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willthewiz · 3 days ago

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The Audience Was Never Meant to Like Mileven — A Season 3 Analysis

Before we start, I want to clarify the title: this is about how the audience was never meant to like Mike and El as a romantic couple. Their scenes in s1 and s2 were endearing and served to show us that they have an important bond. BUT...some people are just meant to be friends, y'all, and that's okay. And the writers of Stranger Things want you to know that, too. So here we go:

At the beginning of s3, Mike and El's romance is in full swing. They're kissing all the time and they're constantly together. How do we know this? Well, it's not because we get a montage of intimate moments between them. It's because of this guy, who says this about them in the first episode of the season:

Before you come at me, I am fully aware that this is played for laughs, and we're supposed to find Hopper's meltdown funny. Even so, they're planting these ideas in our minds from the first episode which sets the tone for the rest of the season, and even more telling is that they do nothing to convince us he's wrong. If anything, they do the opposite.

For example, in the next episode, we have a shot of El frantically pacing the front porch waiting for Mike to show up. She's not excitedly waiting on the porch swing for him, smiling warmly in anticipation of her lover's arrival. She is visibly distressed:

Why? Because he is two minutes late.

I think it's safe to assume he was supposed to be there at 9:30.

Any way you slice it, that's not normal or healthy. You could argue that they're just newly in love and that's why they're being insane, but Lumax, Jancy, and Jopper—couples we are meant to root for and that are likely endgame—are never portrayed like this. This is unhealthy attachment and obsession, and the audience is clearly meant to see it that way.

Next, we have Mike giggling and whispering in El's ear while Hopper is trying to have a serious conversation with them, which lends credence to Hopper's "he's corrupting her" line (obviously it's not that serious—and more on why this is an annoying line below—but it is meant to show that Hopper is not far from the truth: Mike does not bring out the best behaviour in El—and vice versa—and they're not very likeable together.)

Interlude: Corruption

I also want to bring up another scene where the word "corrupting" is used, and it's this one:

To Mike's credit, he does later tell El when he's apologizing that he actually likes that she and Max are friends now and was just jealous because he wanted El all to himself yikes lol but I'm bringing this up because it serves to parallel Mike with Hopper.

Both Mike and Hopper assume that El is this pure thing that can be "corrupted," which is both misogynistic and infantilizing. Regardless of their intentions, both of them are trying to control her and make decisions for her (the scene above is literally an argument about how El should get to decide her limits, not Mike). And the fact that we have Max, a girl, defending her independence just further emphasizes that El's entire existence has been shaped by men thus far, and Mike is no exception to that.

We see this season what El is like when she is "enlightened" by Max and steps into her own, and she's miles more confident, happy, and self-assured than she is when she's anxiously attached to Mike. So there's another strike against them if you care at all about El's wellbeing. (I won't get into it here, but Mike has been paralleled with Dr. Brenner in the past, and they really double down on that in s4 where they parallel him with both Hopper and Dr. Brenner, conveying to the audience that he acts more like a father figure toward El than a partner.)

Foreshadowing

We then have Hopper's line there's something very wrong with this thing between you and El which, apart from being just plain ominous, is a really interesting choice of words.

If they wanted to convey that Hopper is just being a paranoid overprotective father, they would've framed it that way. They could've made him say something like: “You’re spending entirely too much time with my daughter” “You guys need to take a breather for my sanity” “I don't feel right about this" etc. Instead, they framed it in such a way that it feels like he’s stating a fact ("There is something very wrong..."), and it's not temporary, either. The way he calls it a “thing” further emphasizes the idea that their relationship is not a normal healthy one, but more of an attachment/codependency that shouldn’t even be qualified as a romance.

This line feels very deliberate, and since it's in the first episode, I think it's meant as a direction for the audience for the rest of the season: pay close attention to these two, something isn’t right here.

