brooklyn bae

Well, we've already seen parts of it, scattered throughout Episodes 1-8. Just with changes to the order, characters or context.

MARCH-MAY

Season 4 ending. March 29th, 1986.

Remember how El wasn’t talking to Mike at all at the end of Season 4? And how for most of Season 5, they weren't together? Mike and El break up. {Vecna later uses this memory to tell the story of Jonathan and Nancy's breakup.}

Eleven: "I hate [Eggos]"; "You are always exactly six minutes late." "You wanted honesty." Friends don't lie.

Mike: "That spring break, when you were in Lenora..." "[physics mention]"; "I just felt like I was doing something wrong. Like I was going against the natural order of things."

Mike: "It made me feel safe, but also... I dunno." Eleven: "It was suffocating." Mike: "Yeah."

Will + Robin start hanging out. {This probably happened the same way – after he saw Rovickie kiss.}

The Byers are staying with the Wheelers. Mike and Will share the basement, which explains why they forgot to set an alarm in The Crawl. Mike is ALWAYS late!!! Every season except 5!!!

Will: "It's always [Mike's] fault!"

JUNE-JULY

Robin and Will have their coming-out talk from Shock Jock! They're quickly becoming friends, supporting each other. They both agree to come out to someone new. Will decides to start small, and Robin wants to go big.

Will: "You wouldn't happen to have any more of that truth serum left, would you?"

Will quietly comes out to Mike, Jon and Joyce – his own choice. This explains why the Duffers said they originally wrote the scene this way, but changed it. Right after Will's coming-out, in a private moment, Mike gives his apology from the tower in The Rightside Up.

Mike: "Hey, um… I’m sorry. I mean, not sorry about what you said. That came out wrong. I mean, not ‘came out’ wrong! Jesus Christ!" LMFAOOOO

Because of that coming-out heart-to-heart, Mike and Will become much closer again.

Robin comes out to everyone, so she can “double her audience”. That's why there was so much rambling in that scene, and why Tammy was mentioned! Robin says she likes girls, talks about her "Tammy", and maybe even mentions finding her "Vickie".

Mike has an epiphany. Perhaps he had his Vickie all along. 

AUGUST-OCTOBER

Will talks to Robin. He asks how she knew that Vickie wanted to date – their talk from the hospital. He immediately starts flashing back to all their little snowballs... "a brush of the knee, a bump of the elbow, a shared look."

Mike talks to Robin. Maya Hawke said her character would "mentor" TWO others this season. What if Mike's the second? He's amazed after her coming-out, and asks her for a bit of advice. Probably also about Vickie, haha.

Mike gets Jonathan's help to make something special: a mixtape for Will. Jonathan makes it, and gives it to Mike. {Later, Vecna uses this memory to create the scene where Murray gives Jonathan the mixtape for Nancy.} Also – Charlie Heaton said Jonathan would help his brother "get something he wants" in Season 5. This concludes Jonathan's arc of noticing what's going on with Will and Mike, but never intervening.

In the Wheelers' basement, Mike gives Will the mixtape. This is the avalanche; the thing that made it obvious.

Mike: "One last confession. A big one." He pulls out the mixtape. "I figure I've screwed up enough with you. It'd be nice to get something right for once in the end. Here." {Later, Vecna uses this scene for Jonathan and Nancy's breakup, where he takes the ring out and throws it away, in a confusing un-proposal}

This could explain the cutgate claims that Mike and Will were apparently supposed to have a basement scene together, and that music was supposed to play a fundamental role in scenes – e.g. "Just Like Heaven" by the Cure.

Possibly birthdaygate too; a late present?

I'm just speculating here, but... I think they'll use this to recontextualise the Purple Rain scene. Purple Rain plays from the mixtape as Will says Eleven's words from Episode 8. Quiet and intimate, not life-or-death.

Will: You understand me better than anyone. You always have. From the day we met, you've seen me. The real me. {Later, Vecna uses these words to evoke Mike's guilt – about Eleven's fake death, and his unreciprocated romantic feelings. This is to keep him trapped in the Rightside Up, AHHHH–}

After this scene, Mike and Will are either together, or plan to be together. This does multiple things narratively. It gives Vecna something he can use to manipulate them, it will also be one of the memories that helps Mike escape the illusion, and if Mike and Will were together throughout Episodes 1-8 but just didn't remember, those episodes are totally recontextualised!!!

