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gayofthefae · 1 day
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You don't repeat something in writing unless it brings some sort of new information to the pattern. Thinking about Mike's subtle description changes in his brainstorming a solution.
"Maybe I should have said something, and if I would have said that thing, she would want me there with her, wherever she is."
"I should have explained myself. Maybe Eleven would have taken me with her and things would be different, but I don't know, I didn't know what to say."
Did you see it? I'll say it again: "said something". "explained myself".
He's progressing. He's moved on from the idea of him saying it being on the table. He should have explained himself. He doesn't know WHAT, which he states. He expresses that he wishes he knew HOW to explain himself. But he's starting to know the answer to one question he didn't before...why.
He goes from "if only I knew" to "if I only I could put it into words". Subtle, but VERY different. Said something. Explained myself.
He should have said he loved her. He should have explained why he couldn't. Those are different wishes he has. If he could go back in time, he would say it. If he could back in time, he would tell her the truth. Those wouldn't have changed if they were synonymous.
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chirpsythismorning · 2 years
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The significance of the byler scene in Will’s room just hit me.
Think about it. Mike said the best thing he’s ever done was ask Will to be his friend.
So I don’t ever want to hear anyone downplaying the importance of that scene in 4x04. Mike was literally beaming and smiling more than we’ve seen him smile in ages, and there’s a reason for it! Because he was out here recreating the best thing he’s ever done 😭
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deathon1leg · 1 year
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finn and noah both saying they think will’s storyline ends perfectly… <3
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first pic from finn’s interview with indiewire, second from noah’s interview with forbes
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starmanbyler · 2 months
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something something s3 being all about puberty and stuff and also being the season mike realises he doesn’t feel the way he thinks he should about el (and will)…
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i think i finally understand the exact reasoning behind how both will and mike's sexualities are presented, and how those presentations flatter each other.
will is barely queercoded from a subtextual perspective because there's no need to queercode him. the writers verbally establish in season one episode one that people percieve this kid as gay, so you're immediately guided to see him through the same lens, at least subconsciously. people continue to refer to him as gay and he continues to "act" gay, and most of the audience is able to see this for what it is very easily without the need for heavy symbolism. will being gay is simply treated as a fact from the start by both the characters around him and the writers themselves, for better or for worse.
MIKE, on the other hand, is so heavily queercoded it's barely even funny. he's the one with the queer imagery, the blocking, the set design, the lighting. he's never explicitly referred to as queer, it isn't so much as suggested verbally, but the sheer amount of incredibly blatant subtextual material that surrounds him is insane. none of the characters within the show have the slightest clue that mike is gay. there's a good chance that mike himself doesn't know, or has only begun to realize very recently. even the writers do their damn best to make it appear like they themselves don't know. still, the fact remains that he is, it just isn't expressed in a way that the homophobic masses both within and outside the show are capable of picking up on. when he comes out it will be a shock to the characters and the majority heterosexual audience, but not to the queer people who pick up instinctually on the signalling. basically, you only know mike is gay if you have a genuinely functioning gaydar.
in this way they're so strongly representative of two very different gay experiences, both of which are important and both of which are treated respectfully by the writers, despite the setting.
will is the kid who never really gets the luxury of choosing whether to come out to people, because everybody has had him pegged from the start. even his own family: jonathan tells will he accepts him before will can even hint toward the topic himself. however as much as we're told that he "seems" gay to other people, all we are shown subtextually is a totally normal child who happens to have feelings for another boy. this is important because it subverts the trope of making "being gay" the "obviously gay" character's sole or core trait.
mike is the kid who people would never in a million years guess was queer. it's not just that he gets the luxury of choosing when to come out of the closet; he's so deep in it that he's drowning in winter coats. he's the "twist queer character," except he's not. his subtextual queercoding has been there beneath the surface for just as long as will has been textually referred to as queer on a surface level. this makes it clear that him being gay isn't some kind of last minute decision and the subtlety of his presentation wasn't an accident. if you don't knkw mike is gay now before it's revealed then you aren't supposed to.
they're foils like that. they're the archetypal queers, and i think it's kind of beautiful.
(and if anybody tries to argue that one expression of Queer Experience is more important than another then i'm coming for their kneecaps. having both experiences not only represented but thoroughly explored is so rare, although there are people all over the world who resonate with each.)
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aurorabyler · 2 years
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Flashbacks in Stranger Things: When, Why, and How They Are Used (Long Analysis)
sit back and relax everyone. this is gonna be my longest post yet.
disclaimer before anyone proceeds--i have not tagged this post with any relationships other than byler so if you do not like this pairing please just scroll past this post! i never cross tag because i truly want a safe fandom space for everyone. this is just my analysis of the show and my own brainrot.
I’ve thought about the usage of flashbacks in Stranger Things a lot over the past few weeks. I saw a post by user @girlskth on Twitter (HUGE shoutout to them for this very eye-opening post, please go check it out their tweet and give them all the love!!), who mentioned the contrast between Max’s scene in Dear Billy (running up that hill → from Vecna), versus El being trapped by the vines in 4x09.  First: we need to talk about flashbacks as they have been used throughout film and TV history as a key literary device. Here are some articles that I found that explain why flashbacks can be so important to understanding characters:
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This quote is vital:
"Flashbacks are really a function of character, not story…the visual image we’re seeing is what the character is thinking and feeling at that present moment…it illuminates a character’s point of view.”
