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#will byers analysis
aemiron-main · 1 year
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oh and I’m just supposed to be normal about this?
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gayofthefae · 2 months
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Do you ever think about how these are the only times he's allowed himself to take up space. One of them got many people including Bob killed and almost got him killed, only one is joy and it immediately caused conflict, and both times he allowed himself to be angry he later either dropped it completely or apologized himself, saying he "deserved it".
It's no wonder he doesn't take up space. Like Jonathan said, he's good at hiding. That isn't just physical; it means making yourself small too. Lonnie says "that boy never was very good at taking care of himself" so we know he didn't ever stand up to him.
No wonder he doesn't allow himself to want and enjoy things, look what happened last time.
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No wonder he doesn't stand up for himself, look what happened last time.
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That's the thing about how trauma symptoms develop and are reinforced: they make. sense. They are successful and the correct response to the situation to get you as safe as possible, they just spill over into situations they aren't needed in and it can be hard to decipher. Will was right to make himself small with his father. And he was right to run away from the mind flayer. But what happened with Mike and Lucas was a momentary lapse in their judgment, not a reinforcement of him taking up space being a bad thing.
Will needs to be with Mike next season because he doesn't just need to admit that he wants things, he needs to allow himself to actually want them. For a conceptual "gay character" story arc, coming out might be the ending, so I understand why it makes sense to you surface level. But he isn't conceptual; he is a person whose nuanced life experience and trauma and personality outside his queerness impact how he reacts to said queerness. In many ways, him being gay is just a narrative opportunity to demonstrate his arc onto of allowing himself to take up space. To love LOUDLY and without shame - because acceptance is still quiet -, to get ANGRY and stand by it, to take. up. space. As a queer person, as a boy who deep down still hears those words shouted in his ears every time he picks up a crayon, and as a boy whose body was stolen from him. He deserves for that body to take up space.
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Mike and Will's outfits/aesthetics (s4-s5) in relation to their character arcs
Now that I have semi-recovered from the initial shock and bliss (lmao) of seeing Mike and Will in their fantastic s5 looks, I've been trying to figure out what it is specifically about their styling for this season that pleases me so much as both a Mike stan and a Will stan. And I think it comes down to what these looks reveal about the directions that both of their characters will be taking in the final season, but more specifically, the fact that these looks both stand in stark contrast to Mike and Will's season 4 looks, signifying a huge turning point and leap in progress for both Mike and Will in terms of character development in season 5. Even more so, though, I think these s5 looks are meant to visually represent in their totality what Mike's character has been all about across the series as well as what Will's character has been all about across the entire series.
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Mike's s4 looks all center around the ideas of self-discovery, self-acceptance, exploration, and his feelings for Will (with the exception of his airport look, which he wears to conceal and deny what he is actually experiencing and thinking). The hellfire shirt he proudly wears at school signifies that he is growing comfortable with the idea of being a social outcast and being rejected by society at large. He has grown his hair out longer, and he is generally dressing slightly edgier and more casual than he did in s3 (bless s3 Mike Wheeler's heart lmao what an awkward concoction of awkwardness and forced cisheteronormativity 😭💀). Not to mention the infamous arrow breast pocket that literally points to Will for like the entire season and is fashioned right over Mike's heart lmao. All of these outfit choices make sense in connection with where Mike's character is at in s4. It's the first season in which he is truly understanding his queer identity and coming to terms with it. He knows and fully realizes that he is in love with Will, and while he doesn't believe that anything will ultimately come of his queerness let alone his love for Will, I don't think either of these things are something he is necessarily ashamed of, as he uses his style and outfits as a vehicle through which to express his queerness, however limited he may feel in doing so. And I think that fact in and of itself is a great representation of the territory that Mike is venturing into in s4: quiet but bold experimentation and expression in the face of society's opposition. It's one reason why s4 Mike seems so different from other iterations of Mike. He may have had feelings for Will for quite some time now, but up until this point, it's been subconscious or repressed. In s4, it comes to the forefront, and Mike understands and is embracing his queerness as much as he is able to without being seen for who he truly is, because he is terrified of being seen for who he truly is. That's because unlike Will, he's never fully been seen for who he truly is (aka he has an invisible queer experience). He will dress just queer *enough* to feel queer without being seen as queer.
