wild at heart and weird on top

in the basement on Halloween (crazy together)

[clock chime] when Mike sees Vecna this season

at the snowball (pushed Will towards a girl)

outside during a thunderstorm (argument with Will)

in the kitchen with his mother (after Will left for California)

at the hospital where Mike finds A Wrinkle in Time and where he repeatedly gives into heteronormativity

on the playground where he met Will (best thing he ever did btw)

All leading back to the first moment Mike realized something was different and suppressed it:

And now that Max, his fourth victim is free, Vecna has triggered his “fail-safe” plan—Mike Wheeler.

Vecna fulfills his promise to “smoke a fox out of the den” by pushing Will to come out knowing it would trigger all Mike’s repressed trauma (Will’s coming out scene perfectly parallels Vecna beginning to enact his plan and the focus keeps cutting to Holly the way Will’s scene keeps cutting to Mike. Mike who we have been told is Holly.)

So he can launch his most most shocking attack yet, probably sounding a little something like this:

(peep the pipes almost giving vine vibes and the “ I LOVE MIL-WOKY” and rainbow stickers. Dare I say a nod to Mike’s false confession?)

One might even call it a ticking time bomb requiring some thematic music:

Ok so I know that there’s a high chance that Will is going to be Harry Pottered and killed. But I was super worried because I love this kid and I would be devastated if he didn’t come back to life.

Will knows he’s gonna die.

He’s gonna sacrifice himself because he thinks that’s the only way to stop Vecna. Vecna gave him visions showing that they are connected, showing the terrible things that will happen. Will connects the dots and realizes that it’s the only way.

Let’s talk about Will’s coming out scene.

I’m so proud of Will, but I was also super confused. I was like “what the hell? Why did Will come out to so many people?” Because unfortunately, it was a eulogy, not just a coming out. He wanted to have a heart-to-heart with everyone that he loves before he sacrifices himself. He wanted to make peace with himself. Now I understand.

So, how would he come back to life?

Here’s one option: El has used her powers before for Max, but we don’t know how hard it was to do. Also, she is connected to Vecna by blood, so how would that work? Putting Vecna life back into Will? It could just be a cycle.

But then, I got an idea.

Now this sounds pretty crazy, but just hear me out.

What if they used the 50,000 watt WSQK tower and bring him back to life JUST LIKE they did with the Demogorgon.

Proof? Only some.

They hinted Frankenstein while zapping the Demogorgon back to life. They made it a whole bit instead of a one-liner.

Lucas: “…Frankenstein!”

Robin: “it’s pronounced fronkensteen!”

It had to have been intentional.

And I know, “ooo what if zapping it was just a one-time thing?” It can’t be. There’s a whole episode named after what they did (SHOCK-jock). So now they KNOW that they have the power to bring a Demogorgon back to life, so they might try to bring Will back too! What’s stopping them? (Other than the end of the world)

RANT IS OVER!

I wanted to remind everyone of the deep concepts in Stranger Things that make Byler a must!!!!

The "Horror" Stereotypes -

What stands out to me is, from the beginning of the series, Lucas stayed alive, and Will was saved from the Upside Down. Usually, in horror movies or games, the black character dies first. But no, The Duffers decided to keep Lucas as close to the circle as possible. They gave him strength, and written him as one of the most important characters, which says a lot! For Will, He was taken to the Upside Down, probably thinking that it was a prison for a queer kid like him, thinking he deserves it. But, no, Will doesn't die immediately like how other queer characters would die - Instead, he uses a gun! Shoots! Runs as quick as he can! Thinks outside the box by climbing a tree to escape! They broke the cycle of the stereotypical things you'd expect while watching a show like this. So, why not break Mike's cycle of a stereotypical relationship with a girl, which normalizes their toxicity?

Outcasts and Popularity -

Usually around a time like the 80's, outcasts are seen as weak, useless and unaccepted, and the popular kids at school usually have the upper hand over anyone else. But, The Duffers decided to empower those who are different. They empowered Eleven, who felt like a monster for the powers she was forced to have, and made her use them for something good. They made Nancy and Steve, who were the trying to fit into social norms, completely self-reflect, change and become better people. They made Will, who felt like a mistake for his queerness, become so powerful because of who he is - and, the only way Mike's arc would make sense, is for him to stop trying to be normal, to stop trying to fit into what everyone wants him to be. That fully breaks the expectations!

Allegory for Trauma -

The concept of each character reflecting a trauma is such a perfect combination! Eleven representing the trauma of being trapped, of being used and experimented on, of not being her own person because everyone in her life are trying to control her, or keep her by their guidance. Will represents SA trauma, where he was taken against his will, forced on, and had nowhere to escape, nowhere to go. His only solution was suppressing it, not telling anyone. His childhood was taken from him - innocence. You name it. Nancy represents the desire to become an independent woman, to break out the norms of a "housewife" or "damsel in distress" in the 80's, and being surrounded by older men who constantly want to belittle her, men who sexualize her and treat her as nothing. We also see Hopper and Joyce represent that trauma of losing a child. As for Lucas and Dustin, they represent that trauma of losing such dear people that changed their life completely, that forced them to act in specific ways. That is why, for Mike, we need to see the common trauma of internalized homophobia in the 80's where he's suppressing it, forcing himself to fit into expectations, but only causing pain for himself, suppressing his true self, something a lot of people can relate to.

