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wheeler-things · 1 year

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Alright, this has been plaguing me for ages, so I'm making a post about it. Fair warning: this is going to be a long one.

Before getting into my own thoughts, I want to highlight this post by @dinitride-art (sorry for the unsolicited @, but also thank you for your post because it's what got me thinking about/noticing this in the first place), which talks about a lot of cool lighting stuff in Mike's s4 "I love you" monologue. One of those things is the very visible dark shadow over Mike's left eye, which OP suggests may hint that Henry is possessing or influencing Mike during this scene.

In my rewatch, I've been noticing that at various points, throughout the show, Mike has that same weird shadow show up.

As a result, I’ve developed a pet theory that Henry has been spying on/influencing Mike since s1e1. The obvious question for that is WHY would Henry target Mike in particular pre-s4, and I do have thoughts on that but they're wildly outside the scope of this post, so I won't be digging into them here. (This is just my personal favourite interpretation, though-- mostly I just think the fact that this lighting choice comes up pretty consistently/in pretty consistent contexts is interesting.)

While Mike is my main focus here, I did see that a few other characters do sometimes also have their left eye in shadows. In particular, I noticed it on Will, El, and Hopper.

Just for some context, what I'm interested in considering in this post is:

When does the eye shadow occur? What is the context in the scene before, during, and after its appearance?

Are there any connections, commonalities, or themes between the scenes/contexts in which it occurs?

Working under the hypothesis established in the link posted above that the shadow over Mike's left eye suggests that he is being influenced by Henry, what are the immediate and long term impacts of Mike's actions/interactions when he has the shadow over his eye/immediately after it disappears? Are these generally helpful or harmful to Henry and/or the UD's cause?

Season 1

First Instance:

The first time the shadow shows up is in s1e1, when Lucas, Dustin, and Will are leaving the Wheelers’ house after D&D.

First, Dustin, Mike, and Lucas have a conversation, during which Dustin and Lucas are critical of Nancy’s recent behaviour (saying that there’s “something wrong” with her and that she’s “turning into a real jerk”), but fair (Lucas specifically notes that it’s because she’s dating Steve, and Dustin is quick to bring up how she used to “be cool” in that she used to participate in their D&D campaigns). By contrast, Mike says that Nancy has “always been a jerk”, and dismissively responds to Dustin’s point about how she used to participate in their campaigns by saying that was “four years ago”.

Then, after this, as he steps forward and yells out “four years ago”, the shadow is really visible on his eye.

^ The first instance of the shadow

Following this, we get the “it was a seven” conversation, and I can’t stress enough how weird Mike is in this conversation. Will says “it was a seven”, and Mike takes a long moment to rip his eyes away from Dustin and Lucas biking away, and he says “huh?”, indicating that he didn’t hear or didn’t process what Will was saying. Will clarifies that he means in the game, and Mike’s expression becomes confused, so Will further clarifies that the Demogorgon “got” him. Mike’s expression does not clear at all. Then, presumably because Mike is just silently staring at Will, Will awkwardly says that he’ll see Mike tomorrow and bikes away. Mike continues to silently watch him leave.

This is weird behaviour for Mike. It’s weirdly quiet, it’s weirdly confused, and it’s weirdly unresponsive. I'm sure he was confused about why Will was being so honest about the failed roll, but it's still a little weird that he doesn't at least say goodbye (especially given that he says goodbye twice at the end of s1 just to make sure Will hears him).

Immediate Impact: Will heads home alone where he can be abducted.

Long Term Impact: As a result of Will leaving the Wheelers’ that night, all of the events of ST can begin. It's not explicitly stated in the show, but it's likely, knowing Mike's character, that he feels some guilt over Will to going home alone that night.

Second Instance

The next time Mike seems to have a shadow over his left eye is a little more brief, and a lot more subtle but it occurs when Hopper is questioning the Party about Will’s actions the night before.

Mike is shown in split face shadows, but the shadow over his eye grows, in particular, as Lucas and Dustin fight over whether or not it matters that the name "Mirkwood" came from The Hobbit. Mike is visibly annoyed/resigned at the start of this debate.