Flashbacks are never pointlessly placed. There is always an intent behind reverting back to the old material to demonstrate something about the character’s current mindset. 
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These two scenes are clearly parallels (complete credits to @girlskth for bringing this up), as both Max and El are encountering the same situation–being trapped in Vecna’s lair and hearing a monologue from him. The scenes are not only plot parallels but visual ones.
However, there is one thing lacking in this parallel, and @girlskth brilliantly points out what it is—their emotional connection. Max relies on flashbacks of her happiest memories to free herself from Vecna’s trance and come back to reality. There are MANY flashbacks of her platonic relationships (her friendship with El being the most significant), and her romantic relationship with Lucas, which is ultimately what gives her enough time to run away from Vecna.
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Now, going into El’s scene, I as a viewer was EXPECTING that they would show flashbacks of El’s happy memories with Mike during his monologue. This is coming from someone who does not ship these two characters together at all.
I like them as friends, and I was still waiting for them to show us moments from their kiss at the snowball, from Mike giving Eleven the name “El,” from Mike calling her for 353 days in season 2, from Mike saying “No, El, you’re not the monster–you saved me,” from El saying she loves him at the end of season 3…but nothing. 
Absolutely no flashbacks were shown apart from the scene of the boys finding El in the woods. This is extremely odd for a couple who has supposedly been the centrepiece of Stranger Things for four seasons, or, in the words of people who ship these characters, have been “built up for four seasons.” But no. Nothing.
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This is an INSANE contrast to Max’s Dear Billy scene, which went out of its way to show her history with all of these characters over the 3 seasons her character has been in the show. 
The concept of “show, don’t tell,” is critical in understanding this parallel. Take Max’s relationships that are highlighted when she is in Vecna’s trance: these flashbacks all occur because she knows they will give her strength. She is never verbally prompted to think about these memories because she has confidence they will help her fight in her darkest moment. Here’s some more information on show don’t tell and how it is used in media:
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If we apply Max's unconcious logic to El’s scene in Vecna’s lair, being able to pull from her happy memories with Mike should have been something that came relatively naturally to her. Except, this didn’t happen. What did happen? El’s memories with Max DID come naturally, and those memories ultimately saved Max’s life.
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Zero Flashbacks to Mike/El's Past Seasons' Dynamic
While waiting for volume two, even as someone who likes this pairing platonically, I was excited to see flashbacks to season 1 Mike/Eleven once they reunited at the Nina Project. I’ll always be nostalgic for seasons 1 and 2 and I wanted to see some of their friendship dynamics from those seasons come back. I was literally expecting there to be some sort of “still pretty?” flashback, or some other cut back to season one. Again, I am saying all of this entirely as someone who 100% believes in a byler endgame for this show. I was still very surprised by this, and it is clearly intentional on the writer’s part.
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Some would argue that the lack of flashbacks is due to the varying perspectives in Mike’s monologue scene. We see Mike’s, Will’s, El’s, and Jonathan’s POVs switching between each other in this scene. When peeling back the layers, we learned that Mike's monologue utilizes the miscommunication trope in a big way. Let’s analyze:
Mike is under the impression, because of Will, that “these past few months she (El) has been so lost without you…You make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all–like she’s better for being different. And that gives her the courage to fight on.” —Will, 4x09
First and foremost: Mike’s monologue would not have happened without Will’s veiled confession in the van. He believes Will’s feelings are El’s, and it is these feelings that make him think that what he says is what El needs to hear. 
Mike is TOLD (not sure if he entirely believes it especially after the final scene in the cabin when El walks away from him, but we’ll have to wait for more scripts to see the truth), that El has been “lost” without him and that she “needs” him to be able to fight.
This is what he is TOLD by Will about El, and this is not true, as NOWHERE during any of El’s scenes at school in California, or once Mike comes to visit, or during her time at the Nina Project, or during her battles with the military + Vecna does El EVER give the impression that she somehow needs Mike in her life to keep fighting, or that he gives her courage. In fact, given all of the parallels El draws between Mike's "what did you do?" and Brenner's "what have you done?" I would say what Mike gives her is the opposite of courage.
El keeps fighting because she has come into herself and she is powerful and strong, not because she needs Mike there to help her. And Mike, prior to Will’s confession, knows this is the truth, as seen by the line in the official script that was cut out from the show: 
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If El truly needed Mike to “fight on,” as Will implies with his own feelings, I believe that more flashbacks would have been utilized, regardless of the multiple perspectives in the scene, to show how Mike has supposedly helped El “fight” in the past. But none of this was shown BECAUSE El’s battles have always been about her personal arc and growth. In the past seasons, El has never relied on or needed Mike to help her fight–he has been misled because of Will’s veiled confession. 
Perhaps the best example of El’s battles being about her own growth is in the 2x09 scene where she closes the gate: you'll see here that all the flashbacks she has during this critical battle have to do with her personal growth and past trauma. The same is true of her fight with the Demogorgon in season 1, of learning from Kali in season 2, of fighting Billy and the Mind Flayer in season 3--her relationship with Mike is not critical to any of these battles. It is her friendships and familial love that motivates her as well as her own coming of age.