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What's so kind of fascinating and maybe even tragic, then, about this look for s5 Mike is what it represents when contrasted to Mike's s4 look. If s4 was, for Mike, about coming to terms with his queerness as much as he feels he is able to, then this look signifies to me that s5 will see Mike being pushed back into a place of conformity, repression, and invisibility. The ironic thing is that this is where Mike feels most comfortable: in his conformity, pleasing his friends and family by being the straight boy they think he is and staying with El, with his queerness remaining swept under the rug and totally invisible to those around him. However sad it may be, he's comfortable with this set of circumstances because it's all he's ever known. Unlike Will, he has only ever experienced homophobia secondhand, in conjunction with his relationship with Will. He is used to being invisible and ignored, and his short hair and kind of preppy boyish look here is kind of meant to symbolize the overall tragedy of Mike Wheeler's character struggle, which is taking comfort and solace in one's own oppression in exchange for larger acceptance but at the expense of personal happiness.
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Will's transition from his s4-s5 look signifies something entirely different and even opposite from what Mike is experiencing between the two seasons. Will doesn't exhibit a significant change in aesthetics between the first three seasons and s4. He is still rocking the infamous bowlcut lmao, he still dresses quite softly and boyishly, and the way in which he presents himself makes no obvious effort to deviate from what he's always been doing this whole time. That's because unlike Mike's journey, Will's journey isn't really about self-discovery or figuring out how he wants to present himself to the world. He has known that he is gay his entire life, and he has never had much of a choice regarding how he gets to present himself, since his very personality, mannerisms, and essence seem to betray the fact that he is queer to everyone around him. Season 4 is just him doing more of the same--being queer, being himself, and being in love with Mike--albeit with a bit more confidence than he may have had before, as he painted a picture for Mike and was even planning on giving it to him. Will knows who he is and accepts who he is. He just doesn't want to do that at the expense of others, since he's so selfless. He's willing to be queer and be in love with Mike as much as he is able to without coming between Mike and El or inconveniencing those around him.
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But whereas Mike's s5 look indicates invisibility and being drawn back into conformity, Will's s5 look indicates the exact opposite. While Mike may be growing more and more invisible and less comfortable with his queerness come s5, Will is fully blossoming into it and accepting it and wearing it as a badge of honor. This is a true "coming-of-age" look for Will. He is not exchanging who he is for some more macho or masculine version of himself, but he is also refusing to carry around the "weak" and "childish" attributes that people have always ascribed to him just because of his queerness. He is quite literally shedding his childishness and figuring out not what it means to be a visibly queer man, because he's always understood that, but what it means to be HIMSELF as an ADULT. What it means to be a Will Byers who is no longer a frightened, traumatized child but a Will Byers who is fully grown, capable, and confident. And this makes perfect sense as a representation of what the character of Will Byers is all about, which is queer overcoming, queer triumph, and queer victory.
These looks for Mike and Will are so perfect because of what they represent both for what Mike and Will are going to experience in s5 as well as what themes their characters are exploring overall throughout the entire series. Mike Wheeler is an exploration of what it means to be a queer man whose experience gets overlooked and ignored; someone who is expected to perfectly uphold the status quo simply because of how they present themselves externally. Will Byers is an exploration of what it means to know yourself and embrace yourself as a queer person who has been ostracized since childhood; of what it means to grown into a proud queer adult.