It's especially meaningful when you pair it with this scene earlier in the episode:

Dustin is talking about himself and Suzie, of course, but he is seriously beating the dead horse with this comparison—he says it in three different ways (not to mention El is pulled into frame, hanging on to Mike's arm, the moment he introduces the concept with the word "Shakespearean"). Then we have Max's "I got it" reflecting what the audience is thinking at this point (lol) and then they immediately cut to:

I have never seen anything more intentional in my life, like come on. This is a neon sign saying that these two cannot end up together. The reasons for this have yet to be revealed to us explicitly, but they are setting us up so that we won't be disappointed when it happens because 1) we will be so fed up with them lmao and 2) we will know that the relationship is not good for either of them.

Now Let's Question Some Narrative and Directorial Choices!

Maybe you're not convinced at this point, so let me posit this: when Mike and El skip together hand in hand down the hill on this lovely summer's afternoon, don't you think this would have been the perfect moment to cut to a private scene between them? So we can finally see them share a nice, tender moment that gives us a reason to root for them? Absolutely, this would have been the time to do it. But no, we get this instead:

Why are we constantly seeing other characters discussing Mike and El's relationship instead of actually seeing their relationship unfold?

Why is it that the two kiss scenes between them before their breakup don't serve to advance or give us insight into their relationship in any way, but instead serve to introduce and further Hopper's agenda (a character who canonically hates their relationship)?

After that first kiss scene, they even call each other afterwards and all Mike is talking about is how red in the face Hopper was, before this eyebrow-raising exchange: "I wish I was still with you" (strange phrasing for what could have been "I wish we were still together") and "I know, me too" ('I know' can easily be misconstrued as 'I know you do', implying one-sided feelings, and definitely didn't need to be written that way).

Why is it that one of the only halfway cute Mileven scenes this season ("Does your species like M&Ms?") only exists because Lucas made it happen?

Why is it that Mike can only say he loves El when she isn't in the room, in an excessively unromantic and performative setting?

(The family discussion line is hilarious when following this bombshell Mike just dropped. Reminds me of "Will you be like my brother?" and all the more tongue in cheek when you view Mike as a brotherly/fatherly figure in El's life.)

Why are the highs and lows of their relationship portrayed so unemotionally, with cheesy pop ballads playing in the background of their kissing scenes—which are in turn cut up by comically angry Hopper scenes—and the most unserious, tonally cheery breakup I have ever seen?

Why is it that the only other glimpses we get into Mike and El's relationship from their perspective are scenes where they're lying, fighting, or failing to communicate?

-> I'll go ahead and answer this last one: it's because there is no romantic substance to their relationship, so they have nothing else to show us except two incompatible people trying to make it work.

Mileven Jeopardizes Other Relationships

The rain fight scene between Mike and Will highlights a very important point:

Will: You're ruining our party. Mike: That's not true! Will: Really? Where's Dustin right now? Mike: *deafening silence* Will: See? You don't know, and you don't even care, and obviously he doesn't either and I don't blame him! You're destroying everything and for what? So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?

We are meant to sympathize with Will here, and we are shown that he's correct based on Mike's treatment of him and Dustin (honestly the scene before this, when they're making fun of Will's campaign, is brutal to watch. It isn't up for debate that they treat him horribly). Mileven canonically jeopardizes Mike's relationships, and a healthy romantic relationship should not require sacrificing other important people in your life.

Now, you could argue that Lucas also has his head up his ass this season, but it isn't because of Max. It's because of Mike and his relationship drama. Lucas and Max are fine helping Dustin build Cerebro, and they're also not losing their minds when they're apart from each other. That's an important difference being highlighted between Lumax and Mileven, which I think are meant to be foils of one another given they are all at the same stage of puberty, in the same Party, and seemingly at the same stage in their relationships.