The miscommunication about El "needing" Mike to be able to "fight" explains a lot of things, including, at least to an extent why Mike VISIBLY HESITATED when saying “I love you” for the first time in his monologue. There are obviously other reasons to this that have been analyzed by many other people, but I feel this miscommunication is critical.
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This is something that has really been annoying me ever since season 4 came out: the whole plotline about Mike not being able to say he loves El should be extremely clear to audiences about what it implies. I love romance and I KNOW that the Duffers can write amazing love stories (Lumax, Jancy, Jopper…).
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Lucas and Max never once say they love each other but it is clear to audiences–they SHOW it in their own ways. 
True love is shown, not told–especially in media.
That is how the most popular romantic pairings are so believable to audiences. Showing, not telling your love for someone, makes it feel real. And boom: ever since season 3 and ESPECIALLY after season 4, there have been hundreds of thousands of people saying that Mike/El's dynamic seems "off" somehow.
My point here is that if you love someone unconditionally, if you are truly, deeply in love with them, you would not hesitate for a moment to say that you love them, especially if they practically beg you to say it while crying about that very fact. You would also not call them “ridiculous” after they start crying and then you proceed to deflect blame about a situation you caused onto other people. 
Love is powerful. To me, it’s one of the most powerful things that exists in this world. And I believe that the writers of this show feel the same way: Love Conquers All. I’ll insert one of my favourite quotes from Avatar: The Last Airbender to display how I feel about this topic:
"You have indeed felt a great loss. But love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. The air nomads' love for you has not left this world. It is still inside of your heart, and is reborn in the form of new love." -Guru Pathik, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Real, romantic love is never something that should be questioned at critical moments. Let me emphasize: I do not question that Mike platonically loves El. He clearly loves her a great amount as shown by what he has gone through with her over the course of the show, just as he loves Lucas, Dustin, Max, Nancy, etc. 
Millie literally said in an interview for ST4 that “Mike is not loving Eleven the way she wants to be loved.” This situation for El is honestly extremely heartbreaking because she truly deserves so much better than what she’s been given. El is one of my favourite characters and I love her dearly, and seeing her suffer because of this relationship as well as the bullying at school hits very close to home for me. She deserves so much happiness and I hope she gets to have endless amounts of it by the end of season 5. 
How else have flashbacks been used in Stranger Things? 
The article I cited earlier holds true to the Stranger Things writer’s perspective on flashbacks. Remember: "flashbacks are really a function of character, not story…the visual image we’re seeing is what the character is thinking and feeling at that present moment…it illuminates a character’s point of view.” Utilizing flashbacks as a literary device in this manner has been seen multiple times in the show at key character moments. 
Will and Joyce
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This flashback is key to showing Joyce's relationship with her son and how much she loves him. It holds true to the article in that it SHOWS that while searching for Will, she thinks back to the time they spent together in Castle Byers.
Jonathan and Will
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Jonathan's relationship with Will is key to season one and remains one of the most beautiful parts of Stranger Things. This flashback, just like the ones with Max and Joyce, happens naturally. Jonathan associates The Clash with Will and can't help thinking back to their happy memories together once he hears the song play. This simple scene shows the depth of their relationship.
Hopper and Sarah
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In my opinion, this is by far the most effective use of flashback Stranger Things has used to date. When I watched season 1 in 2016, this was the scene that made me cry my eyes out. I still think about it to this day as the catalyst that started my long-running love for this show. While trying to revive Will, Hopper is reminded of his daughter Sarah's struggle with cancer which led to her death. This flashback is a perfect representation of Hopper's development.
Hopper's arc in seasons 1 and 2 was one of my favourite things to watch: he starts as someone cold and isolated who drowns himself in drugs and alcohol to cope with his past trauma. Eventually, he learns to love again in all sorts of ways once Joyce comes back into his life. Hopper's drive to find Will and his love for Joyce inadvertently led him to El, and as he says in season 3:
"For so long, I'd been stuck in one place...And then, I left some Eggos out in the woods, and you came into my life. And for the first time in a long time, I started to feel things again." -Hopper's Letter, 3x03
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In summary: flashbacks are used with intent and to SHOW the audience a character's internal struggles and thoughts. Stranger Things follows the textbook way to use flashbacks effectively, and has clearly been selective for a reason when it comes to which moments they choose to remind us of, as well as when, how, and why these moments are used. They have juxtaposed two very similar scenes and how the characters have escaped from the series' antagonist, Vecna, using these flashbacks/memories to their advantage. The final battle between El and Vecna was driven by El's love for Max. Mike was under the impression that what he said was what El needed to hear because it was veiled in Will's feelings. While these ideas have been widely discussed, showing how flashbacks have been effectively used throughout the show and comparing them to their usage (or lack thereof) in season 4 gives us excellent insights into El's headspace, as well as what the future holds for these characters. I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this analysis so I really hope you enjoyed it! Please give it a reblog if you can and leave your thoughts in the comments. I'd love to know your interpretation :) Thank you so much for reading! <3
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byleranalysis · 1 year
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Mike has literal emotional baggage…
while working on my analysis for the iconic Airport scene... I noticed that Mike was holding a large blue duffle bag... or ya know-- baggage.
