willthewiz

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What did Jonathan really see that night?

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“what do i say to convince you that i need you too?”

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Mike's Truth

Mike: “I didn't… I didn't know what to say.”

Will: "Sometimes I think it's just scary to open up like that. To say how you really feel. Especially to people you care about the most. Because, what if… what if they don't like the truth?”

Mike: "I… I care for you… so much.”

El: "Care." But you don't… you don't love me anymore?

Mike: “What… Who… Who said that I didn't?”

El: “You never say it.”

Mike: “I say it.”

El: “You can't even write it, Mike. "From Mike." "From Mike." "From Mike." "From Mike." "From."

Mike: “Okay, okay. Eleven, you're being ridiculous. What, like… What is this? You know what I think of you. You're the most incredible person in the world. And you can't let these mouth breathers ruin you. Ruin us. I mean, they're nobodies. They're nobodies. And you're a superhero.”

El: “Not anymore.”

Mike didn't know what to say. He knew El wanted him to tell her he loved her but he didn't. Instead, he told her that he cared about her. And because he cares about El, he scared to say how he really feels. Because what if El doesn't like the truth?

Mike didn't know whether to say the truth about how he feels or to lie about how he feels. Telling El the truth about his feelings, opening up, is scary because he doesn't know if she will be okay with the truth.

But she already knows the truth. She knows Mike cares about her, but she also knows he won't say or write about how much he loves her. As Mike said, "You know what I think of you."

Mike: “I am scared that one day you’ll realize you don’t need me anymore.”

Mike: “But the truth is, El, I don’t know how to live without you.”

Mike: “And… I can’t lose you. Okay? Do you hear me? I can’t lose you.”

Mike is scared that he will lose El if she knew the truth. He's scared she wouldn't need him anymore once she found out. It's not that he can't live without her, but that he doesn't know how to live without her. He's kept the truth about his feelings hidden for so long that he doesn't know how to stop hiding because of that fear of losing her.

El: “I saw what I did. I am a monster.”

Papa: “You speak of monsters, superheroes. That’s the stuff of myth and fairy tales. Reality, truth, is rarely so simple. People are not so easily defined. Only by facing all of ourselves, the good and the bad, can we become whole.”

People are not just monsters or superheroes. They are not just bad or good. Because there is more to them than just being totally good or totally bad because we all have a reason for being those things and we all have a little good and a little bad in us. This doesn't mean we're all bad people. It just means that we aren't perfect because we have flaws. And we should embrace that. By facing not just the good things about us, but the bad things (the things that make us imperfect) too, we’ll understand ourselves on a much deeper level. A half, becoming whole. By facing all of ourselves, we become whole. We become whole by finding the other half of ourselves that we ignore and hide from.

“A half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole.”

El: “What if I don’t wanna become whole?”

Papa: “Then that is a choice. Your choice. The door is always open. This place is not a prison. This is. You chose to trust me once. I’m asking you to trust me again. Journey with me into the past one last time. Stop hiding, Eleven.”

In order for Eleven to get her powers back, to face all the good and the "bad" parts of herself to become whole, she must journey into the past. Step out from hiding in the shadows and step into the light. But no one can do this for her. She must be the one to make her choice to open the door to the past, come out from her hiding spot, and face all parts of herself that she has ignored and hid from.

I believe other characters will also have to stop hiding and journey into the past. For them to grow, they must become whole. There is another character who still chooses to hide and ignore the other half of themselves. And that is…

Mike.

Mike will need to say how he really feels. The truth needs to come out. Will a journey to the past help Mike face himself, all the good and the bad, and become whole?

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Will's Arc Ties the Whole Series Together

"Will really takes center stage again in [season] 5," Ross Duffer told Variety. "This emotional arc for him is what we feel is going to hopefully tie the whole series together. Will is used to being the young one, the introverted one, the one that’s being protected. So part of his journey, it’s not just sexuality – it’s Will coming into his own as a young man."

So in other words...