But something else that's important about this is we the audience don't want to see the Party fall apart either! We love the Party! And the writers are purposely making it so that a united Party and Mileven are mutually exclusive, which is yet another tool to push us not to root for them. You may think that's a bold statement, but consider this:

They could have written it so that Mike smartens up after this fight and is able to better balance his relationship with El and other people, but that is not what happens. Instead, s4 rolls around and we see that it's gotten even worse—Mike is literally incapable of being civilized with Will in California until El and him are on the rocks again. He has a functional relationship with Dustin and Lucas (arguably for the latter, but only because Lucas has his basketball/popularity baggage) back in Hawkins because El is not around.

I'll let that simmer as I introduce:

Addressing a Counterpoint

I want to make it clear that I'm trying to be objective as possible here, and there are some sweet shots of Mileven in the latter half of s3 that can be used to argue against all of this. Mike is very caring and protective over El while they're dealing with the supernatural plot—he rushes to her aid a lot, checks in, and helps her hobble around on her injured leg. He clearly cares about her a lot, but I'm here to say: these are not explicitly romantic, or even romantically coded, scenes/actions, and they seem to go out of their way to make a point of this. I've run out of image space on this post and this point doesn't really pertain to why we're meant to dislike Mileven, so I may make a separate post and link back here. But in summary:

In the final episodes of s3, when they're in peril, we often see Mike's actions toward El repeated by other characters, especially Max. I find it really interesting that both Max and Mike are helping El get around on her injured leg in the final episode, as if to make it glaringly obvious that the care being shown to her can be read as platonic. Pair that with Mike attacking Billy after he knocks Max—a character Mike consistently butts heads with—unconscious, to remind us that this is how Mike behaves with anyone he remotely cares about (leader Mike rise uppp).

And finally, there are almost always other characters in frame during these sweet Mileven moments (which detracts from the intimacy and any sort of romantic mood) apart from 2 or 3 brief clips, the one below being the longest (and guess what? This one was famously unscripted):

(I'm emphasizing that it was unscripted/undirected because, even though they kept this shot in—because it is a great, dramatic shot—the writers never actively thought about giving Mike and El an intimate moment like this during the heat of battle, because once again, it was never their intention to progress their romance in a positive way.)

So yeah, Mike and El care about each other, undoubtably. Obviously they're going to protect one another during life-or-death moments. But this doesn't cancel out the fact that their romantic relationship is a constant source of negativity for them and other characters throughout the season.

Conclusion

I'm just going to say it outright: Mileven is unlikeable and we are meant to see it that way. They have purposefully shown us the drastic shift from their cute platonic/first crush (however you want to see it) dynamic in s1 and s2 when they weren't actually in a relationship, to their toxic dynamic in s3 when they are in a relationship. This is to say that this pairing does not work romantically.

Why, then, did the writers put them back together after their breakup at the beginning of s3? Because this relationship serves as a driving force for both Mike and El's character arcs. If they had broken up for good in s3, there would be nothing holding El back from "finding herself" in California in s4, and then her arc would be over by the time we get to s5. And Mike needed this:

to further his sexual identity crisis, ultimately leading to his deep denial and posturing in s4, and setting him up for his latent homosexual awakening in s5.

This is a s3 analysis so I won't go too deep into s4, but just to say that all s4 does for this relationship is show us more explicitly the flaws that exist within it. We are no longer just seeing them being annoying through the eyes of other characters, we are now seeing how their lies and miscommunication affect Mike and El themselves. If s3 was designed to get the audience to dislike Mileven, then s4 was designed to show us that Mike and El don't like it anymore, either. Neither of them is having a good time, and it shows.

I am actually begging to engage in respectful conversation with a Mileven shipper about everything outlined here, because to me it's just mind-boggling that people can view this relationship as something positive to root for!!!!! I am dying for Mike and El to end their storylines as the good friends that they are.

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willthewiz · 5 days ago

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raising an eyebrow… ( ;´ - `;).?

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willthewiz · 5 days ago

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Why Will is Going to 'Win' The Love Triangle

So I watched this Youtube video entitled 'How to Always Know Who'll Win the Love Triangle' which inspired this whole post, and I thought it would be interesting to apply her points to the love triangle with WillElMike.

