE gReAt WrIteRs" and it's like girl, who are you lying to??? They aren't top shit writers at all. The Duffers are pretty mid imo. Yeah, they run a good show that's fun to watch and theorize abt , but that doesn't mean they're good writers cuz they're not.

1. they completely side lined Will during s3 for the sake of their straight romances: lumax, jancy, mlvn, duzie and partly stobin (even if stobin wasn't endgame, thankfully, Steve's intentions were clearly wanting to date Robin and they gave it a lot of screen time). Will was sidelined bc he didn't fit the straight romance plotline bc they planned to make him gay or whatever. Now in s4 Will and his feelings have been used as mlvn toilet paper. Yes, we like to say this is build up for byler but canonically, Will's feelings have been used to clean the shit mlvn leaves behind.

2. Billy was sympathized a lot during the last 2 seasons. They gave him the sad backstoryTM in order for ppl to feel sorry for him. Billy's backstory is literally Jonathan's but whatever.

3. El's anger issues are constantly girlboss-ified. They down play her bullying situation and literally just use it for El to be a ''girlboss" without realizing how triggering that is. As someone who has lived bullying, seeing it be ignored by canon and fanon is super sad. The whole Rink-O' Mania experience must have been so traumatizing for her yet, everyone absolutely forgets abt it 🤷🏻‍♀️

4. Robin, Erica and Argyle are stereotypical characters. Robin is the quirky lesbian with social anxiety, Erica is the badass black woman and Argyle is the Latino stoner that sells weed to white kids and works as a pizza delivery guy.

5. Altho Argyle and Eddie both do drugs, (Eddie actually sells K-12 to a minor and nobody batted an eye. He has a huge fan base). Eddie is held in a pedestal bc "poor thing 🥺 he lives in a trailer with his uncle 🥺". Tell me a single fact you know abt Argyle that isn't "he smokes weed", "he is Jonathan's only friend", "drives a van" and "he works at a pizzeria". Exactly, Eddie is given a useless backstory and Argyle isn't.

6. Dustin stopped being important to the plot sometime around s2 and s3. He is only there to curse and be mildly funny. My guy needs to hangout with ppl his age cuz he only hangs out with seniors.

7. El needs to stop having so much "I'M THAT BITCH" screentime like I need in s5 for El's arc to not just be her becoming more powerful and falling in love with Mike. I need the Duffers to explore her trauma and problems.

8. Angela should have been run over by the van.

9. Patrick should have been given a backstory that isn't the basic "strict black parents that hit their kids cuz they are a disgrace". Patrick's backstory is actually racist af, fight w the wall.

10. As Lex already said, they didn't trigger tag the ep where Jason and his friends assault Lucas and Erica. Like wtf? Why was that necessary? Why did I have to see a black boy being held at gunpoint by some white guy?? Was it relevant to the plot?? I don't think so. And then I've got to see ppl online be like "Jason wasn't that bad. He was just mourning" like bitch you can stfu. This is what happens when you make the racist assholes conventionally attractive.

Also the fact that Lucas's arc is fulfilled by him fist-fighting Jason and "embracing his weirdness" aka accepting he is black. His arc was not fulfilled at all cuz that ending spoke so loud to me. It showed how little empathy ppl have towards the struggles poc ppl living in the Midwest have. Y'all circle jerks can only see racism when it's super obvious.

Furthermore, parents complained when ST showed "an excessive amount of smoking" yet nobody batted an eye when Billy tried to run over Lucas, when Erica (an 11 y.o ffs) was chased by white kids or when Lucas was held at gunpoint by Jason.

All of this happened while they focused on Max's guilt and mourning that, yeah, are important but certainly not less important than racism!!!

11. In s3, they gave us that whole Nancy vs The Bigots arc that was honestly just triggering and useless. It didn't help Nancy's character at all, quite the opposite it put unnecessary angst.

12. Lonnie being presented as an abuser just for him to never be spoken of again. Can we please get to explore the trauma he left the Byers's with?

13. The fact that both queer relationships are considered "sloppy seconds" is extremely sad. Both Vickie and Mike are rebounding from their failed relationship with Robin and Will. These 2 ships have caused more commotion than Jancy and Jopper together! (These last ships are technically sloppy seconds too but everybody forgets that. Shocker!!)

14. Last but not least, ppl blame Argyle for being the one to get Jonathan into smoking weed as if Jonathan probably wasn't the one looking for it. Let me tell you, that you only find weed if you look for it.

[fiendforbyler]

y’all i was recreationally scrolling through the m*leven # (no bad vibes sent i swear i just feel like getting both sides of the argument is best to cement my belief) and something i saw was someone saying how el is always at her best when she is with mike. which imo is very untrue. let’s go on a deep dive together, shall we?

season 2

at the end of season 1 we know el disappears off into the upside down. separated from mike. by the start of season 2, she is trying to understand more about herself and her powers and her origins, and all of this is done seperate from mike, on her own. this solitude allows for her to find her individuality without being ‘the weapon’ or ‘mikes crush’. i think that while the 08 stuff is kind of silly, it is important to note that during that, she did begin to understand the root and significance of her powers, as well as feeling accepted properly by like-minded people for the first time possibly ever. she also finds her mother and learns about her origins, just beginning her journey of curiosity about herself. we know that finding mama was very important to eleven, and she did all of this away from mike. while she was at hoppers, she mourned losing him, yearned for him, pined, etc, and that caused tension, upset and drained her. NOT mikes fault, btw, he is my actual child and i do not believe this is anyone’s fault, just the facts. when she is back reunited with mike, yes it is a beautiful beautiful scene i cannot deny that but she is a different version of herself than when mike saw her last and therefore this separation was very beneficial to her character.

season 3

we all know how this season goes. mike and el making out left and right, no communication just sucking face. during the m*leven breakup, mike is pretty nonchalant and uncaring about it all, and max helps el on her journey of self discovery. during this time when we’ll bd mike are broken up is the first time el is introduced to trash mags, silly games, something other than being the girl with powers or mikes girlfriend. she begins to understand her likes, her dislikes, herself. no one ever tried to help her find her individuality before, not like this. this is when el also starts ‘making her own rules’ and really coming into her own, maturing into her own wonderful person without mikes presence. in fact, the breakup is very necessary for this to occur. not to mention the fact that she also solves majority of the billy mystery without mike there, in fact she solves it while ignoring and icing out mike, with max’s help. this breakup is essential for elevens character development, and that’s not an accident, certainly not since it is a frequently reoccurring then throughout the entire series!! the ending scene with the ‘i love you too’ is an awkward way to summarise a season spelt apart and i think it may also because she is still learning what she likes and dislikes, this is all extremely new to her.

season 4

oh boy. i mean, obviously el hasn’t been fitting in at school, that’s very obvious. i mean what could mike have to do with that? directly, not much but indirectly??? everything. i believe that just the fact she is in a relationship with mike is throwing her off balance and we are supposed to notice that!! then when mike arrives i mean first of all the flowers and the ‘from’ is a whole other post but immediately her situation worsens, she gets abused by angela, ridiculed by her and her friends, then literally attacks angela with a skate, and it’s all so… out of character? and the ‘you never say it’ argument… it’s all meant to make us look at the couple and go ‘these guys aren’t working anymore’ (!!!!!) i mean, el is, emotionally but also to a point physically, hindered in this relationship with mike and it’s neither of their faults!!!! they just aren’t working!!! and that’s okay!!! they need to be seperate to develop as characters and this is proven by the separation when el gets taken to get her powers back. a great way the duffers could have utilised this plot point was by making mike go with her. think about it! he learns about her while she learns about herself, all while regaining her powers and mike gaining new understanding and appreciation of her as a person! what a great way to deepen an ‘endgame’ couple’s relationship! will also could have had great development, having self-discovery with jonothan and argyle! who doesn’t want some brotherly bonding time? but that’s is not what happened. el needed the time away from mike, broken up, no contact, to focus on her self and improve and discover. this was more than essential. el thrives on solitude to become more powerful as an individual person. she needs to separate herself from mike to be the best version of herself. and that is why m*leven is not endgame. they are a a couple who do not work, they do not make each other better, and while i think a mike-el friendship dynamic could be really effective, as a couple they clash. even during the monologue, mike didn’t really achieve anything. he was kind of just saying words. i mean he canonically lied, what kind of confessional speech by a love-struck teen would be full of lies?? it doesn’t make sense. it is not supposed to make sense. we are supposed to notice these things.

i’m not even using this as byler proof, more just as the fact that i don’t find mike and el compatible, like at all. maybe as platonic buds, but not as a couple, and certainly not as a thriving endgame one. in conclusion, m*leven bones.

thank you for coming to my ted talk.

