Part Seventeen: Sir Tristan, The Lost Knight, and the Proud Princess

PART ONE HERE | PART TWO HERE | PART THREE HERE PART FOUR HERE | PART FIVE HERE | PART SIX HERE PART SEVEN HERE | PART EIGHT HERE | PART NINE HERE PART TEN HERE | PART ELEVEN HERE | PART TWELVE HERE PART THIRTEEN HERE | PART FOURTEEN HERE | PART FIFTEEN HERE | PART SIXTEEN HERE

So, this post was inspired by a conversation I had with @imjustheretowastemytime re: this post featuring a dialogue they were having with OP @kirrroh about the Hunt for Thessalhydra Campaign from the end of S1. I recommend checking it out first for context. I've been mulling over it ever since, especially in light of the recent Netflix Puzzled clues that have come out.

As you can guess by the title of *this* post, I also want to throw my theory into the ring re: the Lost Knight and the Proud Princess.

You've also probably already guessed who I think they are.

But before I go into that, I want to explore another significant figure in this campaign, who I haven't really seen discussed* --

Sir Tristan.

*If someone has and I didn't see it, please let me know!

What's interesting is that Mike specifically refers to him as King Tristan in the episode. Yet, in the released materials for the campaign he's titled "Sir" Tristan, the kind ruler of a lonely stretch of mountains and an "old friend" the Party can trust.

But this name reminds me of another, more well-known Sir Tristan:

The Arthurian folk hero, Knight of the Round Table, and most famously, the doomed lover of Isolde.

Excerpt from TFS:

Henry: "Well maybe you have a superpower too." "Patty": "What?" Henry: "Clark Kent was an orphan, and, so was Batman and Robin--" "Patty": "And Wonder Woman was sculpted out of clay!" Henry: "Having no parents is basically a prerequisite to being --" Henry/"Patty": "A SUPERHERO!"

According to legend, Sir Tristan was born of heartbreak; his mother died birthing him after finding out his father was killed in battle. Tristan was born an orphan. Tristan's very name has come to mean "sadness."

Tristan was raised by his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall, and Mark's hate for him would eventually force Tristan to flee and find refuge in King Arthur's court. It was then that he became a Knight of the Round Table, faithfully serving King Arthur, and even going on the Quest for the Holy Grail (@lilialunaa, you'll like this one).

But the most famous legend about Tristan is his forbidden love with Isolde, the Irish princess he had to escort back to Cornwall so she could be wed to his uncle.

It's been the subject of countless paintings, songs, films, plays -- including Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde. That's right. Another GD opera.

Buckle up, Buttercups, we're about to dive into the story of a Princess Bride and the knight she never planned to fall for:

The opera begins with "wild Irish maid" Isolde being held in Tristan's ship, en-route to his uncle, the man to whom she'll be married off. It's implied she's essentially a prisoner, the spoils of war after Ireland's defeat by the English.

Isolde hates Tristan because she healed him post-battle, not knowing he was the one who murdered her fiancé. When she found out, she was ready to kill him, but he looked into her eyes and she couldn't bring herself to do. Instead, she got him to promise her to leave and never return, only for him to break that promise by arranging her marriage to his uncle.

Since then, she's told Tristan that he owes her a "drink of atonement" for his betrayal. What Tristan doesn't know is she plans for them both to drink poison -- allowing Isolde her revenge and a way out of this unwanted marriage. But Isolde's handmaiden, Brangäne, trying to "save Isolde from herself", switches the poison with a love potion. When Isolde and Tristan share their drink, they're surprised to find they've fallen madly in love.

Now in King Mark's castle, Isolde and Tristan wait till nightfall to reunite. Despite the warnings from their friends, and the risk of getting caught, they meet and declare their passion for each other.

In the opera, Tristan sings:

"Amid the vain fancy of Day he still harbours one desire - the yearning for sacred Night where, all-eternal, true alone, love's bliss smiles on him!"

Translation:

Again, we see themes of society's rules (ie. "courtly life") forbidding love, and secrecy and/or death being the only way the lovers can be "eternally united." A love that can never see the light of day.

Alas, the lovers are so caught up in each other, they don't hear Brangäne's warnings to get a move on.

Day breaks, and they are caught by King Mark, who got the heads up from Tristan's own best friend, Melot (I have my theories on who this is in ST, but I'll keep them to myself). A fight ensues between Tristan and Melot, which ends with Tristan allowing Melot to stab him.

Tristan's death is a slow one, but Isolde finds a way to see him one last time.

It's here I'd like to mention that what makes Wagner's opera so special is its use of harmonic suspension over the entire work.