Keep in mind the video focuses solely on heterosexual romances, with the creator not discussing any queer pairings, but regardless I still found it intriguing. (Also if you watch this video a warning that it spoils the outcomes of love triangles for many shows/movies. I think though that most will know the love triangle outcomes as most are mainstream shows/movies)

Specifically I want to talk about the "Winning Conditions" section of her video. She asks 4 questions to determine who will be the "winner" of the love triangle.

Who is our protagonist most changed by?

She delves into this further by saying it's about who the protagonist experiences the greatest emotional journey with, the person who will force them out of their comfort zone, and who will make them grow.

In this case Mike is the "protagonist" since he's the center of the love triangle.

For WillElMike: I think this is well-demonstrated in S4. Will helps Mike grow, both in his confidence, and in his self-expression. Mike opens up to Will about his feelings of inadequacy regarding his relationship with El. And it's because of Will that Mike is reminded that he's the "heart" of the Party, and leads him to take up more of his leader role again. The two of them are constantly having heart-to-heart conversations throughout the show, and especially in S4.

Contrast this to Mike and El who haven't really ever had a proper heart-to-heart conversation. Instead their conversations are largely relegated to either a) discussing the greater supernatural threats at play or b) talking about their crumbling relationship.

Winner for Question #1: Will

2. Who requires the most sacrifice?

Whichever love interest is the "easy" option doesn't make for a good story. Whichever love interest will require the most sacrifice is typically the one the protagonist will end up with.

For WillElMike: El is the safe, easy choice. Mike being with Will would require sacrifice. Staying in a heterosexual relationship with El would allow Mike to hide his queerness. If Mike is with Will he would eventually have to come out to his family and friends. He likely would worry about his queerness fundamentally changing his life. Keep in mind Mike's parents are conservatives who voted for Reagan. Mike may worry about being disowned or kicked out of his house.

Being with Will would certainly require more sacrifice.

Winner for Question #2: Will

3) Who does the protagonist most emotionally impact?

So which of the love interests is most emotionally impacted (in a positive way) by the protagonist?

For WillElMike: El is definitely positively emotionally impacted by Mike in the Season 1. He provides her comfort and stability and gives her a home. But by S3/S4 she's instead negatively emotionally impacted by Mike. Will, however, despite suffering from his (believed) unrequited affections, has throughout the show displayed what a positive influence Mike has made in his life.

In Season 2 when Will talks to Mike in his basement about his visions he tells Mike not to tell the others because they won't understand (like Mike does). He also tells Jonathan everyone treats him like a baby, naming all his friends except for Mike. Mike is the exception, because Mike, while caring for Will, doesn't infantilize him.

And in Season 4 Will expresses that Mike makes him feel like he's not a mistake, like he's better for being different, that Mike is the one that gives him the courage to fight on. Compare this to Mike making El feel like a monster – oof.

Winner of Question #3: Will

4) Who's there for the meat of the plot?

Basically this boils down to where is the narrative framed. Who helps the protagonist (Mike) through the main plot of the story?

For WillElMike: Now Season 1 Mike is of course around El more than Will, as Will is missing. And El does help Mike throughout the main plot of Season 1.

But go to Season 2, now Mike and Will are basically attached at the hip. Throughout Season 2, Mike and Will are consistently together.

Season 3 is a bit more tricky because it's more of a group-centered season. I'll tentatively call this a draw.

And then in Season 4 we barely get any Mike/El content. Instead Mike and Will are together throughout the season (they're basically the whole California plot).

And then we have Season 5 which is confirmed to have Mike and Will again as a team. They will be together the majority of the season.

So which love interest is there for the majority of Mike's narrative? Will.

Winner of Question #4: Will

I would encourage any Byler doubters to reflect on other love triangles you've seen in media and apply this same framework to them.

