Trying To Figure Out Whats Behind The Curtain…

Now that we’ve seen the ending, I’ve been revisiting that idea.

Viewing the series through this lens, El isn’t only a literal character. Allegorically, she may function as the embodiment of something larger. If that’s true, then her ending carries symbolic weight beyond the surface plot.

It also made me think about Nikki in Tales from ’85.

Full disclaimer: I haven’t watched Tales (and I may never). This is literally just my impression from seeing screenshots and hearing people talk about the character.

What immediately caught my eye wasn’t the discourse. It was the imagery of the purple mohawk. My brain immediately went to Mike wanting a mohawk. Then I started wondering why a seemingly new character would suddenly occupy that visual space. If Tales intentionally diminishes the Mike-Will connection, does Nikki inherit part of the symbolic function that El carried? Not as the same character, but as another person who visually and narratively occupies some of that space?

I could be completely wrong. I haven’t seen enough of Tales to know. Ironically, that’s part of why I’m mentioning it. TV-M tells a story about realizing the central metaphor of a film before watching it because they weren’t yet immersed in all the details. Sometimes stepping back lets you notice patterns that you might otherwise overlook once you’re emotionally invested in every scene and line of dialogue.

The finale has me thinking about Mike’s line to El in S5 when they are talking about escaping to a place with three waterfalls; he says that sometimes the Party has to leave town and travel to a faraway land. They all start again…together.

If the ending really is the ending, maybe that’s simply about growing up.

But if there’s more to Conformity Gate (or if the ending is intentionally symbolic) that line lands differently. Maybe the point isn’t that hope disappears. Maybe some things simply can’t survive inside Hawkins as it currently exists. It may mean leaving isn’t abandoning love or identity, but realizing it’s the only way those things can finally live openly.

In the article TV-M posits that El allegorically represents Mike and Will’s queer love for each other. They break it down beautifully. If the link to the Substack works, here it is:

Given that the ending can be viewed as both tragic and beautiful, El’s decision can be viewed as two possible outcomes:

El truly dies

Mike and Will sacrifice their love to restore “normalcy”. The ending exposes or accepts conformity.

El survives somewhere far away

Mike and Will’s love can live and even thrive, but they must leave their small town for it to do so. And that may mean cutting ties with many of the people they love. It can be seen as protection by them, not just for themselves, but also for their family and friends (their reputations and standing especially in the 80s in a small town).

TV-M believed the Duffers would leave it allegorical; they would not allow the subtext of Will and Mike’s mutual love to become expressly canon. I am hoping they are wrong and that in the next few months, something will be revealed that is more hopeful and less hidden.

I think it’s time to be bold. And yes, our editors were right to draw a parallel to something said in a very unrelated series, This is Us….the whole show really was just a gay love story.

And as they say in The First Shadow (paraphrased), “it’s a sad song [but] I like the gay ones best. You never know the ending ‘til it’s sung all through. C’mon, then, let’s make it a gay one. Even if we have to make our own ending…”😉

But no matter where this journey ends, El textually is still a hero, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a girlfriend. She is all those things and more. She and other characters may also allegorically represent other ideas and concepts in the work. However, for Will and Mike, she arguably represents a love story that can never be told. At least not in Hawkins…at least not explicitly in the canon work. The Duffer Brothers said they knew from the beginning she would have to leave in the end, but I’ll hold out for a more hopeful ending. I still believe. And I do like the “gay” endings best.

this stuck out to me: "it's important to not just see your past, but to fully re-experience it. in doing so, i believe we can repair your broken signals."

12+ hours of editing and sound mixing for the most devastating video to grace your screen…

The Mindflayer is just a metaphor… Falling in love with someone you shouldn’t can feel a bit like getting possessed by an Eldritch monster.

This is what I think Will was actually remembering in Castle Byers and in Mike's basement in S3 and what his train of thought was (his feelings for Mike just weren't canon yet, so the Duffers couldn't go quite this hard…).