TLDR; el needs to be seperate from mike to improve upon herself in every way.

[puppywheeler]

Unfair comparison

Something funny to me is that people like to bash Mike about the Rink-O-Mania scene. They call him " hypocritical " because of his reaction to Eleven breaking Angela's nose when –seasons prior– he comforted her after she broke Troy's arm...

No?????????

Those situations are fundamentally different. Troy is a psychopath that threatened to cut Dustin in the face if Mike didn't throw himself off a cliff, which would genuinely just kill him. Troy got his arm broken so he would back the Hell off. Troy is genuinely violent and crazy, while Angela just wishes she were Regina George, merely throwing a milkshake at El, making fun of her in words you can barely hear, and sort of tripping her for a mean prank.

...But that's not me downplaying Eleven's bullying situation. I KNOW it was more than those few instances. Think about how I worded that; that is most likely how Mike saw the situation, as his perspective was incredibly shadowed.

Moments prior to Angela's face getting busted sideways by Eleven, Mike was entirely convinced the two were good friends. He was shocked (so shocked he immediately dismissed it) when Will told him Eleven was lying to him, only realizing that a cruel prank was in act when he saw her get tripped in the Wipeout prank. He realizes there's an issue and IMMEDIATELY tries to rush to her side, but she runs away. He goes to look for her after she disappears. He has no clue how long this bullying has been going on for. He saw one mean prank and was just told that El "hasn't been telling you the full truth", which is a very vague idea to go off of in itself. Mike is unaware of how much bullying Eleven has had, so when he sees that she's broken another person's bone, he can't understand why. He's shocked. All he can wonder is "what did [she] do??"

"Mike is a hypocrite/bad boyfriend" my ass. He was being continuously pushed away.

[lemotmo]

🙃

Q. You mentioned a couple of days ago that people not freaking out over the lack of Jennifer makes no sense given those people are freaking out about Ryan. The lack of Jennifer makes perfect sense though. As far as the audience knows Maddie is about to get kidnapped. The show isn't going to spoil the outcome of that by showing her in bts scenes.

A. Exactly. Maddie is about to get kidnapped, and even though it is safe to assume that Maddie will be just fine, the show doesn't want to spoil the outcome before it airs. As far as the audience is aware Eddie is planning to move to Texas. The show doesn't want to spoil the outcome of that sooner than they have to. They're in the exact same situation. It's exactly the same, anon. And the fact that you can recognize that on one hand, but completely ignore the very same circumstances when they include Eddie, means you're intentionally ignoring the obvious answer in favor of twisting yourself into knots to try and force the other narrative. It makes absolutely no sense. I believe we've seen Jennifer and Angela one time a piece, someone please feel free to correct me if I'm misremembering that, but we've seen Ryan more times than either one of them. But it doesn't matter. None of you all care about the reality, you care about the doom posting from the group of people who wanted the plot device to take his job. It's baffling to me.

The show has not been subtle with what they're doing with Buck and Eddie. They're setting up a feelings realization, mutual pinning, and eventual relationship storyline. That's what we're seeing. The show has literally followed a paint by numbers trope for them since season 7. And they haven't made this difficult to follow. It is the beginning of the culmination of the ultimate slow burn. That's where we are. And if someone doesn't want to watch it, for whatever reason, and if someone doesn't want to acknowledge it, again for whatever reason, then they don't have to. But the never ending negativity after negativity is over. Everyone is tired. We don't care anymore. If you want to pretend you're not seeing what you're seeing then that's on you. It's not my responsibility, or anyone else's responsibility, to continually try to convince you all to accept what you're seeing. Enjoy it with the rest of us or stay in the lane with the other deniers, but leave the rest of us out of it. Because I'm vibrating with anticipation. And I have lots of fun asks in my inbox from other people vibrating with excitement. I don't want to keep seeing this stuff. It's pointless. And you all don't care about the legitimate answers we're giving you anyway. So it's a waste of my time and your time. We got BTS bits from calls for one freaking episode and you all concocted an entirely fabricated event in your heads as a result. Literally. You all made it up from BTS things he was never going to be in because Eddie is in EL Paso. I can't help you all here. And none of us should have to answer these questions multiple times a day only for you all to invent another reason to doom even after we, and in this case Ryan himself, told you your dooming over nothing. Get in the car and party with us or stay out of the lane entirely. It's that simple. I am not trying to sound mean or dismissive, but I genuinely don't know what you all are looking for at this point, and I'm tired of trying to figure it out. I have waited 7 years for this moment. I'm going to enjoy it with my friends and mutuals. And I'm going to geek out and cry tears of joy over my boys getting their love story. I'm going to enjoy my fandom experience. Bi Buck was pretty much ruined for us. You all will not ruin this. Please let yourself enjoy it, and if you can't then please let those of us who can enjoy it for ourselves.

Thank you Nonny!

It is true though... I am so tired of this. 😫

What even is the point of this question but to create more chaos and uncertainty in the Buddie fandom? Joke's on them though. Ali is too good with words and she's always able to cut right to the chase.

Bottom line: Eddie is NOT leaving forever. Ryan is NOT leaving the show. We will still see Eddie in El Paso dealing with his parents and trying to connect with Christopher. Eddie and Chris will come back in a few episodes, I'm thinking 2 or 3 max.

Can we all collectively move on from this discourse now? Thank you.

Now let's get excited for the new episode tomorrow! EEEE!

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[lunabug2004]

Why the Troy and Angela Situations Should Not Be Compared (+ Why Mike's Reaction Is Valid)

One of the things that gets my blood boiling as a Mike defender is when people try to compare the bullying/El's reaction to said bullying between the Troy and Angela scenes. They are not the same thing, not even close! Yes, they're both cases of bullying, but two very different levels of extreme.

Yes, I understand that words can hurt just as much, if not more, than a physical weapon, and Mike understands this too, that's why he tries to connect with El the morning after. But in the real world, one without monsters or powers, the one they believe they're living in at the time, violence is almost never the answer, it only makes things worse, as it did. Mike also understand this. Now, yes, it took him a minute to figure out that El didn't quite understand this yet, but he works to fix his mistakes as soon as he does.

Now, let's look at season 1's incident. Troy is threatening to cut Dustin with a knife if Mike doesn't jump off the quarry cliff. Two lives are in immediate and direct danger in this situation. El, literally at the last second, saves Mike as he's falling, so that's one problem fixed and one less life at stake. By this time, yes, Troy has moved away from Dustin, but he is still holding the knife! And then he aggressively steps towards El, threatening her with it, so she snaps his arm and makes him drop it. This is self defense, as well as defending her friends from a dangerous situation.

In season 4, Angela publicly humiliates El. Yes, it's awful, and yes, she deserves the smack that she gets for it, but it's nowhere near as bad as what Troy was doing. Angela isn't putting any lives in immediate danger, she's not brandishing a weapon! Legally, El smacking Angela is assault, because at the point of the roller-scate-smack, the ordeal is done with, and there was no physical harm done. I'd like to add that I'm aware of El falling, and that she may have been hurt, but technically no one touched her, so it still isn't technically self-defense (I may be wrong here, pls correct me if so). This is a very unfortunate situation, and I feel terrible for El, as should everyone, but I'm a firm believer that when it comes to bullies, you shouldn't fight fire with fire, and Mike seems to carry this belief as well, as he repeatedly tells the boys to just ignore their bullies in s1. @foodiewithdahoodie has an old post (can't find it irl, but it's stuck in my brain) in which they say El treats Angela, a normal girl who is not a serious threat, with the same extreme hostility she shows the UD monsters, and I completely agree with this. El is flawed, and Mike's not a bad person for reacting to those flaws, that just happen to include unnecessary violence, the way a normal person would.