True Love -

In Stranger Things, they truly show that true love doesn't fit what the 80's expectations are. They are beyond that. We see with Joyce, who's a single mother - which would be seen as undesirable at that time, falls in love with Hopper, also a single dad. They become inseparable. For Nancy and Steve, they start of as a couple, both fitting into the norms of high school sweethearts. They seemed like they were perfect - but no, turns out, they had so many complicated issues. Who did she truly fall in love with? Jonathan. An outcast. Same thing with Max and Lucas. She was told that people like him were dangerous, that she shouldn't love him. but no, his skin color didn't matter to her. They both didn't let others dictate their norms. Even Dustin and Suzie reflect that despite what religion you have, that doesn't stop them from experiencing that true love, thus breaking that norm in 80's. Which means, for Mike, he must break out of this relationship that he's been stuck in since he was a child. It's a trauma-bond he's had for too long, and in order for him to be needed, it must be from Will.

The Wheeler Family Cycle -

They were shown as this "perfect" nuclear family. But, in reality, Karen doesn't feel loved. They both do not know how to communicate this properly, nor did they get married for love in the first place. Only because they've been together since high school. They were married for the sake of starting a life, for the sake of continuing that same cycle of expectations and norms built in by the society in the 80's. Which naturally leads to Mike and Nancy building unstable relationships, without feeling that true love - then, they don't know how to communicate properly, because they were never taught how. That's the life they knew, and they don't know how to properly fix it, unless they let Jonathan and Will break them out of that cycle.

Understandings and Misunderstandings -

We see a lot in the show how a lot of characters don't understand each other, meanwhile they find mutual understandings with another character. We clearly see how Mike finds it hard to communicate with Eleven properly, rambling random words, before they get interrupted. Eleven attempts to understand what he's trying to communicate with her, but she ends up misunderstanding. Even Mike fails to understand Eleven properly. Then, we see how Will and Mike understand each other perfectly, even through silence. They don't need to say many words to understand what the other feels. Will manages to catch words out of Mikes mouth, helping him understand that, maybe it shouldn't be so hard to communicate with someone you love. The Duffers show how Will and Mike can reassure each other. Trust each other. Communicate through shared interests.

The 80's Gender Roles Expectations -

Usually, the classic 80's films fit into the norms of the gender roles. But, for Stranger Things, they managed to show that it doesn't have to be. For Eleven, She is constantly told what to do and what not to do. She is expected to be Mike's girlfriend, because that's what Lucas forced upon them, who kept guiding Mike on what he should do in this relationship. She is told what the limit of her powers are. But, she doesn't have to. Like what Max taught her, being her own person was more important than just being known as "Mike's girlfriend". She can decide what her limits are. Because, she was so much more than that. For Nancy, she doesn't fit the weak norms of women. She knows how to fight, and shows off her independence. In order to complete that, Mike needs to refuse the gender norms, where he is expected to stay in an unhealthy relationship with a girl, just because society normalizes opposite gender relationships. She depended on him, and he's stuck relying on that. He needs to reflect that even guys like him can find a healthy relationship with his best friend.

Eleven's Needs/Mike's Needs/Will's Needs -

In order for each of them to have a satisfying path, fully breaking the expectations set in this type of film genre, what Eleven has desired the most her entire life was family. Her father wasn't any good to her, and she lost her mother tragically, who wanted to protect her. Eleven doesn't know anything about being in a relationship, and clearly she's not ready for it. Her and Mike are simply incompatible. What she desires are female role models. A father figure. So, what Eleven needs is family. She needs Kali, her sister. She needs Hopper, her father. She needs her friend, Max. For Will, he has always desired love. He is such a romantic, that it's what would fill that void in him. He wants to know what it's like to be loved, and to be in love. He thought people like him didn't deserve love. Especially having your feelings reciprocated by your best friend. So, in order to prove that specific stereotype wrong, Mike should reciprocate. That's what Will needs - Mike. As for Mike, he has always desired to be needed. He thought he could feel that through Eleven. But, clearly, no matter how much he kept trying, he never feels needed by Eleven. But, somehow, Will makes him feel needed through his painting, through his encouraging words, through uplifting him. Will makes Mike feel like someone actually cares about him in a deeper way, in the exact way he needs. So, what Mike really needs is Will.

Henry's Failed Love Story -

Lastly, in order for the franchise to fully be complete - they should reverse Henry's path. Patty tried to save Henry. But, in the end, he used his powers against her and ended up hurting her. He did exactly what he feared, which is what turned him into a monster. Into Vecna. So now, he's trying to distance Will from his own true love. He's trying to repeat his experience onto Will, to make Will's love story fail too. What I hope would happen in Volume 2 is that Henry's story will be reversed for Will. That he could truly be saved by true love, by Mike, so a failed history doesn't repeat itself. Their love would be strong enough to take down Vecna, who was built off of anger and destruction from his own failed love, from his failed identity. We've seen time and time again how love kept saving the day. We've seen how Eleven wasn't able to be saved by Mike's speech. Instead, what saved her was her love for Max. What saved Max was Eleven's platonic love for her. Mike's speech to Eleven wasn't honest, wasn't truthful. But, Mike has a chance to prevent that. To really be honest with Will, to show his love to the right person, resulting in a beautiful love story. I cannot imagine rejection would ever work, contradicting this narrative entirely.

So, I am 90% sure Byler is meant to be the center of this show. If that 10% chance somehow wins in 2 days - it will be the worst choice they have ever done. I have hope, and I hope you all do too.

S5ep4 spoilers