However, when Mike insists that the Party could help look for Will, all of a sudden the half face of shadows is gone. The darkest shadow on Mike's face is now centred over his left eye.

^ Second instance of the shadow

It remains clearly there throughout the scene (though the profile shots show it more at the corner of his eye/bridge of his nose whereas the 3/4 shots and straight on shots show it more clearly/fully).

Immediate Impact: Hopper insists that the boys not participate in the search for Will, which directly influences Karen’s refusal to allow any of the Wheelers to look for Will. Though this isn’t explicit, knowing more about Mike’s overarching issues, it’s very possible that Mike would feel useless and dismissed as a result of not being allowed to help/given a way to help. This also directly puts the seed into the Party’s minds/specifically into Mike’s mind that they can and should help look for Will, which comes to fruition later in the episode.

Long Term Impact: This scene puts Mike directly onto the path that leads to him meeting El, which heavily impacts the way that the show continues to play out. It also leads directly into the dinner scene which adds to the rift between Mike and the rest of his family, because he is forced to reconcile with the fact that they would all rather stay safe/do their own things than lift a finger to help find Will, causing Mike to feel more isolated in his own home.

Third Instance

The next time it comes up is in s1e2, when Mike is insisting that El needs to hide in his closet in order to keep his mom from finding her.

^ The third instance of the shadow (note that it darkens and lightens throughout this scene)

Mike makes this insistence despite knowing that El is uncomfortable being in enclosed spaces

Immediate Impact: El is not discovered by Karen (although Karen also never goes up to Mike's room, so that would have been true regardless), and El has a severe flashback.

Long Term Impact: This sets up the dynamic between El and the Party/extended monster hunting gang moving forward-- she pushes herself into uncomfortable, harmful, or dangerous situations out of perceived necessity without concern for her own well being (obviously this is a deeper issue/something that was first taught to her in the Lab, but this moment is the first time that someone outside the Lab is perpetuating that mindset for her). Also, this is when Mike teaches El what a promise is, which has a lasting impact on their relationship (he promises her in s1 that they'll go to the Snow Ball together, and that literally snowballs into him being cornered into professing his love in s4).

Possible Instance 1

The shadow may be present in s1e3 when Mike is tripped by Troy, starting from just after Troy and James first approach the Party and lasting until Dustin distracts Mike, but the shading is more subtle than in the previous instances.

^ First possible instance

Immediate Impact: Mike and El bond when he later tells her the truth about his bullies, when she asks about the injury to his chin. Additionally, this scene marks the first time Mike is pushed both explicitly towards El (Lucas heavily insinuates that Mike has a crush on her) and implicitly away from Will (Troy jokes about Will being killed by "some other queer").

Long Term Impact: As a result of the immediate impacts, Mike is set on the course that leads to his s4 monologue. This also leads directly to the quarry incident (Troy calls Will queer and trips Mike -> Troy calls Will gay/implicitly suggests Mike is also gay and Mike pushes Troy down -> Troy chases after Mike and demands that he jump from the quarry). This also wraps back around in s4, because Mike and El's relationship is later STRENGTHENED by their shared understanding of Mike's experiences in this scene, but by s4 their relationship has degraded to the point that they can no longer bond over these shared experiences.

Fourth Instance

It's there in s1e4 when Mike sees El in her wig and dress and says that she looks "Pretty. Pretty good."

^ Fourth instance of the shadow

Immediate Impact: Causes Lucas and Dustin more firmly believe that Mike has feelings for El. Likely causes Mike to start questioning/considering the romantic nature (or lack thereof) of his feelings for El.

Long Term Impact: Again, this leads into Mike and El's relationship, which by s4 is a whole host of issues. Regardless of whether you read Mike as honestly having a crush on El or not, at this point, this may also represent the first moment of Mike being aware of how his actions will be perceived through a heteronormative lens, given that he swiftly corrects from "pretty" to "pretty good" presumably to distance himself from the idea of having a crush on her.