Will Byers will receive more attention in season 5 due to his importance in the story. His goals, motivations, conflicts, and decisions will make Will’s story an emotional arc. Instead of Will keeping his thoughts and feelings to himself, he’ll become more open and honest not just to others but also himself. Instead of needing protection and being treated like a child, he will stand up to fight to protect others and make his own decisions instead of doing what others want him to do. To come into his own, Will must face challenges such as going against numerous enemies and trials along the way (internal and external conflicts), and emerge stronger and wiser at the end. Once Will overcomes these challenges, he’ll be able to:

Utilize his strengths and unique qualities to his fullest extent.

Become more self-assured and comfortable in his own skin, no longer needing to defer to others or hold himself back.

Establish a strong, independent sense of self, rather than relying on others' perceptions or definitions of who he is.

Fully showcase his talents, skills, and perspectives, without feeling the need to conform or blend in.

Reach new heights in his career, personal life, or other endeavors where his true abilities can shine.

Will’s story is about self-discovery and growth. He will grow into the fullest expression of his authentic self and potential. His emotional arc will tie the whole series together because in order to defeat Vecna and save Hawkins, Will must stop clinging to his childhood and use that support from others as a stepping stone toward finally growing up and becoming a young man.

And we know Will will always need Mike. Mike is part of the key to Will's self-discovery. Mike makes Will feel like he's not a mistake. He feels better for being different because of Mike. He can be himself because of Mike. And that gives him the courage to fight on. The courage to finally defeat Vecna once and for all. That support from others will play a part in Will growing as a person, thus leading to Will becoming a young man and facing against Vecna.

As I said before, Will’s arc is about self-discovery and growth. He has that acceptance from others such as Jonathan and Mike, and that support will help him grow as a person and become fully comfortable in his own skin. However, Mike isn’t the key because of his acceptance, but rather part of the key to Will coming into his own. Becoming his own person. Will having support is important, but that’s not his story. After coming back from the upside down, Will has been clinging to his childhood. Will’s arc is not about acceptance from others, it’s about him growing up and finding out who he is as a young man. That acceptance and support will lead Will in the right direction toward self-discovery and growth.

"I think Mike is trying to be as normal as possible and try to keep on a normal path." —Finn Wolfhard

"How is he (Mike) this clueless right now? With the Will scene in the car, I remember asking the Duffers, why would he not know this? And they're like, don't worry it'll pay off in the end." —Finn Wolfhard

"I can just tell you that I'm very very excited for what's to come. I think they did a great job with Will's character this season, and beautifully addressed everything they needed to. The way they closed the show is just perfect – the story started with Will, and it’ll end with Will."

—Noah Schnapp

"Our show is an anthem for the marginalized and imperfect, precisely because the Duffer brothers know from experience that the popular and easy road is rarely the most interesting one, and that character, grit, connection, and soul are bred in the same moments that challenge us the most." —Shawn Levy

With Mike and Will becoming a team in season 5 and Will taking center stage, it could only mean one thing...

Byler Endgame

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El: "I love you too."

Mike's reaction:

Mike: "I love you."

El's reaction:

This is supposed to be romantic...?

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How gay love is going to save the world: Byler Analysis Masterlist

🧟‍♂️ = Character study; 🌈 = Queer themes in ST; 🎲 = Symbolism; ⚔️ = S5 predictions (pre-TFS); ⏰ = S5 predictions (post-TFS)

Will, Henry, and queer villainy

🎲 Vecna as a metaphor for Will’s struggle with homophobia

🎲 Vecna & the Mind Flayer: who is the true Big Bad of ST?

⚔️ Will has superpowers and they’re super gay (⏰or not)

🧟‍♂️ Good vs. evil: Henry and Will as narrative foils

🧟‍♂ Be gay do crime: Will and Henry and breaking the rules

🌈 Crazy together: Byler, Cthulhu, and cosmic horror

🧟‍♂ In defense of queer interpretations of Henry

The Strangest Things were the lessons we learned

🌈 How the mothers of ST raise their queer children

🎲 How ST depicts Mike’s struggle with being in the closet

🌈 Why I stopped being anti-Byler

🌈 But it was the 80s: is Will destined for a bleak ending?