ALSO!!!! This explains why the Duffers said that Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind was a big inspiration for Season 5. Two lovers' memories of each other are erased, but they find each other in the end, with the help of a CASSETTE TAPE!!!!!!!!

Apologies for the avalanche of exclamation marks.

NOVEMBER 3RD, 1986 (Edited: 24/02/26)

As @mixu suggested, Mike and Will may have planned to go on a date on November 3rd. This is supported by:

The video clip of Mike saying "You know I had dinner plans, right?" Dustin replying, "With who?" and Mike avoiding the answer. [Unless Mike and El have broken up, it should be obvious who...]

Rovickie having a date planned for November 3rd, but Robin having to cancel for reasons Vickie "just can't understand" – and Robin saying that she doesn't "want to be the reason Wheeler's plan fails".

November 3rd is the day of THE WHEELER ATTACK. And like Nancy's vision, Karen was fatally wounded, Holly was kidnapped, and Mike? He was severely injured by the Demogorgon, and rushed to hospital. He had to miss his dinner plans with Will.

So... just like Jopper, Boyce, Lumax and Rovickie's date plans, Byler missed theirs because of Upside Down shit too.

Not just that, but remember how Robin promises Vickie that they can go on ANOTHER date, only for them miss that one too?

Well...

Henry: Tomorrow, it begins.

NOVEMBER 6TH, 1986 (Edited 24/02/26)

Will: "...Today is the day. The day Vecna's gonna act. I thought I had him, but the truth... the truth is I never stood a chance." Will isn't ready to fight Vecna, but he won't have a choice.

Meanwhile, Mike is still in hospital, recovering from his injuries. This is when Vecna sends the Demos to the hospital – and soon after, Vecna himself arrives to take Mike.

Now able to see through Vecna's eyes, Will attempts to save Mike. But like in Shock Jock, Will fails. {Vecna later uses this scene to give Will a winning moment where he's rescued, to sell the narrative that they were able to beat him easily later on}

Will: "Mike, if you can hear me, you need to run! RUN!"

Will is knocked into a trance [Shock Jock] and Mike – with his broken leg from the Demo attack – is unable to run. Vecna knocks Mike out and takes him to the Upside Down, swapping him with Holly.

This explains why both Mike and Holly have the same head wound, and why Mike heard the clock chime and had multiple reaction shots to seeing Vecna – but nothing came out of it.

Mike is now trapped in the Rightside Up. And like the Stranger Things recap video, he's now being forced to miss his dinner plans again... all so he can rewatch edited clips of the show... i.e. his own memories.

Meanwhile, Will is stuck in a trance, building Mike's illusion in his sleep.

...

It's not over, though! After that are Mike's altered memories, everything from Episode 1-8.

"Tomorrow", on November 6th, "it begins..." Season 5, that is.

And after that... the final episodes!

(And hopefully, a somewhat happy ending :D)

Robin: It's a mandala! [...] Is it a mandala? Mandahla? Or a man-dala? Or a mendela? Or...

Well, we've already seen parts of it, scattered throughout Episodes 1-8. Just with changes to the order, characters or context.

MARCH-MAY

Season 4 ending. March 29th, 1986.

Remember how El wasn’t talking to Mike at all at the end of Season 4? And how for most of Season 5, they weren't together? Mike and El break up. {Vecna later uses this memory to tell the story of Jonathan and Nancy's breakup.}

Eleven: "I hate [Eggos]"; "You are always exactly six minutes late." "You wanted honesty." Friends don't lie.

Mike: "That spring break, when you were in Lenora..." "[physics mention]"; "I just felt like I was doing something wrong. Like I was going against the natural order of things."

Mike: "It made me feel safe, but also... I dunno." Eleven: "It was suffocating." Mike: "Yeah."

Will + Robin start hanging out. {This probably happened the same way – after he saw Rovickie kiss.}

The Byers are staying with the Wheelers. Mike and Will share the basement, which explains why they forgot to set an alarm in The Crawl. Mike is ALWAYS late!!! Every season except 5!!!

Will: "It's always [Mike's] fault!"

JUNE-JULY

Robin and Will have their coming-out talk from Shock Jock! They're quickly becoming friends, supporting each other. They both agree to come out to someone new. Will decides to start small, and Robin wants to go big.

Will: "You wouldn't happen to have any more of that truth serum left, would you?"