Anyways, what I'm getting at here is that these two situations are completely different (again, Troy has a literal weapon, two peoples' lives were being actively threatened!) and Mike's reaction in both circumstances were completely valid! In season one, he was seconds away from death, and so when El saved him and made the threat go away, he was eternally grateful for her defense. In season 4, he tries so hard to get to her when he realizes what's going on despite having just found out she'd been lying to him for months, and he was even completely on El's side, trying to find and comfort her, until she hit Angela, then he believed she went too far (she did), so he made that known. He's never been one to sugarcoat when he disagrees with certain behaviors, and he doesn't start here, he tells it like it is: Angela doesn't look fine. It also is just a lot to process, so it doesn't surprise me that it takes an overnight thought-session for him to figure out where he went wrong, and again, he tries to make it up to her! To connect with her, bringing down some of his walls in the process! She just disregards his experiences, then brings up him not saying ILY, so he gets defensive and puts back up his walls, and they never get to continue this conversation! (This is an analysis for another day in and of itself tbh)

To reiterate, it just irks me when people compare these scenes to try and make Mike out to be a bad person, when they are nowhere near the same situation! His reactions being different makes total sense, esp when adding the shock-factor of it all! I'll stop talking now cuz this could go on forever and I lowkey feel like I'm just repeating myself now.

Pls tell me your thoughts on this!

[kelbottumbles]

I mean they let the entirety of 8x06 and 8x11 get spoiled and nothing happened then.

I really think their mindset is all publicity is good publicity because everyone is still gonna tune in anyway because they’re desperate to know how it happens.

Ooooh, my very own anon!

First of all nonny, I want to say that your feelings and worries and perspectives are valid. I just don't share them.

I've seen shades of these theories this morning, though @dana-duchovny and I had independently come up with them ourselves last night as all the spoiler bts stuff was dropping too. But here are our thoughts.

This is all a dream sequence (not sure if it's a hallucination or coma dream or just regular dream - but it's not real) from *Eddie's* perspective. That's why Eddie is the only one in civilian clothes. My guess is he's panicking about not being able to help the 118 during a major disaster, and imagining the worst case scenario for himself. That him not being there for the team will somehow cost Bobby his life, and send Buck down a dark spiral of depression.

Thats also why Tommy is there. More nightmare fuel for Eddie. Becauae why would Tommy be one of Bobby's pallbearers in real life??? In WHAT situation??? In this nightmare, Tommy is back with the 118, maybe partners with Buck. He's been replaced, he couldn't save Bobby. Just a really bad scene for Eddie all together, tbh.

I would put ALL my money on this being a dream. So much so that not a little part of me is worried. Maybe it's after eddie gets injured on his way back to help the team, or maybe it's a nightmare he has in El Paso where he's going insane staying back to be with Christopher, but then the nightmare will wake Chris up and he will give him his blessing to go back and help the firefam.

My money is also on Gerrard being the real one to die, explaining the Brad pic we saw.

Corroborating evidence: WAYYYYY too many cellphones allowed WAY too close to set. These weren't telephoto lens spoilers, people were literally just walking around with cell phones. No way. (Also, nonny, I'm positive that the 8x11 goodbye was leaked on purpose bc we already knew he was gonna leave it wasn't really a spoiler). Also, the pic with the firefam all acting silly and ott in that bts pic by bobbys casket? I don't think they'd joke like that if Bobby was actually gonna die. And then there is the interview Angela gave People magazine a few days ago about how she and Bobby would end up together (lol unless she is implying she would die too?), and the fact that I'm fairly positive they're filming 8x15 and there's NO WAY they'd kill Bobby on a random 15th episode.

Nope, call it delusion or whatever you'd like, but I'm happy over here in my belief that Bobby isn't going anywhere (yet). This is all just a big psych-out! Try not to worry too much!

[henrysglock]

Adoptive Sibling Relationships: The Newby family and the Byers family

Taking a break from my usual analysis style to do a little comparison between two families with adopted daughters and how the brothers in those families handle their relationships with their sisters.

As I've discussed in previous posts, Will isn't exactly the poster child for adoptive siblings. While El's struggling to stay afloat in the wake of Hopper's death, paired with being tossed into 9th grade as her very first year in school, Will lets her flounder.

Will doesn't help her with her school assignment (and as I've said before, following around behind El isn't Will's "job", but offering a little advice would be the compassionate and kind thing to do, especially seeing that El has only been exposed to greater society for the past year. Singular. One year. She's been in school for six months. Total. She hasn't even been out of the lab for 5 years. Will knows this. He knows she's undersupported, and he's the one in the best position to offer like 2 sentences of advice at home where the bullies can't get him. Would it have stopped the bullying in total for El? No. But at least the bullies wouldn't have been right. Capiche?), he doesn't step in when El's being physically harassed, he makes pointed jabs at her in front of Mike, and per the VR game, he harbors a decent amount of resentment towards her.

None of that makes Will a bad person, necessarily. He still does a multitude of good things. A lot of the negative things, especially re: bullies, are a result of his freeze response from being bullied himself. His resentment towards isn't exactly unjustified, either.

None of this means Will is bad. It just means his relationship with El isn't strong.

He's also not unique in this pattern of behavior!

There's another set of adoptive siblings that displays many of the same behaviors.

Bob and Patty Newby mimic Will and El's relationship—complete with many of the same struggles. Their relationship isn't strong.

Bob and Patty have a tenuous relationship, put nicely. It's clear that they care for each other, but there are a lot of external factors that make their relationship difficult.

Patty was adopted by Mr. Newby as a baby in hopes of saving his marriage to his wife. It didn't work, and the family broke up. That already puts Patty in a tough position with Bob in much the same way that Max was in a tough position with Billy re: broken families. No doubt there's at least a little unresolved resentment in that relationship, just like there was unresolved resentment from Billy towards Max, and there's unresolved resentment from Will towards El for her role in "breaking up" his relationship with Mike. Variations on a theme, and all that jazz.

Anyway, Mr. Newby takes his own his resentment re: Mrs. Newby out on Patty, and Bob does nothing to stop it. She's the family scapegoat, and he lets it happen. He doesn't stand up to his father on her behalf.

He doesn't stand up to Patty's bullies at school, either. When Patty's facing the brunt of her bullying from Walter during Dark of the Moon auditions, Bob is present! He doesn't do anything, though. Much like Will with El and Angela, Bob sits there and watches. He freezes. It's Sue and Charles who step in on Patty's behalf when the bullying turns blatantly racist.

While Bob does encourage Patty, particularly re: her participation in Dark of the Moon, he does not support her. He doesn't have Patty's back. Will is much the same re: the presentation. He encourages her, but he doesn't support her.

In fact, in-show Bob himself acknowledges his similarities to Will, particularly in regards to this specific shortcoming:

He and Will are not ones who punch back. They don't stand up and fight, and we can see it harming their relationships in real-time. It is an explanation, but it is not an excuse. In situations where they hold power, whether it be as a white boy in the 50s defending his black sister or as a normally-socialized boy in the 80s defending his struggling lab-raised sister, both of them flounder and fail. Both sisters are harmed because their brothers failed to use their positions of power to help them. These are things that both Bob and Will need to work on.

This is, however, where one key difference between Bob and Will comes into play:

Bob apologizes. Genuinely. Sincerely.

He acknowledges his shortcomings, he clearly and openly expresses to Patty in person, face to face, how much he loves and values her, and he refuses to allow Patty to put the blame for the situation on herself (similarly to how Mike refuses to allow Will to put all the blame on himself regarding the deterioration of their relationship).

Will gets his Bob-and-Patty-like apology from Jonathan in the pizza shop, but he does not pay it forward. Will never apologizes for not standing up on El's behalf when he was in a position to do so. We never get a tender one-on-one between El and Will wherein they talk about and resolve that tension.

This is something that, in parallel, eats Max alive regarding Billy. They never got to fix their relationship either, before Billy dies (regardless of the fact that the onus was on Billy to do so)—and it would have eaten Bob alive too, if he hadn't managed to fix his relationship with Patty before the accident and her departure for Nevada (and vice versa were Bob the one to be hurt).

(See: Patty's grief over Mr. Newby being hurt/her thinking she had a hand in his injuries because she was hanging around Henry despite how poorly Mr. Newby treated her. See also: Mr. Newby apologizing to Patty for his behavior after a near-death experience, since the onus was on him to fix the relationship he damaged).

Will and El's relationship is weaker than Bob and Patty's, and that's not El's fault—just like how the weakness in Bob and Patty's relationship wasn't Patty's fault, just like how the weakness in Will's relationship with Jonathan wasn't Will's fault. With El, the onus is on Will to strengthen their relationship, if that's something he wants to do. It's up to Will to strengthen his relationship with El. If he really cares for her, it would eat him alive if she died or was gravely injured before he got the chance to be that loving and supportive brother for her. It's up to him to acknowledge his flaws—even if they're "justified" flaws, because they're doing harm all the same. Impact >>> Intent.