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strangerthanyou011 · 1 year
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the way i cringe when ppl characterize will as shy and nervous in their writing, especially w mike… that boy may be quiet, but he is BOLD! don’t act like he wasn’t testing the boundaries of his friendship w mike the whole past season!! he is a flirtatious son of a bitch!! especialy considering the time period, he’s made some pretty big moves
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light-lanterne · 5 months
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whatever you do, please do not imagine fourteen-year-old will byers being left alone in his house in lenora for a day or perhaps just a few hours. maybe his mom and el are out buying stuff while jonathan hangs out with argyle, maybe he's a little sick and was forced to stay home on his own.
whatever it is, he's alone for a bit, he's done all his homework, there's nothing on tv to distract himself with, and he's not in the mood for painting at the moment.
so, bored as he is, he decides to look around in the many tomes of the encyclopaedia britannica that now clutter their house and, taking advantage of his solitude, he decides to read up on a term that scares him as much as it intrigues him because he wants to know what other people think of, well, him. he wants to know if it's just hawkins who are so hateful and prejudiced against people like him, or if it really is the whole world who see him like a mistake.
so, whatever you do, please don't imagine will looking up homosexuality, reading line after line of clever-sounding text that describes his inclinations as nothing but sexual and impure, a phase he should get over with soon lest he becomes target of social persecution, and which explains all the many theories of why he's like that and the measures that should've been taken to "fix him".
whatever you do, please don't imagine will reading the next excerpt and realising that his time for being "fixed" has passed, that his father's complaints were not exclusive to him, that most people share that opinion, and that the fact that so many people could see it must mean that he really fits all the mentioned stereotypes and therefore must also fit everything else the book was saying about "homosexuals" like him.
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(hi. i got curious and consulted my 1994 version of the encyclopaedia britannica to see what will would've read on certain subjects (it's the same edition as the 1986 one). i can post the whole section on homosexuality if someone wants it, but it's incredibly uninformed and prejudiced and honestly quite icky (borderline triggering) to read so i wouldn't advise anyone checks it >.< and that's not even including the part on conversion therapy x.x)
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byler-alarmist · 13 days
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Something just occurred to me......almost all the times Will is shown crying, it's not with Mike there. He may have tears in his eyes, but he's usually alone or with his family when he full-on cries. The only time Mike even alluded to Will having cried in front of him is when he said it sounded like WIll whimpering over the walkie because he'd heard him sound like that when he'd fallen of his bike and broken his finger.
I wonder if Will actively tries not to cry in front of Mike. I wonder if the van scene was the first time in a long time he had cried with Mike present, and even then, he turned his face away so Mike wouldn't see.
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henrysglock · 1 year
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Thinking about how Will phrased his statement about killing Henry.
He doesn’t say “I’m going to kill him” or “I want to kill him” or even “I want him dead”.
He says “We have to kill him”.
He’s right, of course. Henry needs to die. It’s the fact that Will says they have to kill him, and he uses “we” to distance himself from sole responsibility. Killing is not something Will ever wants to do, though he’d be justified if he did want to. He doesn’t, though. He doesn’t want to kill anyone. He’s just stating a necessity.
Will is already treating Henry’s death like a group responsibility and a necessary evil, and this is before he even knows Henry (outside their little feelings comm-link). He’s going to be even more conflicted about being the one to kill Henry when he does know everything.
Even without the powers basis, even without talking about perpetuated violent behaviors…It’s just not who Will is as a character. Will is not a killer. It broke him up in S2 when he was forced to kill those soldiers, even though they hurt him with the burns. He doesn’t want to kill anyone.
Will, at his base, is not a killer. He isn’t violent. His softness, in this regard, is integral to his character.
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starsarefire824 · 11 months
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Dragons and Tigers
So I know it’s well established that Will has been associated with tigers since pretty much season one. First it was with very similar tiger stuffies with El and Sarah (This is still something that I’m wondering why exactly they made that initial connection between the three of them.) It adds to my belief that El and Will are tied in some way, and that Hawkin’s Lab may have more involvement in Sarah’s sickness/care/death than we were originally led to believe. But I digress.