Will quietly comes out to Mike, Jon and Joyce – his own choice. This explains why the Duffers said they originally wrote the scene this way, but changed it. Right after Will's coming-out, in a private moment, Mike gives his apology from the tower in The Rightside Up.

Mike: "Hey, um… I’m sorry. I mean, not sorry about what you said. That came out wrong. I mean, not ‘came out’ wrong! Jesus Christ!" LMFAOOOO

Because of that coming-out heart-to-heart, Mike and Will become much closer again.

Robin comes out to everyone, so she can “double her audience”. That's why there was so much rambling in that scene, and why Tammy was mentioned! Robin says she likes girls, talks about her "Tammy", and maybe even mentions finding her "Vickie".

Mike has an epiphany. Perhaps he had his Vickie all along. 

AUGUST-OCTOBER

Will talks to Robin. He asks how she knew that Vickie wanted to date – their talk from the hospital. He immediately starts flashing back to all their little snowballs... "a brush of the knee, a bump of the elbow, a shared look."

Mike talks to Robin. Maya Hawke said her character would "mentor" TWO others this season. What if Mike's the second? He's amazed after her coming-out, and asks her for a bit of advice. Probably also about Vickie, haha.

Mike gets Jonathan's help to make something special: a mixtape for Will. Jonathan makes it, and gives it to Mike. {Later, Vecna uses this memory to create the scene where Murray gives Jonathan the mixtape for Nancy.} Also – Charlie Heaton said Jonathan would help his brother "get something he wants" in Season 5. This concludes Jonathan's arc of noticing what's going on with Will and Mike, but never intervening.

In the Wheelers' basement, Mike gives Will the mixtape. This is the avalanche; the thing that made it obvious.

Mike: "One last confession. A big one." He pulls out the mixtape. "I figure I've screwed up enough with you. It'd be nice to get something right for once in the end. Here." {Later, Vecna uses this scene for Jonathan and Nancy's breakup, where he takes the ring out and throws it away, in a confusing un-proposal}

This could explain the cutgate claims that Mike and Will were apparently supposed to have a basement scene together, and that music was supposed to play a fundamental role in scenes – e.g. "Just Like Heaven" by the Cure.

Possibly birthdaygate too; a late present?

I'm just speculating here, but... I think they'll use this to recontextualise the Purple Rain scene. Purple Rain plays from the mixtape as Will says Eleven's words from Episode 8. Quiet and intimate, not life-or-death.

Will: You understand me better than anyone. You always have. From the day we met, you've seen me. The real me. {Later, Vecna uses these words to evoke Mike's guilt – about Eleven's fake death, and his unreciprocated romantic feelings. This is to keep him trapped in the Rightside Up, AHHHH–}

After this scene, Mike and Will are either together, or plan to be together. This does multiple things narratively. It gives Vecna something he can use to manipulate them, it will also be one of the memories that helps Mike escape the illusion, and if Mike and Will were together throughout Episodes 1-8 but just didn't remember, those episodes are totally recontextualised!!!

ALSO!!!! This explains why the Duffers said that Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind was a big inspiration for Season 5. Two lovers' memories of each other are erased, but they find each other in the end, with the help of a CASSETTE TAPE!!!!!!!!

Apologies for the avalanche of exclamation marks.

NOVEMBER 6TH, 1986

As @mixu suggested, Mike and Will may have planned to go on a date on or after November 6th. This is supported by:

The video clip of Mike saying "You know I had dinner plans, right?" Dustin replying, "With who?" and Mike avoiding the answer. [Unless Mike and El have broken up, it should be obvious who...]

Not just that, but he's being forced to miss his dinner plans so he can rewatch edited clips of the show... i.e. edited clips of his own memories.

Just like Jopper, Lumax and Rovickie's date plans, Byler missed theirs because of Upside Down shit too.

Will attempts to save Mike using his powers during the battle with Vecna. [Possibly different ones than in Sorcerer.] But unlike in Sorcerer, he fails. {Vecna later uses this scene to give Will a winning moment [siphoning his own powers, hmm...], to sell the narrative that they were able to beat him easily later on}

Will: "[Mike]... Vecna, he's got [Mike]... we failed. I failed."

This explains why both Mike and Holly have the same head wound, and why Mike heard the clock chime and had multiple reaction shots to seeing Vecna – but nothing came out of it.

Will has his talk with Joyce from The Bridge. He's feeling so, so hopeless. Not only did Vecna get exactly what he needs to enact his plan, but... things were finally getting better between him and Mike, and now he's gone.