Fifth Instance

In s1e5, it appears while Dustin reads out information on the Veil of Shadows. During this time, Mike is silent, mostly staring off into the middle distance (though he is responsive enough to look at Dustin and Lucas in key moments).

^ The fifth instance of the shadow

It starts right when Dustin starts explaining the Veil of Shadows, and is completely gone when Mike next speaks, saying "an alternate dimension".

Immediate Impact: The boys understand more about where Will is, leading directly to them deciding to look for a way into the alternate dimension.

Long Term Impact: This leads into the conflicts between Mike, Lucas, and El which last through the rest of the season, and which severely slow their progress on finding the Gate/finding Will. This also impacts all of their assumptions/understandings about the UD going forwards.

Possible Instance 2

In s1e6, the shadow may appear very subtly just before Mike jumps off the quarry cliff.

^ Second possible instance, so subtle that I'm not convinced it's really there, but included for the sake of completeness

Immediate Impact: Mike feels indebted to El for saving his life. Mike, Dustin, and El learn that Mike is literally willing to kill himself to protect a friend's teeth.

Long Term Impact: The first of many moments when Mike goes on to put himself in danger to protect a friend. The aftermath of this moment also represents the first moment when Mike assures El that she's NOT the monster BECAUSE she saved him (which later grows into her s4 monster/superhero complex). Additionally, who knows what impact being involved in this moment had on Mike and Dustin's mental/emotional health, but I'm sure it's nothing good.

Sixth Instance

In s1e7, the shadow appears when Mike considers answering Nancy's attempt to radio contact the Party.

^ The sixth instance

It disappears when Mike decides not to answer/bats Lucas' hand away and stops him from answering. Mike only decides to answer after Hopper also speaks.

Immediate Impact: Rather limited, as Mike picks up the walkie very quickly after.

Long Term Impact: This is speculative, but I believe this may influence the negative way in which the Mike/Nancy relationship develops moving forward (ie. they both now know that he would literally sooner trust Hopper over Nancy in a crisis).

Additional note: This is interestingly at odds with the next Party scene, when they are waiting for Hopper to show up to help them. In that scene, Dustin says that he believes they are, in fact, being set up for a trap. Lucas counters by asking that there's no reason for Hopper to set them up, though he acknowledges "Nancy, maybe". Mike's response to this is to make a betrayed expression and throw his hands up, despite that seeming to have been Mike's own logical process in the previous scene. This may indicate some level of inner conflict or inconsistency within Mike? It's odd (not odd that he doesn't like hearing Lucas insult his sister-- but, rather, that in the heat of the moment he seemed to AGREE with Lucas' assessment despite clearly considering it an unfair insult after the fact).

Season 2

Seventh Instance

It seems to be there in s2e2 when Mike seems like he might be seeing El in the mind void. Note that this is only true of the version of Mike that El sees in the void, as the irl version is shadowed differently.

^ The seventh instance

Immediate Impact: Mike more firmly believes that he is "going crazy", negatively impacting his mental health. El becomes more determined to leave the cabin and "give Mike a sign" that she's still around (as he requested).

Long Term Impact: Difficult to determine, except that the immediate impacts obviously influence the overall plot of s2.

Additional note: Following this moment, Mike decides (confusingly) to act like he didn't just see/perceive/at the very least hear El over the radio. This ties in with a larger pattern with Mike in s2, where he's constantly reaching out to El, but also ignores or doubts his perception of every moment when she reaches out/shows herself to him, to the extent that, when he speaks to Max about it, he heavily implies that El is dead. This runs counter to his s1 actions regarding Will, but it's also very confusing in the context of his s2 actions regarding constantly trying to contact El.

I can't explain it because, unfortunately, we don't actually get to see into his POV quite enough to determine exactly why he doesn't seem to trust himself about El when he knows she has superpowers, he didn't see her body, and he was entirely right the last time he desperately hoped someone was alive. What I will note, though, is that I think the "crazy together" scene gives some really interesting perspective on what Mike thinks is going on in his own mind. Because he specifically says that he keeps thinking he sees El, and he compares this to Will's "flashbacks".