El needed a friend, needed a brother, and Will wasn't there for her when the stakes were low.

We see that need crop back up in NINA, which initially (and for the majority of the arc) posits Henry as a protector/older brother for her to latch onto; the parallel/foilism between Will and Henry in NINA serve as a reflection of what El's lacking in her real life relationships...but now with far higher stakes. Can't wait to see how that set of parallels finishes out, especially with "Henry" turning on El at the last minute/when she needs him most. I won't say more than that, though, because that starts to get outside the bounds of this post.

Lastly, and I don't mean this as a "tallying up flashy heroic acts to see who's a better person" thing (because there's a lot of negativity tied up in El's belief that she always has to be the superhero/it blocks a lot of other people from growing into their possible hero roles/it's a trauma-borne flaw in El the same way freezing is a trauma-borne response in Will), but how many times has El stood up for Will? How many times has she put herself in mortal danger to protect him? El is not the one who needs to extend an olive branch to Will re: their weakened relationship going into ST5. The onus is not on her to mend a relationship she consistently puts her blood, sweat, and tears into physically preserving. If Will can't defend El physically in return, that's fine. He's not part of the X-Men. He's not Superman. But he can at least offer her a little emotional support and a little guidance, then. That's how relationships work, I fear. There's a balance to respect.

It's hard to call them loving siblings when one half doesn't act like it. Instead, it just feels like Will and his guard dog against the supernatural.

Or...maybe just Will and Mommy Byers 2.0.

🤨🤔

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things (1x02): “The Weirdo on Maple Street” Review

Just like the previous episode, this one contains neat homages and references to different 80s movies that help lay out the structure of the show and its story without overshadowing it. It also incorporates unique call-forwards to future episodes (specifically in season 4) that, when viewed again on rewatch (especially having seen the play The First Shadow), recontextualizes the entire mytharc.

Ironically, despite the name of this episode deriving from a famous Twilight Zone episode, “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street,” they have very little in common plot-wise with each other, and the themes present in that particular episode will come into play later in season 4, specifically with Jason’s witch hunt against the Hellfire Club.

Part 1: Mike, Dustin, and Lucas meet El

The interactions at the beginning between El, Mike, Dustin, and Lucas is a combination of both amusing (since they’re 12 year old boys who are implied to have never really talked to girls their age) and gives some initial insight into each character.

Mike is the one who comes off the most empathetic to El’s plight in this situation (note that he took off his coat earlier and wrapped it around El to keep her warm). He’s genuinely concerned over why she’s out in the rain looking scared with barely any clothes on (save Benny’s T-shirt), and he’s the the one who gives her clothes to wear. I also think it’s interesting that, when El refuses to have the door to the bathroom closed for privacy, Mike agrees to keep the door open slightly.

I know this is often attributed by most of the fandom to Hopper since he’s the one who makes a big stink in season 3 about El having her door open three inches (something that’s played as a recurring joke), but this episode introduces it first with Mike’s arrangement with El, as well as El’s desire for a semi-open door due to the trauma of being locked in solitary confinement at the Lab (as we’ll see later on).

By contrast, Lucas and Dustin come off as insensitive, even though that likely wasn’t their intention. Dustin’s dialogue about El, from asking out-loud whether she has cancer due to short hair, or if she’s deaf, or even if she slept naked, indicates he views her in the moment as a curiosity. That curiosity certainly peaks when he later finds out she has powers, and he will eventually move past this initial perception of her. Lucas is a lot blunter in openly noting that El doesn’t act like a normal girl, speculates that she came from Pennhurst (the asylum which would later make an appearance in the season 4 episode “Dear Billy”), and uses phrases like “psycho” “freak” “weirdo” and “something wrong in the head with her” (The latter phrase would later be used by the Duffer Brothers to describe Angela in S4, although that had less to do with mental illness in Angela’s case and more to do with her being a genuinely vile human being).

While we're on this topic………let’s discuss Lucas’s initial attitude towards El, and how the fandom reacted towards it.

I am aware of the negativity that got directed at Lucas in the first season because of this, to the point that even Caleb McLaughlin was not only painfully aware of it, but was even on the receiving end of fandom racism because of it. It doesn’t help that some of these fans who trashed Lucas in this season would later go on to defend Billy in season 2, and either pretend that his racism towards Lucas wasn’t a thing, or use Lucas’s initial behavior towards El as a justification for why it was okay for Billy to treat Lucas like shit. I am deeply sorry Caleb was on the receiving end of that at a young age, and he deserved a helluva lot better than having to put up with that kind of racist bullshit.

While I wasn’t happy about the terminology Lucas used to describe El, it’s important to note he is 12 at this point. Like any kid his age, he is going to say stuff that, in hindsight, comes off as insensitive at best, and hurtful at worst. A lot of this can be chalked up to ignorance surrounding mental health issues and abuse, as well as the fact he’s facing a freaky situation with someone who isn’t acting in a way considered ‘normal.’ The result is falling back on stereotypes and cliches about abnormal people that he likely picked up from movies like John Carpenter’s Halloween (which is referenced in the comparison Lucas and Dustin make between El and Michael Myers) and other kids his age who discussed that stuff with the same levels of ignorance.

Third, just like with Steve (who acts callously insensitive at different points in this episode), Lucas is being presented with flaws and biases that he must overcome. This is how a character arc is supposed to work. They start out one way, undergo a journey, are forced to confront their flaws, realize they need to make a change, and apply those lessons to become better people than they were before. It's why I find it eye-roll inducing how many idiots in this fandom fall into this Puritain-esque way of thinking where, if a character has ever said or done anything remotely uncaring in the past, the idea is they should never live it down, EVEN IF they have long since apologized and put in the work to be better.

I want to be careful not to infantilize Lucas the same way fans have done with Billy or Angela to try and absolve them for their disgusting behavior. Unlike those two, whose intentions were based on getting a kick out of sadistically hurting others to make themselves feel superior, all the while never apologizing and doubling down, Lucas’s initial attitude was more rooted in seeing El as an inconvenience to their goal of finding Will as opposed to just wanting to make El’s life a living hell (like Angela) or taking his anger out on others (like Billy).

Again, I’m not saying this attitude was okay. It was immature in the same way Steve’s initial reaction towards Jonathan putting up Missing Posters for Will was callow. However, it’s not rooted in the mean-spirited cruelty some fans have accused it of being, and it’s supposed to be a point for both Lucas (and Steve) to grow from.

Speaking of El, just like there was the implication El was intentionally starved at the Lab, we get more subtle signs of how she was abused: Her reaction to putting the fresh pair of clothes Mike gives her on her cheek (indicating she’d been in that hospital gown for quite a while). Her panicked reaction later in the episode when she’s forced to hide in Mike’s closet, triggering a PTSD flashback to when Brenner forced the orderlies to lock her up in solitary confinement. Her flinching at little things, like when Dustin claps in her face, or the lightning outside (though that is likely due to never having been outside the Lab before now and being unfamiliar with lightning), or when Lucas points to the blood on her, or when he later angrily demands from El to know where Will is. Even the scene of her almost stripping in front of the guys, while played for laughs, all but spells out how she never had access to privacy and was under constant watch.

El’s situation and reactions remind me of Genie, a real life case we studied in my psychology class in school involving a feral girl from Los Angeles who'd spent 13 years of her life locked in a room and chained to a toilet by her parents (specifically her father, though her mother and brother also enabled this due to being at the receiving end of his abuse as well). She was constantly subjected to the rage and neglect of her father, including beatings, malnourishment, isolation from the outside world, and constantly being kept in the dark. It’s even been speculated he may have sexually abused her at various points as well. The dude was a real piece of work, and the damage he did to her severely affected Genie's physical, mental, and emotional development, to the point she learned not to make any noises (lest her father beat her with a wooden plank) and didn’t develop the language and communication skills kids her age would have picked up by that point. She was eventually discovered in 1970 by a social worker, who alerted authorities and had her taken to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The case got public attention and the father, who was unable to handle the media scrutiny, committed suicide, all while leaving behind a note where he refused to take responsibility for what he did to his daughter.