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You can see the baggage here–
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and it's still in his right hand here while he talks to El about the flowers... HOWEVER--
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when the camera cuts to a close-up of the note saying "from, Mike", the baggage has suddenly transported to his left side. Perfectly behind the note and flowers. Interesting. but there is more…
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Mike walks in to Will's room with the same baggage earlier. 
Will asks "You already packed?" To which Mike responds: "Yeah I mean-- I never really... unpacked." Oh-- thats interesting. Mark that for later.
After Mike has his heart to heart with Will, saying that 
Oh! And after Jonathan "shatters" their teary-eyed "intimate moment"... well you see--
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Well-- he forgets about the baggage he has been carrying. The baggage he has been carrying since walking off the plane in California. After speaking with Will, that bag never shows up again. Note: Will still has his backpack and painting.
Mike hasn't been able to unpack the baggage he has been carrying. The emotions with him when he gave El flowers and his awkward interaction with Will. The emotional complex baggage that El questions in their fight. The note. The inability to say "I love you". Mike hasn't been able to unpack the emotions weighing hm down that surround such. Yet-- the first heart-to-heart with Will... welp, the emotional baggage is quite literally forgotten.
Not to mention:
"You never say it" + "I say it"
vs
"I didn't say it" + "You didn't have too".
TL;DR
Poor Mike hasn't been able to unpack his complex feelings but talking to Will makes him leave such troubles behind.
  anywayssss.... byler endgame.
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zombieshexrt · 1 year
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the fact that will's career goal is to become a comic book artist and mike's is to become a writer..
they're the definition of soulmates. brb gonna cry
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aceraphale · 2 years
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THE PARALLELS BETWEEN M1LEVEN AND BYLER
mike and will understand each other in a level that el and mike don’t. at the beginning of s4 el explains to mike that he doesn’t understand her because she’s different, while at the end of s4 will explains that mike understands him and that’s why he can be different. in s2 will answers that they’ll be crazy together, while in s3 el doesn’t understand what mike means with ‘[blank] makes you crazy’. will doesn’t even have to say anything for mike to understand what he did wrong, meanwhile in s4 el has to spell it out because mike doesn’t get her.
mike can’t say he loves el, so he says he cares for her. later, when will explains why sometimes you can’t say the truth, he says ‘people you care about the most’ because he also can’t say he loves mike.
at the beginning of the season, we see will and mike being distant. he’s the one being left behind at the airport and rink as mike and el are closer than ever after their reunion. at the end of the season, el is the one that distances herself from mike and will. she walks past them and leaves them behind. el and will have switched places like in s1 and s2. el finds her confidence distancing herself from mike and will finds his confidence (there’s more to life than stupid boys) standing next to mike (gives him the courage to fight on)
there’s a certainty to el that shows in his speech too. a certainty given BY will’s confession. he doesn’t KNOW how to live without her. but in his speech to will, he FELT alone, he FELT scared. and will felt that way too. to mike, will is his equal. el is above him. in his speech to el he tells her to fight, being there only to support. I need YOU. but when he talks to will, he puts himself at his level. WE should work together, WE are a team, WE won’t let him, WE will. crazy TOGETHER.
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beaulesbian · 2 years
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You guys just gonna mope around all break?
this is such interesting scene bc of multiple reasons:
its the next day after the roller skate rink “accident”, but also after the fight mike and will had about ignoring each other in the past year  (that’s on both of them)
but it’s also after mike learns that el wasn’t telling/writing him truth, as well as will saying hes been feeling miserable the whole day, feeling like a third-wheel.
you can see so much of the pining, and concerned looks from will to mike. but this whole scene mike doesn’t even glance in will’s direction. and basically doesn’t notice him this whole episode (and the more mike doesn’t notice him, the more will looks).
but at the same time it does feel like he’s not ignoring him on purpose, but because of all the information he needs to process for himself.
and will is ever so patient with mike - and i think mike sees that. bc if he noticed at the skate rink how will was “rolling eyes, not talking”, then he can see how quiet, cautious will is again.
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he goes to talk to el, trying to find out why she wasn’t telling/writing him what was happening there for real? but instead she turns it around, thinking he’s scared of her, and therefore unable to love her. it’s a clever exchange of deception and hidden insecurities within both of them, bc mike didn’t expected that.
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he went to cali with intention to just be a perfect boyfriend and spend time with el, but instead el doesn’t make sense to him, and his best friend is sad. and mike feels it’s all his fault.
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he couldn’t find the right words for el, even tho he knew what el wanted to hear, so if that’s was what he wanted to say back - he could have. but i have a feeling he needed to explain to her something a bit different.
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he feels the fight with el is something they can’t come back from. so in the meantime, he tries to fix his friendship with will.
suddenly, with will it seems easier for mike to find the right words again. an apology, a reassurance back at will that he didn’t deserve how mike was acting towards him (*cough* since s3...)
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we find out that mike’s been missing will a lot - “i feel like i lost you or something.” it could be that until he went to cali, he wasn’t sure how will feels about him, (- again bc of s3 and that fight, probably.) and he’s not sure how he feels about will, or about el. he’s just very confused.
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but hopefully these conversations with will help clear up to mike at least a little bit of his feelings, opened up the possibilities that if he and will can still be best friends, than not all hope is lost. that, when they find el, he can explain, and then maybe tell will some things he realized along the way.