This may explain why, in "crazy together", one of Mike's first questions is whether Will believes that the things he sees are "real" or "all in his head", as it's likely that Mike is struggling with that same question regarding his belief that he is, at least sometimes, seeing/hearing/sensing El. Unfortunately for Mike and for the audience, we don't actually get to find out the answer on Mike's end, because Mike doesn't have a clear picture of how often El was near him/reaching out to him compared to how often he thought he saw/sensed her, and the audience doesn't have a clear picture of exactly what Mike means when he says that he keeps thinking he sees her.

Odd Instance 1

In s2e3, while discussing the fact that Dart is from the UD, Mike's right eye is in shadow. This starts when Mike suggests (accurately, but surprisingly given that nobody else, not even the scientists trained in this/who are regularly looking at Will's brain scans have even considered it) that Will has True Sight. It only gets darker as the conversation continues.

^ First odd instance

Based on this scene, I am going to make a supposition: if the left eye being shadowed indicates Henry spying through/possessing/influencing Mike, then maybe the right eye indicates Mike (unknowingly) looking back through at Henry's mind? This might explain his sudden leap to believing that Will has True Sight (rather than the arguably more logical conclusion that Will simply remembered something like Dart from the UD).

Odd Instance 2

In s2e4, the shadow appears over Mike's right eye again when the Party (sans Will) are discussing Will's most recent "episode". Mike seems to firmly believe (accurately) that Will has True Sight, and that the shadow can harm Will, even though they have no apparent reason to assume so. This could just be Mike's hyper vigilance rearing its head, OR it could be another example of Mike knowing something about the UD that he can't explain/doesn't have any good reason to know.

^ The second odd instance

Odd Instance 3

In s2e5, the shadow is over Mike's right eye when he suggests that maybe Will can spy back.

^ The third odd instance in as many episodes

I will note that if Mike is spying back, then this season makes a lot of sense as the time for him to be doing so without being noticed, given that Will is being possessed by the Mind Flayer/Henry, so we can assume that Henry is distracted.

It's also really interesting that Will asks Mike, "what if [the Mind Flayer] figures out we're spying on him". Just... in this potential context, very interesting that Will says "we", as if they're both spying. Mike goes along with the "we" phrasing after Will uses it, as well.

Eighth Instance

I'll admit, I don't know quite what to make of this one but in s2e6, the shadow is very clearly over Mike's left eye when Will first wakes up and doesn't recognize Bob.

^ The slightly baffling eighth instance

Immediate Impact: Mike (in addition to Joyce, Bob, and Hopper) is worried for Will.

Long Term Impact: It's possible that Mike's concern for Will might keep him from realizing what the Mind Flayer is doing soon enough to stop the killings? Additionally, this sets into motion the end of the season possession arc.

Additional notes: I will point out that this occurs right after Bob brought up moving to Maine and Joyce indicated that she would not be opposed. In that context, it may not be the impacts of this scene which are important but, rather, the context before it? I'm not sure.

Ninth Instance

It again seems to be there in s2e7 when El, in the mind void, sees Mike desperately trying to warn everyone about the trap that the Mind Flayer laid for them. As with the previous time it was there in the mind void, I could not see it on Mike irl.

^ The ninth instance

Immediate Impact: On Mike's end, this is him failing to warn everyone. On El's end, this is what directly leads to her returning to Hawkins.

Long Term Impact: It is highly likely (though not outright stated in the show) that Mike goes on to blame himself for not realizing soon enough what was going on, impacting his ongoing mental health. Also, because El returns, she is able to close the Gate and protect her family (which is nominally bad for Henry, but I'll note that the Mind Flayer in s3 does seem to have an interest in her, so there may be some reason she, or at least her power, is desired back in Hawkins).

Odd Instance 4

This one occurs in s2e8, when Mike is suggesting that they could stop the Demodog army by stopping the Mind Flayer. Yet again, the right eye is shadowed when Mike is certain about something he probably shouldn't be, but Henry/the Mind Flayer very much would be.