Will: "...Today is the day. The day Vecna's gonna act. I thought I had him, but the truth... the truth is I never stood a chance."

It's not over, though!

After that are Mike's altered memories, everything from Episode 1-8. Season 5 begins.

And after that... the final episodes!

(And hopefully, a somewhat happy ending :D)

Robin: It's a mandala! [...] Is it a mandala? Mandahla? Or a man-dala? Or a mendela? Or...

It’s not Holly who was kidnapped into a fake world – it was Mike. All the episodes we experienced are based on things that really happened to him, but they’re out of order. Wrong.

Part memory, part story. 

So, for this theory to make sense, what happened to Holly must be what happened to Mike. Are there any similarities or details that suggest this?

Production:

Holly is aged up, and replaced by a different actor

Holly’s character arc completely replaced Mike’s. Most of the time, Mike’s just watching everyone else do stuff. No personal development.

Holly has more screen time than even Will, let alone Mike. 95 entire minutes – for someone who's usually a side character!

Interesting, but there’s plausible deniability here. It could all be the result of poor writing. So let’s test that by examining the way Holly is actually written in the show.

In-Show:

Max tells Holly, “You’re not like your brother, you are your brother”.

Holly the Heroic mirrors Mike the Brave. They wish they could become fearless like their characters, but they both feel like they’re not good enough.

Mike and Holly both tell the kids, “Eyes on me.”

Holly’s head wound in Camazotz mirrors Mike’s head wound from MAC-Z.

Holly the Heroic wields a fire poker, like Mike the Brave wields a sword.

Holly and her best friend Mary in the basement on Halloween while Vecna was watching mirrors Mike and his best friend Will in the basement on Halloween while Vecna was watching.

Holly and her friends replace Mike and his friends in the final D&D scene.

Okay, so not only are they written with a TON of similarities, but Max literally tells us straight-up that they are the same character. This doesn’t point to bad writing, it points to very intentional writing! The Holly/Mike switch has evidence, and lots of it!

Taking all of this into account, I can only conclude that Mike is literally Holly. He tells the tale of Camazotz from Holly’s perspective, but really, he is stuck in a fake world.

Why it Makes Sense

We all agree here that at least part of Season 5 is an illusion. But which parts? When does it start? Who is in the illusion? The exact details are extraordinarily hard to figure out, because there is evidence for both. 

There’s loads of dream imagery and signs of Vecna’s influence since Episode 1. This points to none of the episodes being real before 8. However, there are also moments from the characters and plot that just don’t make sense if they’re completely fake; like Robin giving gay relationship advice to Will. WHY AND HOW WOULD VECNA DO THAT??? LMAO??? This points to all of the episodes being real before 8.

That's the problem with the illusion theory – how can we possibly tell what is real? Well, this theory solves that problem.

ALL of it is real, and NONE of it is real.

Season 5: It's all or nothing.

These episodes are a fake version of the real story, flipped upside down. Act 1.

C'mon, I'll show you Act 2!

THE REAL STORY OF SEASON 5

I noticed that the episode descriptions for Season 5 are pretty vague. So vague, in fact, that the first and last episodes could pretty much be swapped. Hey, wait a minute–

If you reverse the order of every episode, as they're listed on Google, they tell a very different story. This story makes genuine, logical sense. This is what's really going on.

The Overview

Don't worry – my explanation, evidence, original episode descriptions, the reversed order, the titles, etc are all below this overview!!!

After Vecna took over Hawkins in Season 4, the party planned to defeat him... but on November 6th, something went wrong. Vecna kidnapped Mike and brought him into a fake world.

[This is where Mike experiences the Season 5 we all saw – the "upside-down" story of Vecna's defeat, based on his memories of what happened in real-world Hawkins.]

While Mike explores, Joyce wrestles with guilt over his disappearance. Jonathan and Nancy make a crucial choice.

To help find Mike/Vecna, they connect Will back to the hivemind. Meanwhile, a group including Lucas and Robin searches Hawkins Lab in the Upside Down. They're caught, causing the military to tighten their grip on Hawkins.

Mike plans his escape from the fake world, while Lucas and Robin plan an escape from the military, and El comes face-to-face with the enemy (whoever that is).