🌈 A cynical gay Millennial’s thoughts on queer rep

Be gay do time travel

⚔️ A primer on extra-dimensional travel

⚔️ The origin of the Mind Flayer (& ⏰post-TFS thoughts)

⏰ Will’s time-travelling coming-of-age

⏰ On the potential influence of The Terminator on S5

Miscellaneous other essays

🧟‍♂ Musings on Will’s trust issues

🎲 Rod motifs in Will’s character arc

🌈 Why the themes of ST make Byler endgame inevitable

⚔️ Does Mike think Will is in love with El? (part 1)

⚔️ Does Mike think Will is in love with El? (part 2)

Bite-sized Byler bits

🎲 Very serious grave-digging tool analysis

🎲 How Suzie’s siblings foreshadow the S4 finale

🧟‍♂️ The symmetry of Byler and the van scene

🎲 Edgar Allan Poe analyzes the scrapyard heart-to-heart

⚔️ S4 parallels that foreshadow Will’s importance in S5

⚔️ Will’s missing rainbow

⚔️ The pizzeria heart-to-heart as a Byler proof

⚔️ Does Jonathan suspect Mike is queer?

🎲 The Upside Down as a metaphor for Will’s immaturity

🎲 Monsters as a metaphor for 80s attitudes towards sex

[willthewiz]

A couple of things I’ve only just noticed….

During the championship game after Jason misses the basket Lucas takes the ball and wins the game for the team. But just before Lucas throws the ball we get a close up of the digital clock saying 001 and afterwards we get a close up of Lucas lifting off of the ground!!

Either this was simply foreshadowing for Chrissy dying shortly after the game and every other death that followed, or my boy Lucas is in danger in s5……

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During the basketball/hellfire sequence we get a lot of close up character shots and amongst those close ups we also get Steve and the girl he took to the game who is actually wearing triangle earrings and we know that triangles were used this season to symbolize queerness. Another girl that is standing behind them is also wearing a rainbow heart necklace:

Now, his could of course simply apply to the girl but I think it’s rather interesting that the next character we get a close up of is actually Mike:

There is a dice roll in between those shots though which features cans of Mountain Dew which is a brand by Pepsi and there’s also generally a lot of rainbow lighting stuff going on in the hellfire room:

—

In the airport scene when they’re walking out of the airport and El talks about her plans for the day, there‘s actually a guy wearing a shirt with rainbows on it in the background:

I‘m pretty sure I‘ve found the shirt on the internet though even though it might not be an exact match it is still very obvious that the shirt in the show does feature rainbows.

The guy also stands by the telephones which is…. interesting (phonegate).

—

These scenes are parallels:

It’s their first and their last heart-to-heart of the season.

the scenes have the same color scheme and every color appears almost in the exact same spot [the green dresser and the green curtains on the left, the green chair and the green trees peaking through the hole on the right. The yellow light and the yellow bits of the tapestry in the middle, Will with his yellow shirt on the right. The blue picture on top of the dresser and the blue kit/tank whatever that is on the left, Mike with his blue shirt on the left as well].

In their first heart-to-heart they’re divided by the vertical line on the tapestry and in their last heart-to-heart there’s a big stream of light between them.

In both scenes Mike’s arrow pocket points at Will.

In the bedroom we have the upside down tapestry and in the cabin we have the upside down sofa.

Will is talking about second chances: Mike getting a second chance to tell El what he didn’t tell her and El getting a second chance to win against Vecna [funny enough Mike’s reaction to the former is a fake smile, reluctantly accepting the advice he doesn’t wanna take, and his reaction to the latter is: “let’s hope not”….. interesting].

They’re talking about how it’s up to them to defeat Vecna in both scenes.

In the bedroom scene they’re talking about Owens and in the cabin scene they’re talking about Brenner.

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Will & Mike Parallels

Will: “These past few months, I’ve been so lost without you. It’s just, I’m so different from other people, and… when you're… when you're different, sometimes… you feel like a mistake. But you make me feel like I’m not a mistake at all. Like I’m better for being different. And that gives me the courage to fight on. If I was mean to you or I seemed like I was pushing you away, it's because I’m scared of losing you, like you're scared of losing her. And if I was going to lose you, I… I think I’d rather just get it over with quick. Like ripping off a Band-Aid. So, yeah, I need you, Mike. And I always will.”

