#there's been way too much foreshadowing surrounding mike and running away

[lighthouseas]

concept: all of the foreshadowing of mike running away actually applies to s5, and he runs away in the first episode for **reasons** before the timeskip. and the problem is -- no one can go after him, because the military closes all borders on hawkins until the "earthquake" (they know it isn't an earthquake and don't want it to spread) is under control.

essentially: no one goes in, no one comes out.

then we have a timeskip; and, to put it bluntly, everything is absolute shit without mike there. will is suffering with severe depression and guilt that he let mike go (though he's never stopped believing that mike is going to come back). the remaining wheelers are so dysfunctional that they barely talk to one another anymore. the party has grown apart. everyone is doing their best to fend for themselves in the apocalypse, waiting for the day when vecna returns so they can defeat him.

vecna officially returns at the end of the first episode that has the timeskip.

however-- in that same episode-- mike returns too.

the heart of the party is back.

[dinitride-art]

Lighting and Mike and Will and El - Full Analysis (pt.59)

There’s not a lot I can really say about the stuff we’re being shown at the end of episode nine. At least, I can’t say for sure that it connects to something and has a through line to it’s meaning. Most of this is going to be foreshadowing. And that’s not giving us much to work with. Despite this, I will be continuing to make wild claims about what all this might mean for season five, and the end of the show. 

And, as always, what it means for Mike and Will. 

S4:E9 - END SHOT (End of Season Four)

Ash is falling, shadows are over left eyes, the forest is dark. 

Hopper and Mike are looking back into the darkness behind them. The overturned red wheelbarrow is in our sights. El is the next focus after Will.

And Mike’s nearly surrounded by the dark. 

The left side of El’s face is being overtaken. Just like Mike’s was in the monologue.

And then we see Holly. “It’s snowing!” Holly is usually associated with Christmas, both the plant and Mike’s little sister. In season one there was an entire episode named after her; Holly Jolly. And we followed her as she was lead by blinking Christmas lights towards danger. Christmas isn’t a great sign.

After Holly, we see Karen. These next few shots are what I’ve been calling the groupings in my head. They’re not like Will, who was a major singular focus. But they are important, and who they’re with is important as well. 

So, Karen and Holly. Looking through a window. Curtains open.

Erica and Lucas, in darkness. Looking through a window. Reflected on it. Curtains open.

Vicky, Steve and Robin. Looking through a window. 

First set of groupings are the people looking through windows. There’s three of these. And maybe they’ll be the ones on the right side up? Trying to find the rest? The windows are important somehow. And while that might not be exactly what’s happening, it’s significant that there are three specific groupings looking at the outside through windows. 

Next we have Dustin. And possibly Wayne Munson. But our main focus here is on Dustin. And he’s part of the groupings that see the destruction happening directly from where they’re standing outside.

We come back around to where we started with Will and the others. 

Hopper and Joyce.

Mike and Will.

El. Then Jonathan and Nancy. It is a bit more choppy than the end shot, and maybe that’s telling us that while these pairs (and El) are important, we’re going to see: Hopper, Joyce and Mike, El and Will, and Nancy and Jonathan. At some point. Or it’s stressing the significance of their characters similarities. Hopper’s set aside. But Joyce and Mike were paralleled in season one, and Will and El were paralleled then too. Nancy and Jonathan have always been a pair, and have had similarities, but a little different than Will and El, and Joyce and Mike. 

They’re all on the hill (Running up that hill) that Mike would’ve picked El’s flowers from. There are trees all around them, and the theme of green in the background that’s been consistent for most of the end of this episode (after the time skip) is staying that way till the very end. We see Nancy and Jonathan, Hopper and Joyce, and Mike, Will and El in the middle. El, even at this point, is set apart from Mike and Will. 

She’s behind them, not beside them. 

Mike’s shirt pocket, as it has been consistantly, is pointing to Will. There are red flowers between them.

A few times. It’s not all the time, but enough that it could be intentional. At the very least there aren’t any red flowers between Mike and El. 

Even when there is space between them, it’s empty. 

Then El moves past them. Leaving Mike and Will as a pair. The wildflowers dying seems to be referencing Mike and El’s relationship, while also signifying the danger they’re all in. 

This shot puts El in front of Mike and Will. Like she’s protecting them. With what happened during the monologue, and the cabin scene, she might think that Vecna’s targeting them. It’s not just Will she’s in front of. Mike’s in danger too. She’s moving away from Mike- their relationship isn’t in the question anymore- but she’s also making sure that she’s in front of them. 

Mike and Will’s conflict this season has been internal and in their relationships. But more than that, their conflicts have been- at their core- about their feelings for each other. “You’re mad that I didn’t talk to you?” “Hawkins. It’s not the same without you.” “Because what if they don’t like the truth?” “after all of this is over... what if she doesn’t need me anymore?” “Sometimes when you’re different, you feel like a mistake.” “Mike. You’re the heart.” 

Mike doesn’t tell El he loves her- because he doesn’t. Friends don’t lie. Will doesn’t say that the painting is from him- because he can’t. What if Mike doesn’t like the truth? Mike and Will being gay in the 80s isn’t a simple character trait. It affects every single one of their relationships, it adds to any amount of stress or trauma they may experience, it changes the way they view the world around them and how they react to it- because they are not safe in this world. They are not safe with their friends. They are not safe with their families. And that affects every aspect of their characterization. One of the major themes of Stranger Things is forced conformity. Another one is abuse. Another one is love. Mike and Will being gay in the 80s doesn’t just affect their characters. It changes the meaning of the entire story. 

El isn’t just protecting them from Henry. She’s protecting them from everyone. She’s protecting them from Troy. She’s protecting them from the Demogorgon. She’s protecting them from the Mind Flayer. Mike and Will aren’t safe in Hawkins. And they never have been. Because they’re in a small town in the 80s. And Will’s father was abusive. And Troy targeted them both. And Mike’s dad makes comments all the time. 

This shot/scene is setting up what’s going to happen further in the story and doubling down on what’s already happened. El’s moving away from Mike, Will and Mike are sticking together, there are two pairs on either side of them that are telling us that Will and Mike are a future romantic possibility. Alright, enough speculation and interpretation. Last part is just going to be the end shot. 

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