Eleleth

It Meant Everything

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Will is a character who’s had his autonomy violated/childhood stolen by Vecna/the MF throughout the show. His internalised feelings of helplessness and brokenness because of it. We see him express frustration when others treat him like glass because in his own words “it makes him feel like more of a freak”.

(All of these feelings are also linked to his queerness too obviously and they tried to make his coming out scene the final step in him reclaiming his autonomy from Vecna but we all know how terrible that was executed considering it had little payoff in the finale and how they tried to write Byler out of the narrative).

Mike is someone who made Will feel empowered when he was feeling weak. We’ve seen this in S2 and we see it in ST5 Vol 1. The pattern of Will confiding in Mike about feeling stuck, broken and helpless and Mike encouraging/empowering him through his words (crazy together, you’re like a superspy, you’re a sorcerer).

Previously, Will succumbed to possession and we had the people he loved needing to save him. This time, it was Will himself who by the help of Robin was able to accept, embrace himself and tap into his powers to save the ones he loves.

It’s the transformation from him internalising feelings of brokenness and helplessness to instead tapping into his inner strength and choosing to believe in himself.

and then making mike the first emotional touchstone on the tape? come on. that’s storytelling 101. you don’t give that kind of narrative priority to a relationship you plan to sideline later. you don’t build an entire visual motif around will’s interiority and then centre mike in it just for fun.