It's unclear whether the Duffer Brothers based aspects of El’s character on Genie, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did (If this is true, and there was an interview I missed talking about this subject, feel free to link to it in the reblogs). Both girls are abuse survivors who were stunted in their growth and development because of what they were put through. In the case of Genie, her father’s abuse of her caused lasting physical damage, including having limited gross motor skills (i.e. basic functions kids learn during development like standing, sitting, walking, etc) and impairing her ability to communicate and learn new words and vocabulary.

In El’s case, she also has limited vocabulary and is unfamiliar with certain words (like “friend”) but she’s shown to understand concepts even if she doesn’t have the words to name them. The abuse Brenner subjected El to was along the lines of Operant Conditioning (i.e. rewarding and punishing behavior, and behavior based on the removal or addition of stimuli), and was done as a way of molding her into the weapon he wanted (in stark contrast to Genie’s father, whose abuse stemmed from wanting nothing to do with his daughter and resenting her existence). Unlike with Genie, we see that El did develop gross motor skills (i.e. the flashback Terry has where she sees a three year old El playing with Kali/Eight, and the rainbow room in season 4 with the special kids playing with toys), and there clearly was some attempt at raising El to make sure El could understand and communicate with Brenner and the orderlies in order to spy on the Russians. The abuse in question was specifically tailored by Brenner: Keeping El isolated from the outside world, and limiting her knowledge to only what Brenner wanted her to know. Drilling into El that she was expected to perform certain tasks on his command, and punishing her with solitary confinement if she disobeyed or refused. Allowing the other kids at the lab to bully El because she was slow in the development of her powers and hoping that the ostracization would produce the results he wanted.

There’s also the trauma associated with memories El has repressed, but have slowly started to seep through. For story related purposes, we don’t yet see the flashbacks to the Massacre at Hawkins Lab and the events leading up to that (at least not until season 4), but it is subtly alluded to in the scene where Mr. Clarke finds a piece of El’s hospital gown in the tunnel she used to escape. AKA the same tunnel Henry/One/Vecna led her to in 1979:

Like I said, this episode contains several call-forwards, and this is one of them. It explains how El knew where to go to escape the Lab once the gate opened, and “The Monster” elaborates on WHY she finally did.

It’s pretty clear Mike and El’s interactions at the house during the day are meant to invoke Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, with Mike faking sick to stay home (the difference being Karen sees through it, but allows Mike the day off because of what happened to Will, while also telling him he can always talk to her if he needs to), showing El around his house, introducing her to Star War toys the same way Elliot did with E.T., and even making food for her. There’s even the later scene of El wandering the house during dinner and Karen nearly missing her, similar to Elliot’s mom having near misses with E.T. when Gertie brought him downstairs. These scenes have a nice charm to them, and have always been fun to watch.

Another movie this episode pays homage to in one particular scene is a 1985 Harrison Ford film called Witness:

Witness centers around a German Amish boy named Samuel Lapp who, after the death of his father, travels to Baltimore with his mother Rachel to visit her sister. Like El, this is Samuel’s first time in a new environment other than his Amish community, and his initial reaction is one of quiet curiosity. While at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, waiting for a late train, he ends up using the restroom and becomes an eyewitness to the murder of a detective that takes place there. Because Samuel saw the culprit of the crime while hiding in one of the stalls, Samuel and his mother are forced to cooperate with a police detective named John Book (played by Harrison Ford) in helping to track down the killer. When El points to Will in the science photograph next to Mike’s trophies, this is a direct homage to the scene when Samuel points to a photograph of Lieutenant James McFee, indicating to Book that McFee is the murderer.

In both scenarios, what follows is the untangling of a massive conspiracy: In Witness, it centers around police corruption and illegal drug dealings. In Stranger Things, it’s centered around government corruption and the Upside Down. The big difference is that while Samuel is still present in Witness, the movie shifts focus to John Book as the main character, especially when he’s targeted by corrupt cops and forced to go on the run and hide within the Amish community to protect himself, Rachel, and Samuel. Meanwhile, El remains central as a character, and ironically enough is the one working to protect Mike, Dustin, and Lucas from Brenner and the Demogorgon while hiding among them.

Speaking of Brenner (who has physical similarities to Chief Paul Schaeffer, the main antagonist of Witness, as well similar personality traits of demanding loyalty from his men without feeling obligated to return it), his reaction towards Will’s disappearance and finding the ooze in the shed at the Byers house takes on a whole different context after having seen The First Shadow (or Season 4 for that matter). The play reveals that, as far back as the 1940s, Brenner was aware of the Upside Down. Granted, he hadn’t actually seen the dimension with his own eyes. The most information he got was from his own dying father (who was a part of the fateful Philadelphia Experiment in 1943) and maybe even Henry/One/Vecna (depending on what kind of information Henry willingly or unwillingly provided to Brenner). In any case, his lack of surprise over Joyce’s phone call to Flo about Will and some kind of animal on the other end indicates he knew Will was in the Upside Down and was being hunted. Not that Brenner truly cared about Will in the grand scheme of things.

In regards to Will, for those who are interested in what was implied to be going on with him in the end scene with Joyce and the lights flickering and the recorder playing “Should I Stay Or Should I Go,” this is how things looked like from his perspective in the comic The Other Side:

The show already hinted at this, with Will hiding and the Demogorgon chasing him, but it helps give more context to why the Demogorgon temporarily turned its attention to Joyce and stopped pursuing Will.

I am curious about the Demogorgon’s decision not to go after Joyce despite trying to tear through the wall: Was it just trying to scare her away in the moment, or did Joyce manage to outrun it quick enough that it went back into the Upside Down because it decided she wasn’t worth it?

Speaking of which, let’s talk more about the Byers family, including Lonnie and Hopper:

Part 2: The Byers, Lonnie, and Hopper

I forgot about the tense exchange between Joyce and Hopper in this episode. Her insisting that it was Will’s voice on the other end of the phone and, when Hopper remains skeptical, bringing up how she’d recognize Will's breathing the same way Hopper would recognize his daughter’s breathing. To her credit, she does regret that and realizes how low of a blow that is, and Hopper, despite being hurt, doesn’t take his anger out on her, and recognizes her outburst as coming from stress and frustration over her son’s disappearance rather than vindictiveness. Add in how these two have history with one another (especially from their interactions in The First Shadow when they were attending high school and were already starting to realize they were attracted to one another) and there’s a lot both Joyce and Hopper are willing to overlook when it comes to each other’s flaws.

Hopper’s depression is hard to watch. I’ve never had a kid, and I have no intention of having one either (especially with the way our world has gone), but I understand what it’s like to be in that kind of mental state between wanting to care and yet being so beaten down by life and what it has taken from you that it’s hard not to slip into apathy.  Compared to his time in New York City, where Sara was still alive, his wife was married to him, and he felt rejuvenated with a purpose, Hopper in the beginning of this show is directionless, burying himself in booze, drugs, and women, all while putting in the bare minimum into his 4 years as chief of police. Then, after Joyce's son disappears, and his best friend Benny is murdered while it's staged to look like a suicide, Hopper is forced to realize he still cares, and no amount of drowning himself is going to change that. As he bitterly notes to the woman he’s sleeping with:

BTW, note how he never references the last time a person got murdered in Hawkins. That was a clever way for the Duffer Brothers to later lay the groundwork for the Creel murders in 1959. As depicted in The First Shadow, Hopper saw the bodies of Virginia and Alice Creel around the time the police arrested Victor for their deaths.

I will go more in detail about Joyce’s arc as it develops this season, but there is one comparison that is relevant to this episode: Her similarities to Florence “Rusty” Tullis from the 1985 film Mask, which is based on the real-life story of Rocky Dennis. The Duffer Brothers have cited the movie as an inspiration for how they wrote Joyce’s character, as well as how Joyce’s costumes were designed. Both women are single mothers working to provide for their sons, both of them have sons who deal with mistreatment because of their physical appearance (Will because of his clothes and Rocky because of his Craniodiaphyseal dysplasia (CDD)), both of them are overworked and stressed and turn to drugs (Joyce’s chainsmoking in this episode and Rusty’s addictions, which becomes a source of conflict between her and Rocky), both of them worry constantly about the well-being of their sons, and both of them are perceived as being “unstable” when in fact they are fiercely determined and would go through hell to keep their sons alive and safe. In Joyce’s case, that involves going back inside her house at the end of this episode to keep in contact with Will despite a monster lurking within her walls.