^ The fourth odd instance

It disappears when the rest of the Party (plus Steve) start to catch up/when Mike slows down to explain the logic behind what he just said.

Tenth Instance

At the Snow Ball in s2e9, as Mike watches Will dance, the left shadow appears. It remains on his face as he pulls a disgusted-confused expression at Dustin's choice to ask other girls to dance.

^ The tenth instance

The impact for this one is difficult to judge, because it depends a LOT on how you interpret this moment. Was this Mike feeling jealous over Will? Did Mike recognize what those feelings were? How much did it consciously or unconsciously drive his actions in s3? However, I'll say that the general impact very likely has something to do with Mike's feelings for Will and possibly to do with his internalized homophobia, both of which impact the wedge the forms between them in s3 and s4.

To whatever extent Mike's feelings existed and were or weren't recognized by him at the Snow Ball, they certainly do play a significant role in his relationships with Will and El, and Mike's reactions to them do cause emotional complications for all three members of the love triangle.

Season 3

Eleventh Instance

It appears VERY strongly and suddenly in s3e1, when Dustin is discussing Suzie for the first time. It starts when Mike asks if Suzie is cute and gets stronger and stronger until it reaches its peak when Dustin says that Mike should "think Phoebe Cates, only hotter" (while Mike is making a disgusted expression).

^ The eleventh instance

Immediate Impact: Limited, because Mike is very much in the background of this scene/is not driving the action.

Long Term Impact: As many people have pointed out, Mike's expression of disgust at the idea of Phoebe Cates being hot may be indicative of his sexuality. If so, I'd argue that this scene (and the thoughts he might have as a result of it, especially if you believe, as I personally do, that the Snow Ball in s2 was his "oh no is it weird that I'm jealous over Will? Am I gay? I can't be gay-- no, no, I'm not gay look I'm dancing with El, I'm kissing El, I'm pretty sure I probably like El" moment, making s3 his questioning period until he knows for sure at the end of this season) does lead pretty directly into the rain fight. If "it's not my fault you don't like girls" is Mike projecting, then it's moments like this, when his friends so casually talk about their interest in women/girls in general, which would build that pressure inside him until it ultimately comes out at Will. Which... obviously, that fight sets up the dynamic between Mike and Will moving forward/drives a wedge between them that won't be fully gone until they hopefully have a real conversation and stop hiding things from one another in s5.

Twelfth Instance

It seems to be there in s3e2, when Mike is interested in buying the teddy bear charm for El.

^ The twelfth instance

Immediate Impact: Mike seems to lose hope for finding El an "I'm sorry" present after this moment (after this, the boys are shown looking at perfume and accidentally stumbling up to the lingerie shop, but Mike seems to be pretty over it with the perfume, and we don't really see them looking at anything more age/budget appropriate).

Long Term Impact: This whole sequence leads up to the fight between Mike and El this season. It certainly illustrates to the audience that Mike doesn't actually know El well enough to pick out a gift she would appreciate, so I think it's worth noting that, although it's not explicitly stated, it's at least possible that Mike may realize this too, and if he does, it's somewhat possible that this moment may, like the moment mentioned above, add pressure to his issues regarding liking girls or not.

Possible Instance 3

In s3e5, when Mike, Lucas, and Will are discussing the possibility of a plan to find Billy again and stop him, Mike keeps shooting down Lucas' suggestions. As he insists that they can't just settle for stopping Billy, but that they need to stop the Mind Flayer entirely, the shadow appears over his left eye, and it disappears after Will suggests that maybe El knows how to stop the Mind Flayer, even if the rest of them don't.

^ The third possible instance

Immediate Impact: This leads directly to El deciding to look for Billy again, and to her fighting the Mind Flayer, which we know is what the Mind Flayer/Henry wants, because we are explicitly told that it's hunting/interested in her.

Long Term Impact: Because of the immediate impact, this leads to Mike impulsively telling everyone but El that he loves her (which continues to be an issue the whole way through s4), and it leads to El overexerting herself and losing her powers for long enough that Henry can enact his s4 plan.