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willthewiz · 5 days ago

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"they do say it makes you crazy" "you've never heard that term? you know, like the phrase: blank makes you crazy?" "i care for you so much" "who said that i didn't?" "i say it" "if i would've said that thing" mike avoids the word love like the plague this is frying me

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willthewiz · 6 days ago

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If you ever have doubts about the fact that Mike was jealous and remembering that El said Will had made a painting for a girl - meaning the way he acted was anxiety and jealousy - remember that the rest of the airport scene has about 3 other reminders that Mike remembers stuff from El’s letter.

That’s literally why they had him read it at the beginning of Season 4, so this plot line could be set up.

El said that she missed the spring flowers -> Mike brings spring flowers from Hawkins

El mentioned Argyle in her letter -> Mike recognises him when he meets him irl

El mentioned that she has friends in the letter -> Mike asks if her friends are going to meet them at Rink o Mania (for many reasons but i won’t get into that here)

El mentioned that Will is painting something for a girl and that’s why he’s acting weird -> Mike asks about the painting anxiously and doesn’t want to talk about it especially when Will acts casually about it.

I don’t wanna hear any talk about jealous Mike being a reach or something - it’s spelled out to us in this scene that he remembers the letter.

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willthewiz · 6 days ago

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💛💙ATTENTION BYLER FANDOM💙💛

@cee-tinii and i are proud to present:

byler doubt? what's that? - a byler evidence slideshow consisting of cast/crew statements, story/character analysis, and cinematography analysis! anything that could make a case for byler, really.

at time of posting, we have a total of 91 slides. it's still nowhere near a comprehensive collection of byler proof, and there are a few places where we could definitely use some more polishing, but that's where you all come in - we'd love for input and collaboration from the fandom for this collection!

(also please reblog, we'd like to get this slideshow to as many bylers as possible!)

#mike wheeler #will byers #byler #byler endgame #byler proof #byler evidence #byler canon #byler tumblr #byler nation #byler analysis #stranger things

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willthewiz · 7 days ago

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People keep saying that Byler and Rockie will make the show "too woke" but like, the show is already pretty damn "woke."

A) One of the main antagonists of the show, besides all of the supernatural shit, is LITERALLY the U.S. government. The U.S. army and scientists are VILLAINS.

B) Some of the main antagonists, i.e. Troy and Billy, are literally antagonists BECAUSE of the fact that they are RACIST BULLYING ASSHOLES. Lonnie is an antagonist because he's a HOMOPHOBIC ABUSER.

C) Eddie "Forced Conformity is Killing the Kids!!" Munson is literally one of the MAIN CHARACTERS of s5. And he's idolized by several of the other leads (namely Mike and Dustin).

D) There are already TWO confirmed queer characters, Robin and Will, who canonically have crushes on other characters.

E) The four main kids are a DND group. NERDS. They're obsessed with science and weird supernatural shit. And again, one of them is ALREADY confirmed to be gay. The whole point is to celebrate weirdness and differences.

F) This is less of an official point and more of an idea, but many of the main characters are extremely coded towards being neurodivergent (Mike, El, Robin, Will, Jonathan, etc), which has somehow become a "woke" thing, at least in America.

Confirming more queer characters wouldn't make Stranger Things "more woke." The show is already relatively "woke." You just don't see it because you don't care about the ideology of a SCIENCE FICTION HORROR show until a queer couple or two is involved.

(Also, there's already like a million canon straight couples. 2 out of all of the rest isn't even that crazy of a ratio. And if you count the number of straight to confirmed queer characters, it's even smaller. It's not "woke" to have representation for people that EXIST.)

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willthewiz · 7 days ago

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BYLER ESSAY 💙💛

I (a very very insane byler truther who has too much time on his hands) am proud to present the first chapter of my byler essay, a thesis-length, thesis-style document professionally analysing themes, narratives, cinematography, character arcs etc. of the show and each individual episode to put forward an argument for byler:

If you are expecting this writing to be similar to my tumblr posts, you'd only be half-correct - i argue the same things as I've always believed, plus some new stuff, but this time I word it in an academic way. I usually make my posts easy to read with images and colours n shit, but this is purposefully professional and very formal writing.