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And then in season four tigers are everywhere in relation to Will.
First we see it when he’s introduced:
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Then we see it all throughout his room:
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I am sure there are way more instances I missed, but these are just a few examples. There is also the fact that Hawkins school team are the tigers.
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Anyway, from what I’ve gathered I think that Vecna (or his great evil) is represented by the dragon.
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I think that it’s interesting that Will chose to draw the party fighting a dragon. And so I did a little light research into it with the thought okay, so how are dragons and tigers related? What’s the significance of the symbolism? And then I came across this:
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And this really stuck out to me because a lot of theories revolving around Will potentially having powers have him as light vs. Henry’s darkness, creation vs. destruction etc. So if Will is connected to El in some way or ends up having powers I really am starting to think that he (or him and El as one) will be the tiger. I think that’s what the connection between him and Henry is. They are two sides of the same coin, yin and yang. That is why he can never escape him. But as of now things are out of balance because Will hasn’t realized his full role and significance to his connection to the Upside Down and Henry. So I truly think that there will be something in season 5 brought to light that tells us he is the “key” to bringing equilibrium back to the Upside Down. He can heal what Henry has destroyed. He can bring balance back, and reset the Upside Down to it’s neutral state.
But because of this significant connection to Henry, I think there’s going to be some sort of temptation or trickery. Some sort of darkness pulling at him that he’ll have to overcome. I think that Henry will try his damnedest to use his self-worth, sexuality, and trauma against him. I think he will use Mike against him as well.
It also makes me wonder if Will x El’s “Wonder Twin” connection ends up being what we’ve all been hoping it will be maybe together they are the “key” or “The Tiger.” And that’s why El hasn’t been able to succeed against Henry as of yet.
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lunabug2004 · 3 months
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I’m sure this has been pointed out before but I find it so interesting that Mike and Will’s trauma responses are so opposite to one another.
I believe this is mostly shown to us through season 3. Will wants to keep his childhood, doesn’t want to grow up, he wants things to stay the same and wants his friends with him all the time. Mike wants to get away from his childhood, wants to grow up as quickly as possible, wants (or thinks he wants) things to change, and is actively pulling away from the rest of the party (except El, I believe because of his abandonment issues). I think this difference in trauma responses is what ultimately causes the rain fight.
It’s also shown a little bit in season 4. Will needs support from others, his friends, Mike. And Mike needs to be needed. This is what ultimately causes them to become closer in s4.
Obviously these things are not their only responses to their trauma (I want to make a post about all of Mike’s alone at some point), like both of them have horrible self-worth issues for one, but these are the ones I see that directly contradict and I thought I’d share.
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booksandpaperss · 1 year
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hey guess what Will’s gonna cry when Mike finds out the truth regardless of how Mike reacts bc even tho he tried to rip off the bandaid already he still loves Mike and wants Mike in his life, and he’s still so scared of Mike discovering how he feels despite wanting so badly to tell him bc for Will loosing Mike hurts too much. Anyways,
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sagegreenflow3r · 2 years
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When will says “I’m not gonna fall in-love” in season three he probably says that because he knows he won’t ever be able to love someone because guys like him don’t get a happy ending, he is hated by the community and the person he DOES love is in-love with someone else, a girl. He thinks that he will never experience love ☹️
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gayofthefae · 2 months
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I just made a post about how every time Will allowed himself to take up space, whether it be with anger or joy, there were negatively reinforcing consequences and/or he expressed shame and rescinded it.
But I noticed something I left off the list that I'd like to add because it doesn't fit the list.
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He doesn't care if it's for somebody else. He never cares if it's for somebody else. Hell, in that first picture, he physically makes himself larger, putting his arm out in front of Jonathan and literally taking up more space. He openly vents to someone he was just too scared to talk to at the breakfast table. Because it's for El.