Additional note: This is right before the "conspiring" scene. Though the shadow is gone by that point, this is not the first time that the left eye shadow coincides with/precedes moments when Mike seems to make odd leaps in logic/to have odd or paranoid emotional responses. If it is an indication of Henry infiltrating his mind/spying through him/subtly messing with his perceptions or thoughts, then that pattern makes perfect sense.

Thirteenth Instance

It appears again in the aftermath of Mike saying that he loves El/when he refuses to tell her what he said when she directly asks.

^ Thirteenth instance

Immediate Impact: El (who we know from later on heard what Mike said) knows that he is lying again. Everybody who was in that room fully believes that Mike is in love with El (or at least that he has romantic feelings for her which her perceives as love, seeing as he's only thirteen). Based on Mike's upset expression, it's likely that he realizes the implications of what he just said, though there are many possible reasons why those implications might be upsetting to him, but regardless, whatever he's thinking is clearly negative.

Long Term Impact: //gestures wildly at all of the Mike/El conflict in s4. But, seriously, in the long term, this is the moment that first sets up Mike's confession to El at the end of s4.

Odd Instance 5

The shadow is back over Mike's right eye when he tries to warn El away from attempting to look into Billy's mind. He tries to tell her that it's a trap (it is), and when she says that she knows and doesn't care, he looks silently at her with a very concerned expression.

^ Odd instance 5

Following this, he tries to warn her that something bad could happen if she attempts to reach out to Billy, even though things were fine with her mother, because her mother didn't want to hurt El, but Billy does. This is all true, and it seems as though this was Henry's plan anyway (wait for El to come to Billy and then use that to find her). It's also interesting that as an audience, we sort of already know this is true, because reaching out to her mother was not the first time we saw El physically reaching for someone/something. In s1 we saw her reaching out for the Demogorgon, and touching it seemed to lead it right to her/the Lab.

It's not unreasonable that El doesn't seem to believe this will happen again, but it's very interesting that Mike, with a shadow over his right eye, realizes this. Despite presumably never having been told the specifics of that moment (we certainly don't see that discussion on screen if it's the case), and despite certainly not having been there to witness it. The Demogorgon is part of the hive mind, though. As is Henry. So we can assume that Henry knows of this possibility (and, based on the fact that this seems to be his plan, he may well be counting on it).

Season 4

Fourteenth Instance

In s4e1, the shadow seems to return to Mike's left eye during the conversation between himself, Dustin, and Lucas regarding Lucas' plan to gain popularity in an effort to protect both himself and the Party. It seems to show up right around the moment when Mike asks if Lucas has considered that Mike and Dustin might not want to be popular, and it grows darker when Lucas asks if that means they want to be "stuck with the nerds and freaks" for the rest of High School/when Dustin identifies himself and Mike as "nerds and freaks". It continues to persist as Lucas makes his case that he doesn't believe they have to be "nerds and freaks", and explains that he's worn out from having been bullied all his life.

^ The fourteenth instance

Immediate Impact: Obviously, this represents a wedge being driven between Mike and Lucas (also Dustin and Lucas, but Dustin and Lucas sort of get to work through that throughout s4, while Mike and Lucas don't get that opportunity). I do have an additional thought, though:

Note that my understanding of s4 includes a Mike who is aware that he is queer, and aware that he has feelings for Will, because this significantly impacts my reading of the potential impact of this scene, and this may not be relevant if you subscribe to a different idea.

In that context, Mike... probably knows that there isn't actually any safety in social climbing. If his secrets are found out by the wrong people (and Mike has no way to know who the right people are), then, to quote Robin, suddenly he's "the town pariah". At least at the bottom of the social food chain, nobody's interested enough in him to go looking for anything more obviously "wrong" with him than what they can see on the surface.

This is at odds with Lucas' experiences (and, Lucas isn't aware of Mike's concerns, so this issue 100% isn't on him, I'll hear no Lucas slander), because Lucas can't be "in the closet" about being black. But for Mike, the best thing he can do to protect himself is to fly under the radar.