Because of his connection to the hivemind, Will claims to know Vecna's next move, so they set a trap for him. Meanwhile, Mike fights to escape Vecna's mind – with Max! However, something about Will's... um... insight (read: possession)... enables Vecna to attack the Wheeler home, and whoever is inside. The trap wasn't for Vecna; it was for them.

Mike confronts his secrets, which leads him to escape. Nancy confronts a different kind of secret – related to what she and Jonathan did earlier.

El and Hopper go on a rescue mission (could be for Kali, Mike, Will, Nancy, or Jonathan).

It's November, 1987 (possible timeskip if the story starts in '86). The military comes back with a vengeance, and the gang is able to evade them again. They go looking for Vecna in the Upside Down, not realising there's a threat closer to home; something is happening to Will. Vecna may not be in the Upside Down after all.

So, how exactly did we get here?

STANDARD ORDER – ST5, Act 1

Well, here are the normal episode descriptions, for context.

THE CRAWL – November, 1987. The gang evades the military to scour the Upside Down for Vecna – but fails to notice a threat lurking closer to home.

THE VANISHING OF HOLLY WHEELER – After a vicious attack at the Wheeler home, Mike and Nancy confront the cost of secrecy, while El and Hopper embark on a rescue mission. 

THE TURNBOW TRAP – Will gains unique insight into Vecna’s next move, giving the crew an opportunity to set a trap. Holly explores her new surroundings. 

SORCERER – The military tightens its grip on the town. Mike, Lucas and Robin orchestrate a daring escape. El comes face-to-face with the enemy.

SHOCK JOCK – The gang hatches an electrifying plan to connect Will to the hive mind. Tensions flare during a search of the Upside Down’s Hawkins Lab. 

ESCAPE FROM CAMAZOTZ – As Holly and Max fight to escape Vecna’s mind, El must find a way into Will’s. Joyce wrestles with guilt. Jonathan and Nancy face a turning point. 

THE BRIDGE – On the anniversary of Will’s disappearance, the party reunites to prepare for a battle with world-altering complications. 

THE RIGHTSIDE UP – As Vecna prepares to destroy the world as we know it, the party must put everything on the line to defeat him once and for all. 

Doesn’t that sound vague to you? Almost like they would make sense in a different order?

UPSIDE DOWN ORDER – ST5, Act 2

Well, here are those same descriptions – flipped.

I reversed the order of everything, except for the lines about Holly – because her story is what actually happened to Mike, so it's already in the right order. I then replaced Holly's name with Mike's.

I also changed every episode title except The Crawl, which I’ve fully explained below!

THE CRAWL - As Vecna prepares to destroy the world as we know it, the party must put everything on the line to defeat him once and for all. 

THE VANISHING OF MIKE WHEELER – On the anniversary of Will’s disappearance, the party reunites to prepare for a battle with world-altering complications. 

*THE RIGHTSIDE UP – As Mike explores his new surroundings, El must find a way into Will’s. Joyce wrestles with guilt. Jonathan and Nancy face a turning point. 

*SHOCK JOCK – The gang hatches an electrifying plan to connect Will to the hive mind. Tensions flare during a search of the Upside Down’s Hawkins Lab. 

*SORCERER – The military tightens its grip on the town. Mike, Lucas and Robin orchestrate a daring escape. El comes face-to-face with the enemy.

ESCAPE FROM THE RIGHTSIDE UP – Will gains unique insight into Vecna’s next move, giving the crew an opportunity to set a trap. Mike and Max fight to escape Vecna’s mind. 

THE PALADIN AND THE CLERIC – After a vicious attack at the Wheeler home, Mike and Nancy confront the cost of secrecy, while El and Hopper embark on a rescue mission. 

*THE RAINBOW SHIP – November, 1987. The gang evades the military to scour the Upside Down for Vecna – but fails to notice a threat lurking closer to home.

* = switched, blue = replaced, all other text is simply in reverse order

Don't these descriptions work suspiciously well in their reversed order? Perhaps their vagueness was intentional.

I believe that in their new order, and with Mike swapped for Holly, these descriptions tell the real story.

Why these titles?

Below is an explanation of the new titles I chose. You can skip this, but it provides some extra context.

The Crawl = The Crawl. Only The Crawl has been registered for copyright, so I’ve changed every title EXCEPT this episode. Also... when baby Steve got knocked on the head, he stopped CRAWLING in reverse, and started CRAWLING forwards instead. The episodes are now in the correct order.