At the time of posting this, I have only written the introduction in which I talk about every overarching theme from the show that contributes to Byler. Every 1am session of writing this was just me singlehandedly curing my byler doubt, tbh. Let me know if you want to be tagged when I update this further! Every time I write a new part of this, I will make a post on tumblr like it's a fic or something <3

You don't just get to view this document, however! You also get to comment :) All comments will be moderated, and any blatant, unhelpful hate will be deleted, but I still encourage helpful input of any kind.

PlsPls be kind,,,, I spent a lot of time writing this and proofreading it and then proofreading it again. I'm like SO nervous to put this out help-

(please reblog ! i'd love for this to get to as many bylers as possible)

people who seemed interested or wanted to be tagged hi!!:

@august2961 @feignedsleep @milla-jordan @bumblebeesinthetrees @shadowyyyidk @thetheoryisalie @remstrrs @the-bogginses-are-gay @starrycloak @radisyn @minaricore @iambylernow @queeleronwheels @lune-moon-nuit @zar-bylerz

#mike wheeler #will byers #byler #byler endgame #byler analysis #byler tumblr #byler essay #byler proof #byler evidence #stranger things #stranger things analysis

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willthewiz · 7 days ago

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rewatched some of 4x01 ‘cause I was thinking about how beautifully edited the scene where El is leaving the classroom crying and upset and Running Up That Hill starts playing and wanted to experience it again

and now I’m just thinking about the contrast in the emotional weight between the way the episode transitions between El to Mike and El to Max

the California Dream sequence is filled with lies (which is purposeful by El) and irony (which she is unaware of), with a tone that flip-flops between humorous and a dreary sort of melancholy.

for example:

Joyce’s job is awesome and gives her freedom! Except it’s a telemarketer job that she clearly doesn’t enjoy

Will is painting something, he probably likes a girl! Except the painting is for Mike, who he’s in love with

Jonathan is going to college with Nancy and smokes funny plants! Except he’s not actually going to Emerson and he’s getting stoned to cope with all his issues instead of confronting them

I (El) am still best at math! Except I flunked my math final

I find it pretty here in California now too! Except I really don’t

I’ve made so many friends! Except I haven’t and I’m bullied

all while California Dreamin’ plays, singing about a winter’s day while it’s the day before spring break (some more ironic contrast)

then we cut to Mike finishing off the letter, and—bam. Nancy barges in and we just straight into a humorous scene. we aren’t supposed to dwell on how Mike feels about the letter. in fact, he literally crumples it up, now more concerned about getting dressed before Nancy leaves without him than the letter now laying on the floor. El has just spent the opening 2 minutes lying to Mike, yet the most we get of Mike missing or even thinking about El in episode one, other than the barebones fact that he read the letter, is him having a “my girl is cooler than your girl” pissing contest with Dustin at the pep rally.

oh, and what does Mike say about El then? “She saved the world twice.” it’s about her being a superhero.

it is painfully shallow.

by immense contrast,

when we transition from El to Max, it is heavily emotional. El is crying, lonely, bullied, grieving Hopper. the most emotional song of the season, one that on a rewatch cuts so incredibly deep, plays as we transition from El’s tearful face to the dark silhouette of Max. she’s wearing a green scrunchie, like the one El wore when she left Hawkins. Max floats through the halls like she’s numb, like she’s a ghost, but the first thing that catches her eye is a group of girl friends excitedly talking. and we know she’s thinking of El.