This was a long way to go for me to say that I think the immediate impact of this scene is that this is a moment when Mike is confronted by the fact that the things that might make Lucas safer (and, because at least in s3 Mike seems to look up to Lucas/view Lucas as something of an aspirational "normal" guy, transitively the things that make "normal" guys safer) are not necessarily the same things which will make Mike safer.

Long Term Impact: This drives the conflict between Mike/Dustin and Lucas which continues through the season. It serves to isolate Lucas. If my interpretation of the immediate impacts is correct, it likely also plays a role in why Mike tries so desperately to seem "normal" once he gets to California (ESPECIALLY if he actively fears he will be "found out" if he lets himself act naturally around Will), a choice which obviously drastically impacts Mike, Will, and El's arcs this season.

Fifteenth Instance

I honestly don't know what to make of this one, but it's pretty clearly there during Eddie's campaign. It disappears around the time that the Hellfire Club are actively fighting Vecna.

^ Fifteenth instance

I don't think I can reasonably speculate on the impact of this one (because we are yet to see how Mike's appreciation of Eddie, whether you read it as a crush or as hero worship, will come to fruition in s5 following Eddie's death), so this may simply be tied to events that we do not have the context for yet. Though I do find it a little bit interesting that Mike's left eye is shadowed out during the scene where Eddie is bringing Vecna back into the game. I have some... concerns.

I mean... if the D&D Demogorgon from Mike's OG campaign actually foreshadows Henry and NOT the UD Demogorgon, then I think it's likely that Eddie's Vecna might actually foreshadow something other than Henry. I do have some actual thoughts about this, but it isn't going to be talked about here, because this post is long as hell already.

Possible Odd Instance 1

This one occurs in s4e2, starting just after Mike fails to hug Will and building as he speaks to Argyle. I consider it only "possible" because it's fairly faint, and is on the same side as his face is shaded.

^ Possible odd instance of the shadow on the right side

If this is an intentional example, I honestly don't know what to make of it. From what I've seen, it's the only time that doesn't fit the pattern of a right eye shadow when Mike is realizing something supernatural/UD-related, or even having an UD-related conversation. If it's meant to imply something, I honestly don't have any idea what.

Sixteenth Instance

At Rink-O-Mania in s4e2, the shadow appears over Mike's left eye when he's meeting Angela, and is especially dark when he says that he's "heard a lot about" her.

The shadow comes and goes throughout the Rink scenes (carrying over into s4e3), but is especially prominent during the "what about us" part of his fight with Will (and while waiting with Will and El to be picked up after the "skate attack").

^ Part of the sixteenth instance; intensity of the shadow when Mike and Will are fighting

Immediate Impact: Mike's cluelessness in this scene means that he does nothing to protect El/inadvertently reveals her lies to Angela, which leads directly to what happens next. Additionally, if the belief that Mike thought Will might have a crush on Angela/might have been painting for Angela is accurate, then this is also his jealousy over Will peaking (which, in turn, leads to his part in the upcoming argument with Will).

Long Term Impact: In terms of Mike/El, this scene leads directly into the "skate attack", which kicks off all of the conflict between Mike and El, which obviously culminates in the confession at the end of the season. Assuming the second half of my immediate impact assessment is also correct, then this moment ALSO kicks off the Mike/Will conflict, because it's what puts Mike in the mood to pick a fight with Will rather than just ignore him.

Possible Instance 5

In s4e8, it seems to show up briefly and SUPER subtly over Mike's left eye when Will first hands him the painting/as Mike begins to unroll it. It fades as soon as Mike unrolls the painting enough to see what it's of, and by the time he turns to face Will, the shadow is entirely gone. It may come back a little bit after Will says that El commissioned the painting, though less and less every time Will mentions her.

^ Another possible instance, this one very brief and VERY subtle

Immediate Impact: If this is meant to imply anything, most likely it's building off of the shadow over Mike's left eye when he was jealous about the painting previously. Given that it goes away during this scene, I'd hazard that this represents Mike's jealousy vanishing as he realizes the painting was for him (and possibly even begins to suspect the implications behind that, depending on how you interpret Mike's level of understanding in the van scene).