The Vanishing of Mike Wheeler, because… duh. Also, "The Vanishing Of..." only reveals that it's Holly Wheeler after you watch the episode. Perhaps they did that for a reason... ;)

I swapped The Turnbow Trap with The Rightside Up, because this is the episode in which Mike finds himself trapped in his version of Camazotz. Except Mike wouldn’t name it after a book he hasn’t read. He would be much more likely to compare the fake world to the Upside Down. Therefore, it’s the Rightside Up! Here’s my theory that the Rightside Up is a place.

Similarly, I replaced Escape from Camazotz with Escape from the Rightside Up, because… duh. 

I simply swapped Shock Jock and Sorcerer. They both start with “S” and they’re both right next to each other. Interestingly, the official art for Sorcerer uses a frame from Shock Jock, and the official art from Shock Jock uses a frame from Sorcerer. Hmmm.

The Season 5 titles were leaked before they were announced, and the only incorrect leak was Episode 7 – The Paladin and the Cleric. So, that’s what I chose. Similar titles have been used throughout the series (The Flea and the Acrobat, The Monster and the Superhero) so it’s plausible. It matches Mike and Will's D&D characters... but it ALSO fits El and Hopper, who are a duo in this episode. Why? Mike's campaign from the epilogue. El is the mage of Saint Markovia, but in D&D lore, Saint Markovia is a cleric. Mike called Hopper a paladin in that same campaign.

Now, the final episode. I have literally no out-of-show evidence for the final episode’s title could be, so here’s my idea. As a replacement for The Turnbow Trap, I chose The Rainbow Ship, because of the strong rainbow themes throughout the show. The rainbow room from the lab, Holly’s association with rainbows, the rainbow El sees between the two waterfalls, and crucially, Will’s rainbow ship. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY! “There upon a rainbow is the answer to a never-ending story.”

And as a little Easter egg – a rainbow forms when water and light combine. Will is associated with light, while both Will and Mike are associated with water.

Also, I think it would be hilarious if the episode where Will + Mike get together is called The Rainbow Ship. COME ON!!! THAT WOULD BE SO FUNNY!!! If the Duffers don’t do this, it’s going straight to my ao3 account, that’s for sure.

MIKE WHEELER: the storyteller, or the Dungeon Master?

As well as being Mike the Brave, Mike used to be the Dungeon Master. The one in control of the story. Now, he’s merely the storyteller of Season 5, telling fake stories, trapped in a fake world built from memories, with no control at all. 

“The storyteller keeps telling stories. Stories inspired by his friends.” He hopes “all can know of their great bravery.” 

Isn’t that sad? Mike’s friends get to be brave, but the only thing Mike The Brave gets to do is tell their stories. Not his own. 

This reminds me heavily of Owen from I Saw The TV Glow (2024).

[SPOILERS!!!]

Owen is a heavily queercoded character trapped in a fake world, while the real world is presented as a TV show Owen and their friend are obsessed with.

Throughout the film, timeskips get larger and larger, and Owen slowly loses control of the narrative, going from the protagonist to a background character in their own life, no longer in the center of the frame. Owen's friend from the real world tries to help them escape, telling Owen that they must choose to give up their fake self to get back to reality. But Owen isn’t brave enough. Instead of choosing to escape, Owen runs away. Chooses conformity instead.

“There’s still time” for Owen to accept reality, but that time is quickly running out.

This is exactly what Mike is going through. Being trapped in a fake world with altered memories. Starting as the protagonist, but fading into the background. Timeskips and time distortion. An ambiguous ending. Queerness. Repression. Conformity. Bravery. 

Why is it that the way Mike is written is incredibly similar to the main character of an explicitly queer film? A film about the difficult choice to end your “normal” self in order to keep your true, authentic self alive – and the deep, dreadful horror of living in queer repression after failing to do so?

This film isn’t even listed as inspiration for Stranger Things, yet Mike’s story mirrors Owen’s near-perfectly. How is that even possible? Because they’re about the same thing. Queerness and conformity.

“There is a story he can never tell. The story of the mage.” Cut to Will. “Or at least, not the real story.”

Unlike Owen, Mike is going to escape his own doomed narrative. He is going to take back control, confront his secrets, become the protagonist of his life again – the Dungeon Master of his own, personal game of D&D.

How's it going to end?

Well, to reference the Truman Show – a film that is on the Stranger Things inspiration board – it starts with Mike walking up the stairs, and out that basement door.

The ending has already begun.