any theorists wondering/speculating how the politics of the late eighties are gonna affect the last (probable) two seasons? if a big arc is will being a young gay kid coming of age in the mid-to-late 1980ā²s, it feels only relevant to mention the heavy *heavy* homophobia of the time, and acknowledge how it really was a different world.Ā I've always thought itād be pertinent to mention the hiv/aids epidemic, but obviously itās a really hard topic to breach, though impressive if done right.
anyone have thoughts? feel free to add on,Ā I'm curious.
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seems like jancy and jopper will be taking a forefront this season. jancy bc of this, and jopper because hoppers recovery is probably the A plot of season 4 (pretty sure the B plot is mkultra and brenner, but thatāll be a slow burn into s5 if iām right).
hm,Ā I'd say somewhere between 30-60%, and itās only bc I think the writers (not the duffers, probably) are aware of the sheer *amount* of shit theyād get for it. plotwise? pretty probable.
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This post will detail her specific character, and why I think her story will end on a bittersweet (heavy on the bitter) note.
But let me make it clear, and say that this is in no way whatĀ āwillā happen in the next season(s) of stranger things. Iām not a writer on the show, and I canāt say with any certainty that this isĀ āconfirmedā or what have you. This is purely my own speculation from a narrative standpoint, and if it isn't to your taste, that's cool, because my take doesn't matter too much.
Oh, El.Ā
Beyond her minimal arc in season one, where her narrative purpose was to show the very serious effects of abuse and manipulation on the part of Brenner, as well as her opening of the gate, her multi-season development has been heading in a very specific, obvious place. Self-actualization and becoming her own person, separate from the lab.
I think a lot of casual watchers came away from season 3 with sort of aĀ āokay,, what now?ā type of attitude, and I canāt say that I blame them. Both in season two and three sheās been given the journey of self discovery (with Kali, Ā then Max) and while both carry their own emotional weight, they donāt seem to be held up as important plot lines in comparison to others, such as Max opening up emotionally, and Steve Harringtonās entire season 2 redemption being especially apt examples. As the audience, we are told that El is coming into her own, multiple times, but we are never actually shownĀ long-lasting effects of this, instead opting for one-off easter egg references and her many, many wardrobe changes (which I adore, by the way).
In season one, Dustin, Mike, and LucasāsĀ stories are all somewhat the same; finding Will and accepting El as their friend. But when you look at season two, everyone has their own different, independent directions to go in. Especially if you focus on every other party member.Ā Dustin & Lucasās arcās revolve around love; for Lucas in specific, becoming a more emotionally open, compassionate person. This is vital to his development and subsequent relationship with Max. And as for Dustin, well, he learns that Steve aināt shit with women, but he gains a valuable relationship in him, even though he doesnāt āget the girlā. Will struggles (per usual), primarily with the trials and tribulations of possession-- along with his PTSD. Mike, time and time again shows symptoms of major depression and separation anxiety, his feelings for El having become nearly codependent. Maxās story lies in her horrible family life & opening up, the latter being something her and Lucas share in common.Ā And Elās.... isĀ focused on self acceptance, āwhoā she is; her familial history. And it was done again in s3. Sheās shown who she can be by Max, but sheās still defined by her powers, and by extension her life in Hawkins Lab. I am of the belief that the Upside Down will take a backseat in Season Four, so that the human villains of Dr. Brenner and MKultra can really shine. Brenner was hinted at having survived the demogorgon for a reason, and Iām excited to see where itāll go, and how it will affect El as a character.
Listen. It would be entirely amiss to not reference her on-again off-again boyfriend, Mike Wheeler. The short version of my thoughts on their relationship (in relation to her arc) is... it isn't meant to last. The long version is that all the charm that their childhood love held fully disappeared come season 2. I'm not saying this because I hate El or Mike, or because I prefer Mike with Will. I side eye their specific relationship because if the Duffer Brothers Incorporatedā¢ļø love anything, itās a slow burn. I wonāt get too into it in this post, but seeing as Jopper, Jancy, and even Lumax all had romantic ārivalsā in their way,, the fact that Mileven just.... doesnāt? Well, it makes me suspicious. The āendgameā romantic relationships on the show are always flawed in ways that are fixable and realistic, fixed through personal development and communication. But Mike and El havenāt been on the same page since season 1, and if my speculation does end up holding some water, they wonāt be seeing eye-to-eye dating wise until theyāre broken up for good. Anyways, on with the meta. Sorry for that very long side-bar.
Itās not rare to read peopleĀ clamoring for El to do a myriad of things to truly ābecome her own personā, like breaking up with Mike for good and sticking with Max, or staying with Mike and not being Maxās friend anymore, etc.Ā
(itās funny how all of these have really nothing to do with El as a human being, just a participant in a relationship. makes you think, huh?)Ā
I see people wanting her to develop *more*, and while itās a valid want, I donāt see it happening the way people expect. The duffers aren't trying to flesh her out at all, as I donāt think she was never meant to be the character of a young girl. Rather, she was meant to be a tragic example of parental abuse and science going too far, her story ending with her death at the end of season one. This initial story is a *tragic* one, which is why I think she's doomed (I have a very strong gut feeling that the series finale will *heavily* mirror season oneās, though my proof is non-existent. just a feeling)Ā Her arc, sad as it is, might be that she never will get to be a normal child, or not for as long as she should. And that's really sad... but also very complex writing which I appreciate.
Hereās where things get sad. In the end, while she may come fully into her own, neither powers or abuse victim defining her, I feel her resolved arc will be short-lived. I think El, ultimately, will end up repeating history. Her fatal flaw of caring too much for the people around her will truly be fatal, and so I think she will ultimately sacrifice herself so that Hawkins will finally be rid of the Upside Down, for good.Ā
Which is exactly the type of heartbreaking thing that I could see them (the writers) doing.
But who knows, maybe theyāll do what they did in season one and hint that sheās not gone after all. OrĀ I'm completely wrong and sheāll live through the finale. Either way, thanks for reading :)
No really, please reblog this if you can, because this site in general, but fandom spaces especially bad for this, to the point where people are genuinely afraid of harassment they may face for saying āPedophilia is a bad thing and you probably should not encourage itā or for calling it what it is. Fandom spaces are also especially bad for screaming about how itās ājust fictionā when we know damn well that fiction impacts reality.
In case anyone feels like continuing to argue this post, I have multiple real actual pedophiles telling me to ādeal withā their attraction to children and being allowed to produce content with it for said children to read so like, this is a serious problem.
I mean you can find them in the notes. Real pedoās are comfortable in fandom spaces because they know yāall will defend them now with ābut thatās just fictional, they would never do it in real life!!ā