Mike: "Yeah?"

Will: "Yeah."

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Mike: “Listen, the truth is, the last year has been weird, you know? And I mean, you know, Max and Lucas and Dustin, they're… they're great. They're great. It's just… It's Hawkins. It's not the same without you. And I feel like maybe I was worrying too much about El, and I don't know, maybe I feel like I lost you or something. Does that make sense? I have no idea what's gonna happen next. But, whatever it is, I… I think we should work together. I think it'll be easier if we're… we're a team. Friends. Best friends."

Will: "Cool."

Mike: "Cool."

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Mike: "But what if after all this is over, she… sh… she doesn't need me anymore?” Will: “No, o… of course she'll still need you. She'll always need you, Mike.” Mike: “I keep telling myself that, but I… I don't believe it."

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Will: "These past few months, I’ve been so lost without you."

Mike: “Listen, the truth is, the last year has been weird, you know? It's Hawkins. It's not the same without you."

Will has been lost without him and Mike feels like Hawkins isn't the same without him. They both feel lost when they aren't together.

Will: "I’m scared of losing you."

Mike: "I feel like I lost you."

Because Will is scared of losing Mike, he gets mad at him and pushes him away. Because Mike was worrying too much about El, he felt like he lost Will. Both of them were pushing each other away which caused Will to feel lost and Mike to feel like he lost him. Pushing each other away causes them to feel lost without one another.

Will: "You make me feel like I’m not a mistake at all. Like I’m better for being different. And that gives me the courage to fight on."

Mike: "I think we should work together. I think it'll be easier if we're… we're a team."

Will feels like he can be himself around Mike and that gives him the courage to fight on. Mike feels like it'll be easier if they we're a team. Mike and Will need each other because they give one another courage to fight on as a team.

Mike: "But what if after all this is over, she… sh… she doesn't need me anymore?”

Will: "I need you, Mike. And I always will.”

Mike feels like El doesn't need him anymore. No matter how many times he tells himself that she does need him, he doesn't believe it. But Will would always need him. Mike wants to be needed and Will would always need Mike.

Byler Endgame <3

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Mike & El vs Hopper & El Parallels

Mike: "When the numbers read three one five, meet us there."

El: "Three... one... five."

Mike: "Three, one, five."

El: "No signal. It's eight one five. You're late."

Hopper: "Yeah I lost track of time. I'll signal next time, alright?"

Hopper: "And it's uh, it's eight fifteen, it's not eight one five."

El: "Eight fifteen."

Mike: "Did you spy on me? That's totally against the rules!"

Hopper: Now, what did we talk about? Dinner first, then dessert. Always. That's the rule."

Hopper: "All I ask of you is that you follow three simple rules."

Hopper: "I guess we broke our rule."

El: "You are like papa!"

Mike: "What did you do? What did you do?!

Papa: What have you done? What have you done?!

Hopper: "I don't hate it, by the way. This whole... look. It's kinda cool."

Mike: "You're gonna have an awesome scar. You'll look even more badass."

El: "Bitchin'."

Hopper: "Okay, sure. Bitchin'."

El: "Bitchin'."

Mike: "Yeah, bitchin'."

Hopper: "So, what, we're just not gonna talk about it?"

Mike: "So, um, are we just not gonna talk about it?"

El: "About what?"

El: "About what?"

Hopper: "Oh, I don't know I'm just curious, you know, why all of a sudden you look like some kinda MTV punk."

Mike: "I don't know, just maybe, like about, yesterday or... everything."

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Will's Project on Alan Turing

Some of Alan Turing quotes may reveal something about Will and season 5.

These stand out to me the most:

"Those who can imagine anything, can create the impossible."

“Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.”

It makes you wonder, has Will created the impossible? The upside down? Maybe a character or characters we know? Has he stopped time or messed up a timeline?

We know when Will Byers disappeared on November 6th, 1983 and Eleven opened the gate, the Upside Down became stuck in 1983.

Will and El are definitely connected in some way. Wouldn't it be crazy if Will created El? And that's how she knew who he was in season 1 without knowing him before? Because she knows he's the one who created her? (I know, very crazy) Of course, El could've just seen him in the upside down after she opened the gate, but anything is possible if Will created the impossible. Whatever that may be...