On the other side of the parenting spectrum is Lonnie Byers, and his establishing character moment tells us everything: He’s dating a woman half his age (though Cynthia doesn’t appear to be a teenager as Joyce implied in the previous episode), his first appearance is shoving Jonathan into a wall before making a half-assed introduction between Jonathan and Cynthia and makes a pretense of trying to hug Jonathan despite Jonathan not wanting him to.

Then there’s Jonathan looking for Will throughout Lonnie’s house, including in the trunk of Lonnie's car:

Just this scene alone makes me question what kind of child custody dispute went on between Joyce and Lonnie during their divorce, and if Lonnie at one point took Will without Joyce’s permission. I can buy he’d do it for financial reasons (and we’ll see that aspect rear its ugly head when he later comes to exploit Will’s funeral and file a lawsuit to get money to cover his debts) but other than that, he just comes off as a lazy bum who wants nothing to do with his sons. Makes me question why on earth he even wanted kids with Joyce in the first place.

I talked about this in my review of The First Shadow, but Lonnie in this episode pretty much is the same as he was in the play: He’s lazy, he has no desire to make anything of his life, he’s costing off other people, and he’s a douchebag. The only difference is instead of being in his 20s, he’s a grown-ass adult well into his late 40s, and a deadbeat father on top of that. I know a lot of people hate Lonnie (and rightfully so), but the most I can muster for him is contempt as opposed to the burning hatred I have for characters like Angela.

Jonathan is a mixed bag in this episode. On the one hand, his love and devotion to his brother is on full display, and it’s a combination of sweet and sad given the circumstances. His interaction with Nancy at the school and her giving genuine condolences to him over Will’s disappearance was a highlight (and was when I started to care about Nancy the first time I watched the show), as well as the flashback to his conversation with Will and the playlist he introduces to him.

One of those bands he recommends btw is The Smiths, and one of their songs, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now,” has been used in the marketing for season 5, specifically in reference to Jonathan:

I’m sure plenty of fans have already made speculations, but all I can say is I hope this doesn’t foreshadow something bad happening to Jonathan because…………YIKES!! “Why do I give valuable time to people who don’t care if I live or die?” I’m not really surprised that Jonathan has depression and self-confidence issues, partly because of his parents’ failed marriage, his worries about becoming like his father, and being an outcast, but if his perception is that people don’t care, he is DEAD WRONG. And I’m not just talking about his family when I say this.

In any case, his attempts to boost Will’s self-confidence despite struggles with his own, and to encourage Will to chart his own course regarding things Will likes vs what other people tell him he should like, is one of the best moments in the show, and a life lesson that needs more applicability (especially when it comes to fandom culture).

The part where Jonathan loses me is towards the end of the episode. You all know what I’m talking about: The photographs he takes of Steve’s pool party.

First off, I want to make clear that, in spite of what he did, this wasn’t a deal-breaker for me in terms of liking his character. Yes, I agree it was creepy and wrong to take the pictures without the others knowledge or consent, and to his credit, he does acknowledge later that he shouldn’t have done it. The only good thing that came out of that was inadvertently capturing the Demogorgon on the picture he took of Barbara at the pool, but that in no way excuses the other photos he took. Contrary to what my time on Tumblr may suggest, I’m a private person, and I’m someone who does NOT like having pictures taken of me without my permission. I also imagine plenty of other people feel the same way, and I get why some fans were upset by this scene. It doesn’t help that the screenplay contains this tidbit regarding Jonathan’s motivations:

This does hearken forward to what Robin later tells Steve in season 3 about how outcasts like herself still desire to be popular and normal (which is specifically associated thematically in the show with being accepted). As much as Jonathan has embraced the identity of outcast, I don’t think it’s completely out-of-character for him to want that as well, especially if it’s tied to being accepted for who he is. At the same time though, out of all the ways he could have expressed that, this was the worst way to go about it. Again, the reason I don’t hold it against him is because of his apology to Nancy, similar to how Steve would later apologize to Nancy and Jonathan for his behavior, and Lucas would apologize to El for his. Characters start out in a flawed way and go through an evolution. That’s how it works.

Speaking of Steve and Nancy………..

Part 3: The Pool Party

We get our introduction of Tommy and Carol in this episode, and I completely forgot that the first thing Tommy does is stick his finger in Barbara’s ear to be a dick. Charming. 😒 And you have Carol being snide to both Nancy and Jonathan. Lovely. 🙄

They say you are judged by the company you keep, and they take that principle and run with it here with Steve. Whenever Tommy and Carol are around, we see a callous side to Steve fueled by those two’s toxicity, and it’s not pleasant. I even question how much of the Pool Party was his idea vs Tommy and Carol’s who wanted the excuse to party hard and shack up in Steve’s huge house. It reminds me of Risky Business when the Tom Cruise character, Joel Goodsen (whom Steve shares parallels with) has his parents leave for a trip, and he's put in charge of watching over the house, all while his friends pressure him to exploit the opportunity to party and have sex. The big difference is while Joel’s friends try to help him once the shenanigans go over the top, Tommy and Carol would have left Steve out to dry. The pool party was for their benefit as opposed to Steve’s.

Steve’s line about how his mom is traveling with his dad because she doesn’t trust him makes me question what goes on in Steve’s family. We’ve never seen Steve’s parents (they don’t appear in The First Shadow either), so we have very little information to go on, but that line alone makes me wonder how much his dad’s cheating has impacted Steve. It reminds me of the fractured relationship between Ted and Karen, where emotions get suppressed and it’s hard for anyone to say they “love" someone because that entire marriage is NOT running on love. In Nancy and Mike’s case, they act like this is the norm, and we will see how it impacts their relationships with Steve and El in the future. In Steve’s case, I wouldn’t be shocked if he picked up the womanizing aspect from his dad. As for why his mom would stay with his dad if he was cheating on him………..there’s an episode of Freaks and Geeks (a show that was a big inspiration for Stranger Things) where one of the main characters, Neal, finds out his dad (whom he’s looked up to in the past) has been cheating on his mom. Angry and betrayed, he publicly lashes out at his dad through mean-spirited jokes at his expense during a party, and later flees to his room in tears. When his mom later goes to visit Neal to comfort him, it’s revealed she is aware of her husband’s infidelity, but is working to keep the peace, noting that it’s a complicated situation for the both of them. Given that Steve's mom hasn't divorced his dad yet, it's possible their situation and how they're handling it could be similar to Neal's parents.

I remember there was a period prior to season 4 where there was this idea in the fandom that Steve had actively gone out of his way to bully others, including Jonathan. I agree that there were instances of him being self-absorbed and dickishly insensitive, but I never got the impression from watching the show or reading the supplementary materials that he actively went out of his way to make others lives a living hell the way Billy and Angela did. Tommy was certainly guilty of that on a constant basis (something the Eddie Munson prequel Flight of Icarus explores), but the two instances Steve was antagonistic towards Jonathan (i.e. the camera incident and when he thought Nancy had cheated on him with Jonathan) had more to do with specific circumstnaces rather than getting his kicks making other people miserable like Angela did with El. Otherwise, his entire attitude towards Jonathan seemed rooted in indifference.

Like I’ve said, it’s not great, and I’m not surprised there were multiple characters like Robin, Keith, and Eddie who referred to Steve as an asshole and a douchebag (because that's the image he projected), but this isn’t the same thing as active maliciousness. We even see Steve get uncomfortable with Tommy when he makes a nasty joke about Jonathan killing Will, and Steve tells him to shut up, indicating he finds that inappropriate and crossing a line.

Speaking of projecting an image…..we see plenty of that at the pool party, with Steve smoking (which I don’t think he does again at any other point in the show) and shotgunning beer cans to impress Nancy and the other partygoers (with the exception of Barbara). Even his answering the door for Nancy and Barbara in dramatic fashion while “Raise a Little Hell” by Trooper plays in the background is a cliché unto itself. However, it’s noteworthy Nancy doesn’t seem bothered by this, and the exchange between her and Steve in that moment makes it clear she knows he’s purposefully being a cliché, but finds it amusing, which is why Steve continues with it.

In fact, if we look at Nancy’s behavior in this episode, it comes off less like she’s throwing herself at Steve (as the Montauk script depicts) and more like she’s thought this through and decided this is what she wants. Apart for Barbara, Nancy doesn’t particularly care for what Tommy and Carol think of her. We got hints of that in her discussion with Barbara in the previous episode, and we see it in the scene where she talks with Jonathan in front of them despite their snide comments about him.