Plus, a sneak peek into Mike's POV when he agrees with Will about that roller coaster feeling...

"Something is coming… something hungry for blood…" (the gay and in love with your best friend flavor of heartbreak) "it got me…" (love) "You were just swinging [that bat] by yourself…" "Where were you when I was lonesome?"

anyway I'M SICK!!!!!!!! This Frankenstein creation is like actually sick and twisted and I need to be put in jail but it's art and i'm so proud of it, I hope you enjoy/cry. I put a lot of thought into making it as devastating as possible!

I'm not kidding. We all remember Mike jumping down that cliff at the quarry in S1, but at the beginning of S5 we saw Will literally doing the same thing. Climbing that tree to escape the Demo and then jumping off as he's been followed. The dates are confirmed in the show, very obviously. Can't believe we've been sleeping on that.

If you play it side by side they do everything in sync. The jump, suddenly stopping mid fall, moving again... only that Will actually fell and Mike started defying gravity.

We know Will actually died that day (yeah he came back to life ofc), but what about Mike? Max taught us you have to follow your memories back to your death to escape the maze of memories. Something that worked for Will already, since S5 started with his death... Mhh.

I fear there's no proving Byler without investigating Mike's 'death' first. And everything leads me back to this day.

But hey, just watch it yourself:

Don't ask what wrong with Troy's voice, it abstracted every single try saving the file.

If you only wanna watch the actual sequence jump to ~ 01:30, but then you'll miss Mike and Troy answering to Will's singing and El paralleling Vecna :3 Oh and El heard a ticking noise.

More doodles and unfinished things

Mike’s trying to hide Will in The Hideaway gay bar. Oh, “best friends” I’m sure…

Pineapple pizza as a metaphor for homosexuality. I didn’t say it. I don’t have to. Try before you deny, Mike! He did try it. He wants more.

Not to mention how Vecna is referred to as "One" and how "the one" is used within the show...

A romantic concept... funny when you remember Mike referred to Will as "Vecna" aka the "One" within the same episode.

Then we have this line from Mike in regards to Vecna... Mike says this then immediately looks at Will.

AND this scene. Will says he has a "crazy" feeling. He says he feels nervous and the sky is spinning for him. Hm, sounds like being in love. Lucas looks to Mike and asks if he ever feels that too and he doesn't answer (he also never says "I love you" to El). Mike then says "maybe he's close" to Will, and he's right- the one causing these feelings in Will is literally standing right in front of him!

Plus the whole "signals" metaphor. Will is a receiver who receives signals from both Vecna via the hivemind but also from... Mike.

All I'm saying is that there has always been quite an elaborate analogy here within the show that most people missed.

and no, i’m obviously not talking about takes that are genuinely harmful or target real people or marginalized groups. i’m talking about people theorizing, analyzing, and sharing different readings of fictional characters, only for someone in the comments to go, “no! that’s not it!”

art is subjective for a reason. we all bring different experiences, perspectives, and biases to what we consume. if someone has a different interpretation than you, that doesn’t invalidate yours.

Keep in mind, this year is over half way over and this project remains a secret, why?

There’s a few things we know about it:

- there’s romance in it involving him (because he once said he felt he was “robbed of a romance” but this project “makes up for it”.)

- it’s a big project

- he can’t even reveal the genre of said project

- it’s coming out this year

So I just have to ask, why would this be such a big secret if it’s not a part of an already established media?

Of course, he wouldn't be allowed to talk about it without permission. But, if it was indeed slated for this year, shouldn't something be known about it? A title, people attached to it, a genre, etc. The people who would control information being released would surely want to start hyping it up, even if it's not that big of a project.

Maybe nothing, but, yeah, suspicious.

It could be some kind of entrepreneur-project, since he's done several in the past. Or he means that the project will be announced this year.

In the clip I've linked, he allegedly stated this project comes out this year. Now, obviously, this is a second hand (or third?) source so feel free to take it with a grain of salt.