El’s loneliness is thus immediately connected to Max, and vice versa. it plants the seed, the idea, that if these two were together, things would be different. both of them lost someone, lost family, on the same night. Max would’ve helped scare off the bullies. El would have given Max a sense of purpose; someone to take care of and protect and guide.

and unlike Mike, we don’t jump into a humorous moment. Max’s counseling appointment is filled with tension and discomfort. we stay in the emotionality, the pain.

they could’ve shown yearning and emotionality between Mike and El’s scenes. it could’ve worked toward the pizza freezer monologue they knew was going to happen. they could’ve shown us Mike missing El. they’ve done it before; they did it in s2. but they didn’t. they very intentionally put the weight on El and Max, whose bond becomes integral in the finale to a literal lifesaving degree.

and I just think that’s interesting.

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willthewiz · 7 days ago

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Will is canonically psychic by the way (oh, and I don't think he spent a week in the Upside Down).

In the first episode, he is described as sensitive.

In everyday conversation, we often use this word to describe someone who is emotional, delicate, or reactive.

That seems to be the context Joyce is using when she pleads with Hopper to take Will’s disappearance seriously. She emphasizes that Will is bullied and perceived as queer. His sensitivity could be seen as weakness or femininity, making him a target for violence.

But there’s another layer to this word:

“Sensitive” is also a term used to describe someone highly attuned to their environment—particularly their senses, or even to paranormal phenomena. Sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste make up the five known senses. The elusive sixth sense is intuition.

A psychic is someone who is sensitive to influences or forces of a nonphysical or supernatural nature. They are also called “a sensitive” or “an intuitive.”

Here’s the first Oxford Languages definition of sensitive:

Remind you of someone?

Will is always the first (or only) person to detect the presence of the Mind Flayer/ Vecna—both undeniably supernatural entities.

By its very definition, Will is psychic!

He is, quite literally, a sensitive and intuitive.

What’s curious is that he’s described this way in season one, long before his possession by the Mind Flayer. So this trait predates his entanglement with the Upside Down.

To understand this trait better, we don't have to look far for comparison.

There are several psychic characters in Stranger Things: El, Henry, Kali, and the other children from Hawkins Laboratory.

Notice that they all use their psychic powers very actively. They use them with intention or based off instruction, and it’s physically and mentally exhaustive.

El’s psychic powers are not shown as particularly intuitive either: she cannot simply know where someone is or what they’re doing. She follows a ritual of sensory deprivation to activate these powers.

It's intentional.

It's trained.

We know that El’s mother Terry was the subject of the MK-Ultra experiments during her pregnancy. It’s likely this was also the case for all the other children at Hawkins Lab.

We also know that in season 3, El lost her powers. To get them back, she had to follow a program.

So if these powers can be taken away or absorbed by the Mind Flayer, if they have to be brought back through a program, that means...

None of the children at Hawkins Lab were born with their powers: their powers are not inherent, or even intuitive.

Rather, the children (including El) were born sensitive.

Their sensitivity is what gave them the capacity to develop and evolve their psychic powers over time, with the help of the program.

We see this program in action in the season 4 flashbacks to 1979. They have a clear routine: it's rigorous and challenging. Some children are more skilled than others.

Henry Creel was also described by his father, Victor, as a sensitive child. Like Will, it’s implied Henry was always sensitive—even before he came into contact with the Mind Flayer and developed his powers.

Will Byers is sensitive just like El, Henry, and the other children at Hawkins Laboratory

...and Dr. Owens knows this.

When trying to convince El to come to NINA and begin the program, Dr. Owens tells El that he thinks she is the only one who has a shot at fighting back.

Pay close attention to his choice of words here:

Not: “You’re the only one with powers.” Not: “You’re the only one who can fight him.”

His wording—“the only one who has a shot”—implies that others exist with ability. El is simply the best option by a mile.

But... who else could he mean? Kali has gone rogue. The other lab children are long deceased.

Of course, there is another sensitive child who is still alive and accounted for. Someone Dr. Owens is very familiar with:

Dr. Owens knows Will is sensitive like El, but understands that he is not well-equipped: Will is passive, precocious, and unexperienced.