This is a big reason I strongly disagree with the idea Nancy’s interest in Steve has anything to do with wanting his approval (or Tommy and Carol’s approval for that matter) or even elevating her social status in high school. She certainly didn’t give a damn about what they were thinking of her in this moment with Jonathan, or how it would look to others to be interacting with the local outcast. She genuinely felt bad for what Jonathan was going through and wanted to offer some words of comfort.

On top of that, she’s seen Steve without Tommy and Carol by his side enough times to recognize he is a different person without them around. She has enough intuition to trust that, even if she’s still navigating the way this relationship is going, there are desirable qualities in Steve beyond his good looks (in contrast to the Montauk script where she barely knew him and was only going by his good looks and charm). So her making the decision to have sex with Steve comes off less like she’s operating under pressure and more like she’s made the decision that this is what she wants, even against Barbara’s protests.

Speaking of Barbara, I’ve never understood this idea the fandom has perpetrated about how Barbara was worried over being left behind by Nancy to join the popular crowd.

First of all, if Barbara really pegged Nancy as that superficial, there is no way she would have remained friends with Nancy for so long.

Second, the idea of Barbara being jealous of Nancy climbing the social ladder comes in direct contrast with how she acts at the pool party. Barbara makes it clear at the beginning that she’s only there for Nancy because Nancy asked her to be, and doesn’t make the effort to socialize with anyone else there, all the while looking disgusted with Tommy and Carol and unamused at Steve showing off. That does NOT translate to jealousy. That sounds like someone who doesn’t want to be in the same room with these people. The only reason she even makes an effort at shotgunning a beer can (and getting a deep cut on her thumb that attracts the Demogorgon's attention) is because Nancy pressured her into doing so. This was not done because she gave a damn about impressing Steve or Tommy or Carol.

Third, Barbara’s concern for Nancy wanting to have sex with Steve isn’t entirely invalid, and it sure as hell does NOT constitute slut-shaming like some fans have framed it as. Barbara knows that Tommy and Carol are toxic people, and the fact that they’re hanging around Steve doesn’t make Steve look good. While she is interested in Nancy’s relationship with Steve (as we saw in the previous episode) it’s natural for her as a friend to be worried about whether Nancy is rushing into this too quickly, especially because Barbara doesn’t know Steve very well and has no clue how Steve is going to treat her. As we see in later episodes, some of her concerns were valid and others were not.

I get everyone is entitled to their opinions, but sometimes I wonder how much of these takes from fans are rooted in projection and bad-faith interpretations. 😒

I should quickly talk about the sex scene between Steve and Nancy, and how it was changed from the Montauk script from being a rape scene to consenual. I am fine with this change for several reasons:

I have never been a fan of shows that use rape as a plot device to drive another character’s arc (especially a female character). I have seen plenty of shows that have done this where it ends up going horribly wrong in the writing process and comes off as gratuitous, as well as enforcing the idea that this kind of trauma is necessary for a person to stop being naïve and grow up. Just…………YUCK! 🤮

 When it comes to the subject of rape, there are plenty of shows out there that try to tackle this subject and either end up being extremely tone-deaf, or perpetrate the rape culture aspects they were trying to avoid. True Blood. Game of Thrones. 13 Reasons Why. General Hospital. The Umbrella Academy. Even The Boys wasn’t immune from this: Contrast the somber way Starlight’s assault from The Deep is depicted on that show to how Hughie’s sexual assault and rape at the hands of Ted Knight and the shapeshifter in season 4 is handled. That's also including how The Boys showrunner, Eric Kripke, admitted that Hughie's assault was intended to be played for black comedy. There are so many pitfalls with this subject matter that it would have reflected badly on the show if the Duffer Brothers had fallen into them. There’s also the question of whether the Duffer Brothers had any interest in actually depicting Nancy’s trauma over being raped in a thoughtful intelligent manner, or if was simply a means of driving Nancy into Jonathan’s arms while glossing over the ramifications of what happened to her.

As I stated in the previous episode, changing Steve’s character not only improved him, but also improved Nancy and Barbara by extension. Steve’s motivations for wanting a relationship with Nancy become more complex than simply wanting “another notch under his belt,” Nancy’s crush on Steve is a lot less shallow and more about seeing through the image he projects and wanting to get to know the real Steve Harrington, and Barbara has more of a personality here where she’s caught between wanting to support Nancy but also being wary of Nancy’s relationship with Steve and this new side to Nancy that she’s seeing. She also isn’t someone who abandons Nancy like in the Montauk script, but is reluctant to leave Nancy at Steve's house alone (and only does so at Nancy’s insistence), making it much more heartbreaking when she’s later dragged into the Upside Down.

Part 4: Song Choices

We get a nice selection of songs in this episode, including the one that would become the signature song for season 1 and for both Will and Jonathan: “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” by The Clash.

While The Clash has refused to assign meaning to the lyrics, especially in regards to whether those lyrics were in reference to events going on in the band at the time, my interpretation of the song is that it’s about someone in a relationship where they’re not sure if the other person wants them there, and is demanding a more direct answer about where they stand. “One day it’s fine and the next it’s black,” certainly gives the impression their relationship is tumultuous, and “this indecision is bugging me” makes it sound like both parties can’t agree on where to go from here. Ironically enough, it doesn't seem to apply at all to Jonathan and Will’s situation, where neither of them have been in a romantic relationship yet, and both brothers are supportive of one another in spite of their parents' messy divorce.

“Raise a Little Hell” by Trooper is played in the scene when Steve answers the door for Barabara and Nancy. Initially, the song seems to foreshadow that this is going to be a rumbustious party, but in comparison to the Montauk script, the party in this episode is tame. On top of that, the song itself really isn’t a party anthem, but a motivational one encouraging the listener to change their circumstances if they’re not happy about their situation and “raise a little hell” in the process. It's a big reason why it's been adopted as a sports anthem. Considering that Steve is an athlete himself, I'm not surprised he likes it.

“I Melt With You” by Modern English has always been a personal favorite of mine, and I was happy with its use in this episode. Despite being a dance song, the lyrics have a dark undertone to them, depicting two people falling in love as the world is coming to an end. It’s similar to Prince’s “1999” and R.E.M.’s “It’s the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)” where the singer has accepted the inevitability of their world being screwed, and is more content with living in the moment rather than worrying about what can’t be changed. In the context of this episode, with a group partying while (unbeknownst to them) the Upside Down is beginning to leak into Hawkins, and even claims one of the attendees later on (Barbara), the song is appropriate for that scene.

Finally, we have “Hazy Shade of Winter,” by The Bangles, which plays when Nancy and Steve have sex for the first time.

This was a remix of one of Simon and Garfunkel’s songs from the 60s, and while I like the original, I’m a bigger fan for The Bangles version. It has a very eerie tone to it, dealing with regret and the passage of time over the seasons as the singer lambasts about opportunities and hopes slipping away. It’s not exactly an uplifting song to be playing during what’s supposed to be a romantic moment, and given what happens to Barbara the same time Nancy is consummating her relationship with Steve, it’s dark foreshadowing for the guilt she’s going to be feeling later on over Barbara’s death.

Final Thoughts:

One more thing I wanted to mention before closing out this review is the poster of The Dark Crystal in Mike’s bedroom:

The Dark Crystal is a 1982 fantasy film set on a distant world that, while once green and fertile, has become desolate and corrupted due to a fracturing of the eponymous Crystal, which has created two different races: the Skeksis, who act as the tyrannical rulers of the planet, and the Mystics, who act in opposition to them. The main plot deals with a Gelfling named Jen who is tasked by the Mystics to retrieve the broken shard of the crystal and return it to the original source, thereby bringing balance and stability to their world. All the while, he’s brought into conflict with the Skeksis, who killed his parents in the past, and want to use the crystal for their own selfish desires.

Given Mike’s love for fantasy, I’m not surprised this is a favorite movie of his. However, I’m curious if the themes and story of that movie could have been used by the Duffer Brothers as inspiration for how they mapped out the Upside Down.

I remember having a theory back in season 3 that the Upside Down was once a prosperous world before the Mind Flayer showed up and turned it into its personal hellhole. While I still think that’s true to some extent, there’s also the question regarding why this dimension, which was depicted as a hellscape when Vecna arrived, and even before when the USS Eldridge was transported to it in 1943, suddenly replicated the exact image of Hawkins and the rest of Earth the night El opened the gate and Will disappeared: November 6th, 1983. This has been presented by season 4 and The First Shadow as an anomaly that hasn’t been explained yet, and could possibly have connections to Will’s disappearance.