For others, for the people he loves, he will scream as loud as he wants, be an adamant advocate, get angry and not put it down...but only on others' behalf. Only on other's behalf. Because in some ways, that still counts as them taking up space, not him, right? No, he wouldn't dare.
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strangerthanyou011 · 11 months
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to me a big byler proof is the fact that in order to ship milkvan u have to almost willfully misunderstand so many aspects of the plot😭 like the characters’ feelings and arcs have to be misconstrued so much in order to justify mike and el being together and believe there’s any kind of hope for a healthy relationship between them. if you actually look at the arcs of the characters, byler is what makes sense!
el has always been somebody’s lab rat, pet, superhero, etc. she has never been given the space to live for herself by anyone other than max, which is why their friendship is so special despite how brief it was. el needs to be single so she can properly learn who she is in the real world, and what she wants and needs. el’s arc will end with her not dating mike, or anyone else. her story is about freedom and independence.
will knows he’s capable of love, knows what he wants and how wonderful it would be to have it, but he doesn’t believe he’ll ever be able to have it. growing up gay in a conservative place without any other queer people to relate to is so isolating, and so naturally will has accepted he will never be able to be loved back. i think robin will be an important part of his arc in season 5, helping him to see that he’s not alone and there is hope for him. it’s possible that robin and vickie getting together will actually be a catalyst for will and mike doing the same once they see that the people in their life would be completely accepting and they don’t have to hide who they are anymore. of course, will could learn that he can have what he wants by dating another boy, but that wouldn’t be a very satisfying conclusion to his story. who could understand what he’s gone through the way mike does? who’s stood by his side through all of his trauma, made him feel safe, cared for, and better for being different? will and mike’s devotion for and compatibility with each other have been built up since season 1, it would be horrible writing to throw that out for will to date some rando. i think it’s possible another guy could come into the picture to further show will that he’s not alone and he has options, which would also make mike jealous and force him to face his feelings head on, but whatever would go on between will and this other guy (my bet’s on mikhail) wouldn’t last long, because being gay doesn’t mean you’ll just date any guy. he wants mike, he loves mike. will’s story is about learning you can have happiness in a world that wants to oppress you, and mike is that happiness will wants.
all of their stories are about rising above your conditioning, what you’ve been told about yourself and your life and your worth, and taking your life into your own hands and living for yourself. the lead female character ending up alone, and the two male leads ending up together? crazy, but stranger things have happened!
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bylerspookie · 8 months
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Mike and Will's name analysis
(I can't believe I've reached a point in life where I do this. This is a cry for help. I'm actually the most delusional person you will ever meet ever.)
Okay, so firstly
Mike has 4 letters (important number)
M: 13th letter
I: 9th letter
K: 11th letter
E: 5th letter
13 + 9 + 11 + 5
= 38
3 + 8
= 11
1 + 3 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 5
= 20
They're both numbers that were rolled in the dnd game, they lost with 11 and won with 20
Michael has 7 letters (important number, in regard to Byler especially)
M: 13th letter
I: 9th letter
K: 3rd letter
H: 8th letter
A: 1st letter
E: 5th letter
L: 12th letter
13 + 9 + 3 + 8 + 5 + 1 + 12
= 51
5 + 1
= 6
1 + 3 + 9 + 3 + 8 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 2
= 33
3 + 3
= 6
I have no idea why they're both 6 tbh, but I start to think it was definitely on purpose after we look at Will's name. Maybe because 7 - 001 = 6?? Idk
Will has 4 letters (just like Mike)
W: 23rd letter
I: 9th letter
L: 12th letter
L: 12th letter
23 + 9 + 12 + 12
= 55
5 + 5
= 10
2 + 3 + 9 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2
= 20
DHJAHDJS-
the way Mike's adds up to 11 and 20 and Will's adds up to 10 and 20????