El on the other hand is active, fierce, and experienced.

Will is an option, but he is likely Dr Owen’s (and Dr Brenner’s) absolute last resort.

And yes, Dr Brenner is completely aware of Will's existence, even if we have never seen them interact.

But Will might be more familair with Dr. Brenner than the show has let on.

We see both Mike and Will react to Dr. Brenner when they find El in Nevada. Mike is confused.

Will however, gets a dramatic push-in shot where he appears devastatingly wide-eyed and frozen.

This shot implies that Will recognizes Dr. Brenner—that they’ve interacted before. Will seems unsettled, caught in a moment of internal processing, trying to understand why the sight of this man triggers something in him.

And Will isn't just psychic, the show has already hinted that he was subjected to the Hawkins Lab program:

The newspaper article covering Will’s disappearance alleges that "Will was the subject of a secret government program run by the Hawkins National Laboratory."

But come season two, no one has any idea of what was happening at Hawkins Lab. It's why Nancy and Jonathan go to conspiracy theorist Murray to help them expose the truth. Even then, they ultimately decide to "water it down."

When we see this newspaper clipping again, it's instead alleged that Will went missing in the woods. This is the "watered down" story of his disappearance accepted in canon.

We as the audience have also been given a watered down story.

Will surviving the Upside Down for an entire week has always been considered a mysterious feat. He’s never spoken about it—likely because he doesn’t remember.

Somehow, he lasted seven days without food or water, avoided hypothermia, and escaped monsters that easily slaughtered grown men.

We’re told he survived, but we’re never told how.

For one, we don't fully understand how he communicated through the lights.

In Season four, Dustin and the others communicate with the teens trapped in the Upside Down using Holly’s Lite-Brite. The connection is possible because they are physically nearby—they simply touch the glowing light to activate it.

They can even hear each other. Heck, they can hear Dustin's tone.

But Joyce was only able to directly see (and hear) Will once while he was in the Upside Down, through what appears to be a micro-gate of sorts.

For the rest of the time, he communicated through lights or through the radio—both associated with psychic powers, and both which can be done from a distance.

And how could Will possibly see the letters on Joyce's wall anyway? Was he even touching them? Not likely.

So if Will wasn’t physically at the Byers house when he was communicating with her—then where was he?

And how was he doing it?

He was at Hawkins Lab. Using his psychic powers.

Will surviving an entire week in the Upside Down is bizarre and unlikely, but it's the watered down story we've been given.

It's possible that he was promptly found and taken to Hawkins Laboratory—at least, for a little while. Not for rescue, but to follow the program.

This also makes sense when we consider how lifelike and realistic the fake body was. They could only pull off this kind of accuracy if they had the real specimen as a reference.

The body wasn’t a guess. It was a replica.

Because Will was in their hands. And they were prepared to let the world believe he had died.

But something in their plan changed, and they decided to return Will to the Upside Down.

Maybe he failed the program.

Maybe they started the training too late, making him difficult to groom.

Unlike the children they raised from infancy, Will already had a life. A family. A sense of self. A mother and close friend who wouldn’t stop searching.

He was, in every way, too late to mold.

(Yes—like the Jedi. The older the child, the harder to train. Because love gets in the way. Season one even makes direct references to Star Wars).

Or maybe they simply wanted to clear the laboratory of any evidence he had been there, when they realized Hopper and Joyce were onto them.

And what happened when he was returned?

Er, it doesn't bode well for him.

He's found on to be on the brink of death. It’s as if Dr. Brenner decided to let fate run its course.

He's also found In the public library. Not Castle Byers. Not the Upside Down version of his own house. Not anywhere close to where we know he's been.

Almost like he was placed there. He was placed there, and he immediately succumbed.

Which makes one thing very clear: Will did lose to the Upside Down.

This is why Dr. Brenner and Dr. Owens would rather rely on El, even if they know Will is an option. She's a fighter. She knows how to use her powers with intention.