In regards to how this ties back to The Dark Crystal, is it possible the Upside Down may have been “a green and fertile land” at one point, like the planet in said movie, before some catastrophic event happened that threw that world into chaos and desolation? Just like with the Skeksis, the Mind Flayer is taking advantage of the situation to impose its rule, but maybe that tyranny has been upset somehow by Will’s arrival, similar to how Jen’s quest in the movie threatens the Skeksis’s hold on power. There’s also how the Skeksis are responsible for the creation of the Garthim, which involved using the dark crystal to splice different species together and turning the resulting creatures into their personal attack dogs, as well as creating crystal bats which act as their spies in the sky. Likewise, it's possible that the Mind Flayer, through its own power, may have been responsible for twisting, or even creating, the inhabitants of the Upside Down to become Demogorgons, Demobats, and other hideous monsters that serve it.

The only difference I see has to do with how the main antagonists are dealt with:

In the movie, there’s an established connection between the Skeksis and the Mystics, where the death of one results in the death of the other they are connected to. Skeksis are essentially the worst aspects of their former counterparts, the urSkeks, in contrast to the Mystics which represent their positive aspects. They are one being split into two extreme animated personalities. As the movie reveals, the solution isn’t killing the Skeksis, but healing the crystal to allow the two parts to reunite.

In the show, they have not introduced a positive counterpart to the Mind Flayer (at least not yet), and since the Mind Flayer is interconnected with every part of the Upside Down (including Vecna), there’s a real chance its permanent destruction would result in the total annihilation of the Upside Down (similar to how Sauron’s downfall led to the destruction of Mordor in Lord of the Rings). While they could go this route in season 5, the names for the last two episodes (i.e. “The Bridge” and “The Rightside Up”) imply that dealing with the Mind Flayer and the Upside Down is more centered on fixing something that’s broken between the two worlds, similar to fixing the crystal in the movie, which could be the key to permanently defeating the Mind Flayer instead. Just like with Jen, that could be Will’s role in this story for season 5.

And to officially close out this review, this is what I ended up getting for my birthday! 🥰

[gayofthefae]

In like episode structure it made sense at the time for all the conflicts to come to a head at the roller rink around the same time but on a real level yeah, why did Mike prioritize addressing the Will thing enough AFTER the El thing happened. She could have like been in the bathroom, they had that fight, she didn't hear, came out, ran into Angela. Like I feel like that's kind of fine? There are some kinks to work out but totally workable.

But nope, instead, they had Mike make the decision to stop attending to the much more urgent situation to address that Will rolled his eyes twice three hours ago.

[oceanfruitsstuff]

So, here’s the question that I feel so many Mike/El shippers, or just audience members in general don’t ask:

What do we know about what Mike knows? Especially when it comes to that love confession he gives.

He can’t tell El he loves her. We don’t get told why he can’t, he doesn’t tell us why he can’t, but it feels like a fight they can’t come back from.

Will does not know that’s the argument El and Mike are having. He just knows there’s something Mike can’t tell El. Can we infer he might know?Maybe, but we don’t have completely clear answer to that. Will does not think that Mike and El aren’t in love.

Mike is afraid El doesn’t need him anymore. We are shown through actions that that is TRUE. Even using the flashback “not Hopper, not MIKE. You.” Is so so important. El doesn’t need him, that is what we are actually shown throughout the entirety of season 4. That’s not debatable. Can it mean El and Mike still end up together? Sure. Is it likely? Based on the writing, no.

So to recap: Mike’s afraid El doesn’t need him and he can’t say I love you. Will uses his own feelings with El’s name on top to express his feelings to Mike. We are shown that “El’s” feelings about him are exactly what he wanted to hear. He wants to be needed and feel important and helpful. Perfect! El feels that way about him! Guess he’s got nothing to worry about.

Again, do I think there’s a high chance based on how I watched it that Mike knew Will wasn’t talking about El and how she feels? 100% I think he’s a very smart kid, especially when it comes to Will. The way I watched the scene and watched Mike’s reactions made me have the hmmm Mike isn’t stupid. He might know.

Then we get to the love confession scene. Mike wasn’t gonna say anything. That’s until Will pushed him to. Which may have made Mike second guess if he was right. Did he assume wrong? Was Will actually talking about El?

That’s my own interpretation, but if we’re just gonna go very surface level: Mike thinks El needs him and views him as the heart and a leader and that he helps her feel like herself. He then confesses his love to El using those feelings he thinks are hers to push the confession along.

As watchers we all know, whether people like it or not, that those are Will’s feelings.

What does El feel? It’s not given to us verbally, but based on not being dumb as hell, we can watch the show and figure it out pretty fast. She lies to Mike about her friends. She lies to him about her hobbies and where she spends her time. She lies about everything. Mike is paralleled in the scene with Angela to Dr. Brenner. Is Mike anything like Papa? No of course not, but that’s not what they’re telling us—they’re telling us that in that moment Mike made her feel like a monster. He made her feel like a mistake.

Then we go to their conversation in the bedroom. Mike is saying “hey I understand you, I get bullied, too.” And El says, “no you don’t understand me. You don’t know how I feel.” Mike views her as a superhero. He always has from the very beginning. She feels like she’s nothing without her powers and Mike doesn’t help her feel better about that.

“You don’t love me anymore?”

“Who says that I didn’t?”

“You never say it.”

More direct interpretation:

“Who says that I didn’t?”

“You.”

Mike doesn’t combat that. He doesn’t just go “of course I love you!” He kinda just gaslights her a little. Do I think internally? No. But he does.

So we can use this evidence to comb through the three big situations that happen:

El’s room argument

The Van scene

The love confession

El doesn’t feel like Mike understands her. She feels like a monster and like she doesn’t belong. Mike is trying to understand but can’t. Mike can’t say I love you, even to her face or in letters. He then gets a letter from her, saying “From El” which is a big red flag that maybe El is not feeling love for Mike either. After that scene, we don’t see her really think or talk about Mike at all. We don’t actually know how she feels at this point.

The van scene. The things that Will says combat their argument and what we’re shown El feeling completely. But those feelings Will has is how Mike wants to be viewed.

So in the love confession he’s using feelings he thinks are El’s to tell her he loves her in hopes to save the world. Not cause he just wants to—but because he’s trying to be a leader and “the heart.” And as we know. It does not work.

El doesn’t stop Vecna, Max isn’t saved. She literally dies the ONLY reason she’s alive is because of El’s feelings for Max and their friendship. Mike had nothing to do with Max not dying. El actually uses memories like Max telling El she doesn’t need Mike to bring her to life. Which is actually so crazy, but I digress.

It’s all a big ol mess. We are taught critical thinking and this is a perfect example of how to use it. Actions speak louder than words, and can we comb through and pick up truths and lies the characters are telling based on actions they take? Yes we absolutely can and we’re supposed to. We’re not supposed to blindly trust what the characters say. You’re not even supposed to blindly trust what people in your real life say.

Mike’s actions don’t line up with his words in the love confession. He spends all of season 4 pretty quiet or just not really saying any full sentence. He’s very in his head, he’s very guilty. Mike is showing extremely clean signs of guilt. We know that because we can line up his language and facial expressions with examples of him feeling guilt in the past.

Mike uses Will’s feelings to confess his love to El in hopes to save the world and it doesn’t work.

That is so very clear. So, where do we go from here? All we can say is it doesn’t look pretty for Mike and El’s relationship. They needed to have Mike tell El he loves her to display to us that, “hey that actually wasn’t the problem in their relationship.” Why? Because again it doesn’t work. Nothing is fixed.

So now as an audience our job is to go. “Okay that didn’t fix anything, so what is the problem?”

And that’s where we land in season 5

All of the Mike/El/Will stuff is not hidden. There’s so many shows, especially sci fi, where you’ve gotta focus focus on what’s happening to piece it together. Storytelling is created very specifically. No character is just talking to talk or “being a kid” they are telling us a specific story with every action they take. And many people when Will and Mike do end up together, their brains will click, because people aren’t stupid. Once we’re given an answer most people will go “Ohhhh okay now I see cause of blank blank blank”

If the argument for Mike and El is just cause teens will be teens and they’ve spent the whole show dating, it really doesn’t look good for them.

You all know this already but I love to chat so I added on lol.