William has 7 letters (just like Michael)
W: 23rd letter
I: 9th letter
L: 12th letter
L: 12th letter
I: 9th letter
A: 1st letter
M: 13th letter
23 + 9 + 12 + 12 + 9 + 1 + 13
= 79
7 + 9
= 16
1 + 6
= 7
2 + 3 + 9 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 9 + 1 + 1 + 3
= 34
3 + 4
= 7
So Mike's adds up to 6 and 6 and Will's adds up to 7 and 7??? WTF GUYS
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byler-alarmist · 3 months
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Why do I get the feeling this also applies to Will.....?
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"Look, he's not like you, Hopper. He's not like me. He's not like most. "
Oh... so Will is not like most? Is he different? Special?
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henrysglock · 1 year
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Ramble 10: Will, and Will Alone, Is The Key Component To Freeing Henry From Himself
Will is essential to Henry's end
Henry has never successfully broken out of a prison by himself. He tried to break out of the Creel house by himself and failed. He tried to break out of the lab and failed, just ending up in a new form of prison. He couldn't break out of the UD alone, he needed El to open that first gate. He couldn't open the rifts without the murders. He wouldn't even leave his own damn house until the older teens forced him out the window with their attack. He's been imprisoned, in various forms, his entire life. First with his mother, then with Brenner, and now with those he absorbed in his bid for freedom in 1979.
A spider in a jar cannot break the glass from the inside.
Henry has now broken his physical jar with the murders, and it was painful. It quite literally broke everything involved. Will says Henry's hurting, which connects to Hopper's "the hurt is good, the hurt means you're out of that cave". Henry has escaped his physical jar through hurt, and like a spider in smashed glass, he was heavily wounded. However, the physical jar is only one half of the equation.
What about his mental jar? What about the people he's absorbed, who are caging him in?
More hurt does not solve mental problems. More hurt does not reach people mentally, it drives them deeper into their jar. The only thing that's been shown to break someone out of their mental prison is love. Love can be painful, of course. The first step is acknowledging that you have hurt someone, and the fact that that person is now treating you with love is going to be confusing, and that combination of guilt and shame is going to sting like a bitch. But that hurt is good. That hurt means you're at the edge of the cave.
Music in ST may open the door, may lead a person to the edge of the cave, but love walks them through it. It worked with Will. It worked with Billy. It worked with Max. It's going to work with Henry. Love will save Hawkins.
Compassion is a form of love, and it's the form of love that Will is most adept at. It's blindfolding a horse to lead it out of a burning barn even though you, yourself, are susceptible to flame. It's seeing the physical manifestation of your trauma in a bathroom stall and saying "it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you", even though you, yourself, are in danger by it. It isn't synonymous with forgiveness; All it is is seeing the person on the other side of the bars and going "I see you, and I'm not going to hurt you. I'll let you out".
It's unscrewing the lid so the spider can crawl out, knowing full well that it could bite you, rather than smashing the jar and harming the creature inside.
Will can unscrew Henry's figurative lid with his two-way connection by showing Henry the truth, reminding him that he's loved (Victor is still alive, and he still very much loves Henry! Even 27 years after Henry's supposed death, Victor is still in shambles about it all), and then meeting him with the "I'm not going to hurt you" compassion to bring the whole thing home. It is, of course, up to Henry to crawl out of his jar. Will is our light source throughout all of ST4; he can guide Henry out of that mental cave, he can illuminate the edge, but Henry can only escape if he himself wants to leave.
Will will see everything that happened to Henry and essentially say "I see you, and it's time for you to be free of your suffering". He can open that door and offer compassion. Henry himself will walk through it by choice. He will choose to end his own suffering, because that is the first bit of true agency he's ever had for just him. Not Henry and Virginia, not Henry and Brenner, or Henry et. al.
Just. Henry.
It's the kind of ending that would make a room full of Netflix execs cry. It's going to be so messy. There would be so many tears involved. Raphael, Jamie, and Noah would shine. It would be a perfect ending to a story about the power of love and kindness in the face of cruelty.
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