Long Term Impact: With the above being said, if the shadow vanishing in this scene does actually represent Mike's dark thoughts (at least regarding Will being interested in someone else/painting for someone else/uninterested in Mike) being alleviated, it still culminates in the confession scene when "reality" sets in for Mike. If this lighting is actually related to Henry's influence on Mike/Mike's association with the Mind Flayer, then it's worth noting that the only thing that could possibly hurt worse, for Mike, than knowing he's slowly losing Will/that he'll eventually lose Will because Mike wants "too much" from their relationship, is having a moment of thinking he has a chance with Will... only to have that hope shattered, which this moment sets up. There will almost certainly be further impacts from the painting/van scene in s5, but sadly we don't know what those will be, yet.

Seventeenth Instance

I won't get too deeply into it, since it's been thoroughly discussed in the post that I linked at the start of this whole thing, but in s4e9, Mike's left eye is shadowed quite intensely for most of the pizza dough freezer mind fight.

^ Example from the confession

Immediate Impact: Will's heartbroken, El seems to be annoyed and possibly actively held back from saving Max, and if Mike's continued glances over at Will suggest anything, he's probably not giving this confession to the person he wants to be giving it to (and/or he's struggling to reconcile what he thought was going on with Will speaking in code in the van with the fact that Will is now actively pushing him to confess to El).

Long Term Impact: It seems like this didn't improve Mike and El's communication or relationship, but besides that, the impact won't really be felt until s5.

Eighteenth Instance

The shadow is also visible over Mike's left eye when he steps out of the pizza van to meet up with his family back in Hawkins. It sticks around all through his hug with his mother, but dissipates the moment that she makes it clear that she's telling him off/hugging him because she was worried about him.

^ The eighteenth instance

I won't get too deeply into the impacts of this, because it's so close to the end of the season that we simply don't know. I'll note that it's probably concerning that it seems like Mike may have been surprised that his own mother was concerned when he dropped off the map/was unable to be contacted for almost a week while in another State, so that insecurity may be addressed in s5 (at least I hope so), but that's the most speculating I can do here.

Nineteenth Instance

This one has the potential to be upsetting, if the left eye shadow really does suggest Henry is influencing/looking through Mike, because it's also there in the final heart to heart that Mike and Will have, where Will reveals that Henry is still alive and that he can feel him now that he's back in Hawkins (also the only heart to heart this season where it shows up). It gets darker and darker throughout the scene.

^ Nineteenth instance, this screenshot being from the moment when Mike promises they'll kill Henry

Obviously the impacts of this scene are entirely yet to be seen in s5.

Additional note: I know I haven't been focused on the lighting on any characters except Mike in this post, but... during this same conversation, where Will is admitting to knowing impossible things/things he shouldn't about Henry via their continued mental connection, Will has a shadow over his right eye, which does match with the theme that seemed to be present in all but one of Mike's instances of having a shadow over his right eye.

Possible Odd Instance 2

In the very ending shot of s4, Mike's right eye appears to have a distinct shadow over it.

^ Possible shadow over Mike's right eye in the very last shot of s4

Again, surmising the actual impacts of this scene is impossible without s5 to give it context.

Additional notes: Will, El, and Hopper all also seem to have shadows over their right eyes in this ending shot as well, which is a little bit interesting, because those are the three characters I've also noticed sometimes having the same left eye shadow thing as I've been outlining for Mike in this post. I'll be honest, there's not a single chance I'm doing this for all those characters, but I do think it's a potentially interesting connection.

#mike wheeler #byler #<- it's not the main focus but it's there and also target demo #long post #my analysis #I swear in some of these he looks like he has a black eye #fun fact: this is also just a collage of pictures where Mike looks various shades of Miserable and Upset #obviously a lot of this is going to be up to interpretation #my interpretations are not the be all end all #I'm just interested by the fact that this shadow exists across multiple seasons

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