we're all stories in the end

It being Tyler Galpin that is.

He said he liked killing in the police station scene. He’s a bad person blah, blah, blah. This is me finally becoming a full blown Tyler apologist and if you don’t like it keep scrolling. Up until now I’ve been open to criticism of Tyler about that scene, but now I have a whole new perspective. I truly don’t believe that was him AT ALL. 

By now we all know that Thornhill shackled Tyler up in a cave, and drugged him to unlock his Hyde so he’d become loyal to her. But something stood out to me while rewatching episode seven. It’s the scene where Wednesday is reading Faulkner’s diary that reads, “Born of mutation, the Hyde lays dormant until unleashed by a traumatic event or unlocked by chemical inducement or hypnosis. This act causes the Hyde to form an immediate bond with it’s liberator who the creature now sees as it’s master. It becomes the willing instrument of whatever nefarious agenda this new master might purpose.” So, not only is Tyler forced to do Thornhill’s bidding, he’s conditioned to like it. If that is even Tyler in the first place. Maybe it’s the Hyde in Tyler form. That would make what he said at the station make so much more sense. Him telling Wednesday he enjoyed everything, but then the way his eyes watered after. I’ve come around to the idea that Tyler wasn’t in complete control in that moment. I now believe that there’s a distinction between the real Tyler, his Hyde-self in Tyler form, and the actual physical monster. 

Kieron Moore as Dimitri Belikov from the Vampire Academy teaser trailer.

i think the scene is taken way too literally by way too many people, either on purpose (because they want to push this fanon narrative against stancy because they can't handle them) or people just truly don't know how to consume media

the whole part about six kids is a very obvious wink to the fact that steve grew to be a babysitter of the main six kids (dustin, max, lucas, mike, will and el). the audience adores this thing about steve, they eat it up like crazy, so the duffers used that trait of his character to open up another conversation; the one where steve is actually impacted by the time he spent with these kids and he can see himself in future still doing the same thing; just with the kids of his own

again, the actual number of kids is a VERY obvious wink to the number of kids in the actual show that he is taking care of, so it's really not something an audience should latch onto when we open a conversation of him sharing this with nancy

why? because the duffer brothers themselves are aware that six kids is not really something that aligns with nancy's dreams and they're making it clear by making nancy herself call it "a total nightmare" (even though you could argue she was kinda deflecting in that part of conversation), but the main point is that brothers are not forgetting about her characterization while writing her relationship with steve, they're not forgetting about her own dreams, and they're not pushing her into steve's dreams of having six kids, because that wasn't even the main point of that whole scene

the six kids part is sort of genre-aware reference that steve makes about his own character, but the essence of that scene is steve describing life that contradicts the one nancy was trying to avoid her whole life. a cold, loveless marriage, where she would be stuck with a man who doesn't even care about her anymore after she gives birth to a kid or two, a reflection of her own father.

the life steve is describing is one filled with love, care and warmth. and i think this was very purposely emphasized by the use of song in a background, that's soothing and also by the tone of voice steve is using that's almost dreamlike when he's describing all the places he would go to visit with his kids. the scene is quite literally painted to awaken nice feelings, especially as they're heading into their doom and nancy is already stressed as she is, and guess what?

it works. nancy's expressions couldn't say it any better, but she gives the audience a verbal confirmation as well, saying it sounds nice. steve's speech calmed her down, made her dream for a second, while also making her realize some new things about her ex.

that time when jonathan told her in season 1 how she's gonna end up just like her parents if she continues her relationship with steve?

well steve just crushed those doubts in her mind and he crushed them good! because if a camera is focusing on nancy looking longingly at steve after his speech is over, it doesn't do it for nothing, especially in a show that has so many things to cover.

now one last thing i'd like to mention.

the scene in the woods in the upside down......is truly masterful the way it builds up and i know i shouldn't care but idiots slandering it on twitter truly makes me hurt.

the way it starts with the two of them sort of joking around and then blends into steve acknowledging his mistakes while thanking nancy for opening his eyes is beautiful! it's a big moment for his character and their relationship, because the narrative itself recognizes that these two characters are always going to be linked and it poses a question of what would happen between them if things were different for them from the start?

steve's whole character is about growth, redemption, second chances and finding right people. it's not what his character was supposed to be, but it's what his character grew to be.

he's a great romantic at heart and he had a long way of learning how to be actually emotionally vulnerable with people and so when he takes this great leap with nancy (right before heading into their death) it's huge and it's beautiful!

and remember what i talked about in the beginning? about six kids just being a silly reference to his character?

well that's nothing short of clear, when he tells nancy it's her who's the one that matters the most in that dream.

even the kids wouldn't matter to him that much if it's not with her and that should tell the audience that his desire is not to settle her down and make her birth six kids for him.......it's simply just to be with her. come what may.

and for people complaining he is telling her this while she's still technically in a relationship......(i mentioned them heading into their death and him feeling the need to share his true feelings now or never)......but also.....sometimes you have to recognize what is the narrative trying to tell you. something is happening between steve and nancy and steve ending up confessing his feelings really shouldn't surprise people because that's how romantic stories work? they were interrupted before nancy could answer, which should tell people that writers are still obviously aware that nancy is in a relationship, but the narrative needed steve to share his feelings, so they could continue and wrap up their story in the next season.

again, media literacy. but i guess i'm asking way too much, considering people chose to be in their peak dumb era when it comes to these two.....