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redshoes-blues · 11 months
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Let's Talk About Clocks, Baby
Something is off with the timeline, emotions alter time, Mike is in danger, and it'll be up to Will Byers to fix this whole mess.
I'll be taking a look at some of the most prominent clocks and time references in Stranger Things to see if we can learn anything from them. At the heart of this analysis is the idea that Will is the antidote to the time fuckery. Oh, and also emotions have the power to alter the movement of time. Aka emotionsgate?! And gay love will save the day. This is a long one, so I hope you enjoy your read! :)
"We are all time travellers, if you think about it."
We've all been talking about the time shenanigans going on in Stranger Things, lately, so in my current rewatch of ST3, I've been looking out for any possible hints that could have been foreshadowing for ST4. I've found a couple.
First, let's bring in the Starcourt Mall clock.
This is the clock used in the Russian code. You know, the part that goes "when blue meets yellow in the west"? Yeah, that clue is inside a CLOCK
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We all know about colour theory, how the Russian code has a possible ST4/byler meaning and how certain characters are coded with colours (blue = Mike, yellow = Will), so that bit is obvious. And yeah, colour theory is a bit overdone, but hear me out!
The fact that clocks are Vecna’s symbol and that’s the thing the blue and yellow part of the code has been applied to?! Wild.
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The obvious main clock symbol is the grandfather clock at the Creel house that appears in the visions of Vecna’s victims. In the visions, the same clock rings four times (meaning four gates). It's even this very clock that orchestrates the fall of Hawkins. But clocks also appear behind Max before we learn that she’s the next target. This is massive foreshadowing!
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So all of this got me thinking of clocks and time, and all of the theories floating around that show how important time is going to be in ST5. The whole plot of the final season is going to be about defeating Vecna, who is associated with clocks, and dealing with Upside-Down-Hawkins. This last bit is extra interesting since we know the Upside Down is set in the past.
And for a long time my main theory has been that Will is the key to finally defeating Vecna. Which I still think will be true, but I also think it’ll have more to do with the time shenanigans than I originally suspected.
I mean, Dustin isn't far off when he says this in ST4:
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Will's connection with Vecna is special. From the parallels between him and Henry to Will the Wise and the numerous hints that he has untapped powers. And especially the fact that he's the one who realizes the Mind Flayer and Vecna are still alive (in ST3/ST4, respectively).
So, because Vecna is associated with clocks, I've been looking out for other clocks during my rewatch. Which brings me back to this:
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The Starcourt Mall clock is specifically mentioned in the text. In fact, it's part of the Russian code. It isn't just a prop, but a piece of the plot. That's what made me do a triple-take while watching, this time around. It isn't just a random clock.
So, if Will is yellow and the key to defeating Vecna (more on that shortly), then what does the clock say about all this?
If I allow myself to get extra meta with the visual analysis, the fact that the clock’s hands play into colour theory could be a clue. It's the hands that are yellow and blue: the active parts of the clocks which have the ability to move through time. The hands of a clock show time moving. As we know, time in the Upside Down has stopped for some reason. It's stuck in a loop related to Will's disappearance.
Entering the UD is a bit like time travelling. And as El said at the start of ST4, we're all time travellers.
In fact, we know that Henry’s powers have some effect on time. Or at least on the Creel clock. Because when Henry first taps into his powers, the grandfather clock's hands start to move backwards. It’s implied that Henry is making this happen.
The same thing happens later in the season, when Vecna is showing Nancy the vision of Hawkins’ future. It includes this clip of the Creel clock with its hands turning backwards:
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So, in a way, Vecna is altering time. We aren’t sure how or why yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it has something to do with emotions or trauma (which I'll get into soon). Especially because Vecna's attacks have to do with trauma, and the antidote so far has been positive emotions and memories that are brought to the surface through music.
Clock Magic?
Another thing to take into consideration is how the Creel clock is connected to Henry's powers, and also seems to possess power of its own. We see this when Max "dies" and the fourth gate is created. The Creel clock chimes four times, and then the Upside Down begins to leak into Hawkins. We can see this in the two GIFs below (shit quality, sorry about that!):
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The clock chimes four times and then there is a "frenzied ticking" which builds throughout the scene as Hawkins falls to Vecna. The scene implies that the clock itself has something to do with this.
What does this mean for the timeline in ST5?
We know the Upside Down is in the past. Specifically, the day Will vanishes (November 6, 1983). It seems likely that it works as a time loop, with the same day on repeat until the cycle is broken. Or maybe there are several days which repeat themselves until it resets at the point Will enters the UD. We really don't know for sure. But we do know that it's definitely the past.
What does this mean for Hawkins? Is Hawkins becoming stuck in time as well? Will it be cut off from the outside world because of this? Is the clock slowing down time, ensuring Hawkins remains stuck in its current state because emotions (we'll get there, don't worry)? I definitely don't have the answers yet, but please let me know if you have any ideas how this could be working. It's all so fascinating!
But however it works, there's definitely some time fuckery going on. Whether it's related to the Creel clock itself or Vecna's powers, or whatever Will has done that made the UD shape to himself — well, again, who knows! Not me, but I wanted to point it out because it's clearly going to be a massive part of ST5.