Time can only tell. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day... (I just liked this quote lol)

What do you think?

[willthewiz]

Does Will Know Something?

Argyle: "You see this weird girl behind me?"

Will looks right at the camera and then turns to El.

Argyle: "She needs a tub with a bunch of salt so we can enhance her psychic powers so she can save the world from the super bad dude."

[willthewiz]

Jonathan Capturing the Right Moment

In this scene, Jonathan says he'd rather observe people than talk to them. And then says:

“People don’t really say what they're really thinking. When you capture the right moment, it says more.”

We'll get back to that later.

Here is Jonathan in season 4:

In the van scene, the camera only cuts to Jonathan when Will is telling a lie. Remember, Jonathan said people don't say what they're really thinking (the truth). But he captured the right moment, when it says more. Jonathan knows what Will is actually saying are his feelings not El's.

Will tells Mike that El told him what to draw. Then the camera cuts right to Jonathan. When he knows Will painted it and El didn't know what it was or who it was for.

Will: "I mean, without heart we'd all fall apart. Even El, especially El."

Then it cuts to Mike then Jonathan. Again, Jonathan knows this is about Will, not El. He's capturing these moments.

Will continues to lie and we once again, cut to Jonathan.

Here is more of Jonathan:

Mike: "But I am scared that one day you'll realize you don't need me anymore. And I thought that if I said how I felt it would somehow make that day hurt more."

We cut to Will and then Jonathan.

“People don’t really say what they're really thinking. When you capture the right moment, it says more.”

"But I am scared that one day you'll realize you don't need me anymore. And I thought that if I said how I felt it would somehow make that day hurt more."

Mike's fear & reason for not telling El he loves her:

What he thinks would happen:

Mike says I love you to El

One day, El realizes she doesn't need him anymore

That day hurts because she doesn't need him even though he loves her

El WANTED Mike to tell her that he loved her, but he didn't say it because he was afraid of losing her??

If Mike told El that he loved her, why would he still have doubts that she wouldn't need him??

Because Mike doesn't love her romantically and he's scared that if she knew, she wouldn't need him anymore. But that's just not true.

Jonathan is observing him in this scene. In previous scenes, Will is lying to Mike. Will isn't saying what he's really thinking (the truth to Mike). But Jonathan captures those specific moments, those lies. He sees through them and they become something more. The truth. Will is confessing his feelings for Mike through El.

In this scene, Mike is lying to El. Mike isn't saying what he's really thinking (the truth to El). But Jonathan captures this particular moment. This moment is when he sees through Mike's lies. He sees the truth. Mike is confessing his real feelings. He's saying that he isn't in love her and he's scared to lose her because of that. He's saying that the whole reason why he didn't tell her he loved her is because he's scared El wouldn't need him anymore.

Again, if Mike told El that he loved her, why would he think El wouldn't need him anymore? Why is he so scared that one day she'll come to this realization? Hm... I wonder...

Mike doesn't love El romantically, but he needs her. They will always need each other. And, I think, in season 5, Mike will realize that El will always need him and that they don't need to be in love with one another to stay with one another. Mike wouldn't lose her just because they're not together as a couple anymore.

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Idk if any of this made sense or not. Not really sure about the whole Jonathan thing, but it is clear that he observes Will (and people in general) and knows he loves Mike. I just thought that what Jonathan said is interesting. Is this the shows way of saying that characters don't always mean what they say? Maybe...

I don't know anything about film, so don't take this seriously. I have no idea what I'm doing, I'm just bored and very sleep deprived.

Let me know what you think:)

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Church Sign x Heroes

This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.

Oh, we can be heroes Just for one day Oh, we can be heroes Just for one day

I, I will be king And you, you will be queen Though nothing Will drive us away

Oh, we can be heroes Just for one day Oh, we can be us Just for one day

[willthewiz]

The Electricity - Lumax & Byler

Dustin: "I saw you two holding hands on the bus, Lucas."

Lucas: "She was just scared."

Dustin: "Maybe. But I could feel it."

Lucas: "Feel what?"

Dustin: "The electricity."