Will is the Antidote
Season 5 is going to be about defeating Vecna (obviously).
But first: in order to stop a villain, you need an antidote to their powers. Right now, El and Vecna share most of the same powers. She hasn't been able to defeat him yet, even though her powers are the strongest they have ever been. There's a missing piece there.
We see this illustrated in the D&D game at the start of ST4, which serves as foreshadowing for the events that happen in the season. An 11 is rolled, but it's a miss. It isn't until Erica (an unlikely hero and outsider in the game) rolls a 20 that Vecna is defeated. And then that exact thing plays out in Hawkins when El isn't able to defeat Vecna.
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We have yet to see what the IRL 20 will be, because Vecna "wins" at the end of ST4. He gets what he wanted when the four gates are created and Hawkins falls. But my guess is that it'll have to do with Will. Everything began with Will, and it will end with him too.
Which brings me back to Will and the clock. Because Will serves as a foil for Vecna as a character. They are both sensitive and different (read: gay) and have an abusive parent who tries to make them fit into societal expectations — to no avail. They both draw. They both have close connections with the UD and Mind Flayer. But here we're getting a bit of a Star Wars light side / dark side of the force parallel, where Will has chosen to be good and Vecna has become the villain.
One character is trying their best to work through their trauma, and the other is lashing out in anger.
All of this is to say that I think the Starcourt Mall clock could be a bit of foreshadowing for ST4 and the role Will plays moving forward into ST5. Just as Henry is able to stop time in the UD, Will will be able to move it forward again.
This could happen in any number of ways, and I'm still not sure how the weird time shenanigans will play out, but what I am certain of is that Will is the key to solving everything. And it will likely come down to emotions and healing his traumatic past.
Time and Emotions
At the very start of ST4, El quotes something Joyce tells her about time. She says that emotions slow time down, but they also speed it back up. She then directly mentions time travel in relation to our emotions.
"Joyce says time is funny like that. Emotions can make it speed up or slow down. We are all time travellers, if you think about it."
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Given this line about time travel being related to emotions, I think that emotions/feelings/love are going to be the thing that allows Will to fix the UD and defeat Vecna.
This bit about emotions is huge. Because we see that the UD is shaped by Henry, and is later shaped around Will’s vanishing. Emotional and traumatic memories for the both of them. In Will’s case, did time in the UD dimension slow down because he left an emotional imprint on the landscape, via his trauma?
And if this really is the case, then it only seems natural that the process of saving Hawkins will be wrapped up with Will healing his trauma. Just like how Vecna's victims can be saved through music and positive memories/emotions.
Like the cleric he plays in D&D, Will is going to save Hawkins, healing his own trauma and dealing with his emotions in order to move forward.
How?
Realizing the power within himself in both a literal and metaphorical sense. Harnessing the powers he has and his connection to the MF/Vecna, yes, but also by learning that he is a valuable person who doesn't have to make himself smaller for the benefit of other people's happiness.
Confronting his trauma relating to the Upside Down, maybe by helping to close it off once and for all; or by restoring it to its pre-Vecna state. Healing that dimension so the leakage of Henry Creel's trauma doesn't seep into Hawkins any longer. And in doing so, healing the trauma within himself.
Accepting his own queerness and learning that being different doesn't make him a mistake. Realizing that he is loved and deserves to feel this love. Part of this will be related to coming out, and I think another piece will be related to requited love.
All of these have to do with his emotions, and they will be the way he’s able to save Hawkins.
Because when we look at Vecna and his victims, what he represents as a metaphor in the show, we're dealing in the area of emotions and trauma. For Max, she is dealing with complicated feelings after Billy's death. But she also represses those feelings and doesn't open up to her friends until it's almost too late.
If we look at Patrick, Lucas suspected he was dealing with abuse at home, but Patrick never talked about it with anyone. Same with Fred's guilt about the hit-and-run. He's terrified of the idea that he'll be found out. In the case of Chrissy, her own boyfriend has no idea about what she's going through.
So not only are Vecna's victims dealing with trauma, mental health issues, and complex emotions, but they are also actively repressing these emotions.
Not to get too psychoanalytic here, but healing from trauma and dealing with your emotions properly requires you to be open, rather than repressing what you feel. I think this is one reason why music is used as the antidote to getting Vecna'd. Because music allows us to deal with our emotions in a more positive way. It also connects us to positive memories, like Running Up That Hill does for Max, or Should I Stay Or Should I Go does for Will.
In Will's case, a large piece in his character arc is learning to accept that he's gay and has feelings for Mike. Really, this has been most of his arc for ST3 and ST4. This isn't resolved yet, so he'll be continuing to deal with this self-acceptance (and eventual coming out process) in ST5.
To bring it back to that Starcourt Mall clock: Will is the yellow hand on the clock, but it isn't just him that's implicated in all of this. This is yellow meeting blue that we're talking about!
The blue hand. What is Mike's role in all of this?
So if clocks = Vecna, and Will is going to be the antidote to healing Hawkins, then Mike has his own important role to play as the other hand on the clock (and also as the boy Will is in love with, and a main character who is repressing a lot of his own issues).
If Vecna has another target, it's going to be Mike.
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[GIF doesn't belong to me! You can find it here]
I feel so strongly about this. For SO many reasons.
Here's a bulleted list of some of them:
Mike has displayed feelings of self-loathing over the course of the show (cliff scene, I'm looking you right in the eye)
He represses his emotions, both to his loved ones and the audience — and potentially with himself
The above GIF is a very ominous parallel between Mike and Max which suggests Mike may be about to get a Vecna vision. HOWEVER, the scene is from Will's POV, so we don't see what Mike sees
Which is its own point: we haven't seen what Mike sees in all of ST4 (except briefly in the couch scene, which I analyzed here), as well as most of ST3. His inner world is deliberately hidden
If Mike is gay and/or in love with Will like I believe he is, there will be a lot of unresolved feelings to deal with there. The kind of micro-trauma queer folks deal with, especially during the 1980s
The tense relationship between Mike and both of his parents, but especially Ted. This point doubles when you contextualize it with Ted being a Reagan supporter (aka a rampant homophobe whose disgusting treatment of queer men in the 80s led to thousands of deaths)...who knows what kind of shit he's said to Mike that we haven't been shown
The whole trauma of having his best friend "die" and then turn up alive, as well as the similar trauma of believing El was still out there even though everyone assumed she died
Probably other shit I'm forgetting. But mostly how weird he's been acting, and especially how terrified he looks on that couch
I know lots of people assume Will is Vecna's #1 target, but I actually don't think he's a target at all. Will is more akin to a Luke Skywalker type figure who Vecna wants to team up with, turning him to the "dark side" because he sees Will as similar to him. There's a reason Vecna didn't have Will killed like everyone else.
As we’ve learned: emotions can speed up time or slow it down. I’m thinking there’s probably a metaphorical thing with positive vs. negative feelings as well. Like: not dealing with our trauma and repressing our negative feelings leads to a person being stuck in the past. In a literal way with the Upside Down, but also a metaphorical way. Positive emotions work in the opposite way, allowing us to let go of the past and move into the future.
Emotions can turn back the clock. They can slow down time. Emotions = time travel
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The above scene is from the end of ST3, when Hopper's letter is being read out as the Byers move away. Hopper is describing how he was afraid of change (the future, El growing up, things changing), so he tried to stop that change. He tried to TURN BACK THE CLOCK. And look at who the camera pans to when he says this...
In a scene which directly mirrors the hug between Karen and Mike when Mike runs home believing Will is dead.
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Both scenes have Heroes playing in the background, by the way. A song which summarizes all of the queer themes in the show, which I did an analysis of here.
Mike is a character who we don’t know anything about the internal world of. Which I think is a massive red (green?) flag for his chances of getting the Vecna treatment, given that he’s really the only main character who we don’t hear from in this way. The only time it even appears like we might be hearing from him, he’s just parroting what Will tells him to say to El.
So, for me, the blue hand (Mike) in the clock (Vecna) is foreshadowing for the fact that he may be targeted by Vecna in ST5. Maybe he's already been targeted and we just haven't seen it from his POV, yet. I actually think this will be the reason Will stops repressing his powers and learns how to use them (whatever they are). Or learns to use his connection to the UD in order to save the love of his life.
Because if all of this time stuff comes down to emotion, Will needs to accept that his feelings for Mike don’t make him a mistake. He needs to learn to accept himself. And is there any better catalyst to enact that change than Mike being in danger? We saw how a life or death scenario made Max open up a bit more to her friends, and I feel the same will happen with Mike and Will.
So, to recap:
Clocks represent Vecna and also play into the weird time shenanigans that ST5 will definitely deal with
The Starcourt Mall clock has yellow (Will) and blue (Mike) hands to indicate that those two will play a key role in defeating Vecna
Will: is the antidote/positive opposite to Vecna; who Henry could have been if he healed from his trauma -> this means Will is the only one who can stop Vecna for good
Mike: prime target for a Vecna'ing in ST5 due to his whole aura, and this will probably be the catalyst for Will kicking into gear and solving shit
There's some funky stuff going on with the timeline/possible time travel stuff that is way too detailed for this analysis, and it's definitely an essential part of ST5 that we'll be dealing with
Emotions alter time and may even play into how time travel and the speeding up / slowing down of time works in the show
Healing trauma, dealing with emotions, and accepting yourself are all going to be major themes in ST5, and this will be the way that Vecna is defeated: the power of love?! I love to see it
Also: the Creel house clock might have some power of its own?
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Author's Note
Well, that's it! The power of gay love saves the day. Truly iconic, if you ask me.
This analysis has been so fun to put together over the last week, and I hope you all have fun reading it as well! Originally it was meant to be a breakdown of the Starcourt Mall clock, but then I remembered the quote about emotions and time travel and it kind of had me gnawing at my screen because hyperfixations, so there's that.
As always, I love to hear people's thoughts on these analysis posts, so if you have any ideas that go along with this, feel free to add onto it. Or you can send me an ask if you have any questions! I'd love to hear what you think! :)
—Em
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gayofthefae · 2 months
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Season 4 wasn't about Mike being with El. It was about Mike not being with Will. That's how you shoot a pining love story, not an established endgame ship.
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"They just want us to know that Will is sad his love is unrequited!" And why would they ever choose to distract you like that? You can only focus on one thing: Milkvan or Will. They picked Will. Every time.
Actually, scratch that. There weren't two options. They could have made it even. They could have given them some happy scenes outside of Will. But they didn't want you to root for them even for a second. And if you did, if you thought you were safe, they wanted you to feel guilty when they pulled back and you saw Will's face. This season was them saying "You're rooting for them? How could you. Look at what you're doing to him."
They associated Milkvan with viewer guilt.
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chirpsythismorning · 2 years
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I’m sorry but Mike is never beating the gay subtext allegations 😂
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deathon1leg · 2 years
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*clears throat* *adjusts tie* at rink o mania mike interpreted the “and us?” from will as romantic and the “we’re friends, we’re friends” was him denying it, then will counteracted that with “well we used to be best friends”. *flips through notecards* in mike’s apology to will he says they should be a team again, then amends: “friends. best friends”
therefore: “friends” = coded nonromantic, “best friends” = coded romantic. the apology was a veiled mike confession scene. goodnight everybody *trips and falls off the podium with a loud crash* *groans pathetically*
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starmanbyler · 1 month
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rewatched the scene where hopper is rehearsing his heart to heart with joyce and not only is the way the dialogue is worded such a meta giveaway that m*leven isn’t working
(“open… to sharing our feelings- this isn’t gonna work. um, it’s not gonna work. it’s not gonna work”)
but also the whole thing with joyce and hopper here is sort of a byler parallel
joyce is helping hopper to express his feelings in a way different to what he really wants to say. hopper knows it’s best for mike and el to break up but joyce encourages him to just establish boundaries and let them be together.
will is trying to help mike to express his feelings to el, different to what he wants to say. mike knows it’s best for him and el to break up, but will encouraged mike to confess his love for her and be with her.
obviously the contexts are different because hoppers feelings are towards a relationship whereas mike’s are to an individual, and ones familial where the other is supposedly romantic, but then the whole thing with joyce going “you got this.” and holding hoppers hand and will’s “you’re the heart” makes me think hmmmm
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i promise i'm not insane, i promise okay, but-
the fact that el is lying in her letters to mike to make herself seem more appealing is one of the verrrrry first things they set up in the whole season. that she is lying is an unquestionable fact, even if you're GA. it's so canon it's a key plotpoint in three characters' arcs.
but mike??? we don't know what he was writing in his letters to her, only that he signed them all "from, mike." but considering how he reacted to the revalation that she had been lying, i don't think he was also actively lying to her. he wouldn't have any real reason to anyway; el already knows firsthand what his life is like.
so el is shown to be lying about nearly everything she says in her letters. el is shown to be, specifically, telling mike the complete opposite of the truth and to be doing her best to keep those lies up even in person. el is the one signing her letters "love, el."
another interesting detail about el's lies is the fact that they aren't just minor alterations of the truth. she's failing math, but rather than telling mike she's better at something else she says it's her favourite. she's relentlessly bullied and ostracized, rather than saying she's met a couple of friends she says she has a lot. she's bullied by ANGELA, in particular, but in the world she creates in her letters to mike angela is a close friend!!! it's not just an escapist fantasy, it's a complete inversion of the truth. flipping it upside down.
mike isn't shown to be lying to her at all in his letters. in fact, the only thing he's indisputably confirmed to lie to her about in this season, so canonically that it's the basis of a whole scene, is that he's been saying he loves her. mike is the one signing his letters "from, mike."
el only tells mike she loves him through the lens of her letters and their fabricated dreamworld tailored to seem as appealing as possible. mike only tells her he loves her through the lens of will's painting and nameswapped confession.
the things el says in the voiceover of her letter go against the truth of the footage of her lenora life being shown onscreen at the same time. mike's claim that he loved her from the moment he saw her goes against the truth of the flashback that plays, of a scene where he was searching for will but stumbled across el instead.
'The First I love You' and 'The First Lie'. the correlation is so strong it seeps into the fucking soundtrack.
it can't even be brushed off as subtext!!! not when the tangled relationships between mike and el and love and lies were the entire focus of their relationship this season!!! denying the evidence would mean quite literally denying that the plot of the show is canon!!!
el lies about her life and feelings to seem more desirable. she signs every letter with "love, el."
mike lies about how he's proven he loves her in the past. when he tries to enforce the fact that he loves her in the present, he focuses on the past, trying to impress on her that "and i knew, right then and there, in that moment, that i loved you."
el wants to live a perfect, happy life, opposite to what she goes through in the real world. a life where she goes to parties at the roller rink. a life where her grades are good. a life where she's best friends with her popular bullies. a life where she has a boyfriend, and they're in love. she does whatever she can to maintain that fantasy, even trying to rope angela into it, but mike doesn't keep it up on his part. when he comes to visit, the dream world she's built is shattered. mike still can't say he loves her to her face, and she can't keep pretending. she signs her note to him "from, el."
mike has always been the guy with the plan. he knows love makes el's powers stronger. he's the leader, he's the heart, and when things go bad the only way they can still beat vecna is if el truly believes she's loved. she confronted him with how he's failed at proving it in the past, so he does her one better. he tells el he's loved her since the very beginning. it doesn't matter how he's failed to show it, because it's been true all along.
it's too late. the fantasy is broken, and el is done lying. max still dies, the gates still open, and days after his grand confession, el will barely look at him.
boyfriends lie, but friends don't.
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