Harmonic suspension is a musical device that creates musical tension by "exposing the listeners to a series of prolonged unfinished cadences, thereby inspiring a desire and expectation on the part of the listener for musical resolution."

Sound familiar?

In the case of Tristan und Isolde, the musical resolution does not come until the very end of the opera (talk about edging your audience), after Isolde sings the "Liebestod", or "love death". This is when Isolde sinks down over Tristan's body and dies with him.

This "Liebestod" has been known to be used in similar situations in other pieces of media. Do we think it'll make an appearance in ST5 Vol. 4?

What's Tristan and Isolde got to do with Bobgate? The Lost Knight? The Proud Princess?

Well, if you've read my previous posts, you likely already realized that Tristan and Isolde are yet another example of the doomed/separated lovers trope. And yet another example of how, even in death, love is stronger than outside forces.

One trope, as I've shown, clearly applies to Creelby's relationship up until now (presumably). The other is how I believe their story will end.

But how do they get there? Well, let's follow the campaign:

Even though Sir Tristan is the quest-giver, I believe the journey to be less literal and more internal.* Therefore, with this logic, it would make sense to assign the roles of the Lost Knight and the Proud Princess to Sir Tristan himself and his "proud" Irish princess Isolde, respectively.

*Like another famous quest by an Arthurian figure, who I will be discussing in Part Eighteen.

Who would those characters be in the world of ST?

Again, I turn to this shot from the Ep8 credits:

What's another nickname for Rob? Bob. And what's another name for a superhero, or knight? Paladin.

And what term is synonymous with Lost Knight? Fallen Paladin.

As other folks here have discussed, a fallen paladin is a paladin who broke his sacred oath, is disgraced, and either chooses to remain an Oathbreaker (turning evil) or goes on a quest of atonement/ redemption to restore his honor.

This concept recently came up in Netflix Puzzled:

In Moana, Maui also happens to be on a redemption quest because he stole the heart of Te Fiti, cursing her and the world. So you could also call him a fallen paladin...

How will Bob make his appearance? Isn't he dead?

I believe he's still around, perhaps as one of the "consumed" souls trapped in the mind of possessed Henry.

A resident of Vallaki, if you will.

But, as Dustin says:

With Mike now trapped in the dungeon, he will be the one to find treasure --

The campaign begins:

Sir Tristan's assignment for the Party is to defeat the creature attacking his castle: The Thessalhydra, a multi-headed creature known for being poisonous and being able to regrow its heads. The obstacle keeping him from being reunited with his Isolde.

Now who is the Thessalhydra? Again, as many have suspected -- either Vecna, the Mind Flayer (who has been interfering in Bob and Henry's love from the beginning) or the suspected Even-Bigger Bad Tharizdun (who I think they're going to end up calling Mother Goose. Call it a feeling).

In the psyche of Bob Newby though, I think it's safe to call this many-headed beast "Mr. Baldo".

Perhaps, in this campaign, "Tristan" aka Bob's true goal is to break his curse: Escape the labyrinth that represents his inner struggles, redeem himself by finally defeating "Mr. Baldo", and reunite with his "princess", even if it's in death.

I think the whole Party is going to participate in this campaign one way or another, but I believe the Cursed Labyrinth portion of the campaign is all Mike (#labyrinthgate livessss).

So, quoting Mike's campaign materials, and inserting the proper characters:

"Following the thessalhydra's trail leads [Mike] into a curse labyrinth, where [he] meet[s] [Bob Newby aka Rob the Relentless]. He will help [Mike] escape only if [he] prove[s] [himself] worthy by solving his riddles."

What are the riddles?

"The first riddle is simple. All they have to do is catch him. He runs around the corner and calls back: 'At my heels you nip in this game we play. But cursed is the maze, and lost am I. So who's chasing whom? Oh, who's to say? The front is the back. Hello is goodbye.'"

Is Mike's first task to realize that the person Bob is chasing is Henry (and perhaps vice versa)? To learn the *true* story of The First Shadow via Henry and Bob's memories? To discover how Bob loved Henry, broke his sacred oath by betraying him, and then lost him?

That's Step One: Mike seeing doomed love play out before his eyes with all its consequences.

What about the next riddle?

Well, Indiana Jones has been referenced on this show.

In the campaign, the second "riddle" is:

"[...] the Lost Knight standing in a doorway at the far side of a large room. "You solved my first riddle," he says. "Now can you find the missing piece to finish my collection?" He points to three shelves above the doorway. Then he steps through the door, which closes and magically locks behind him (cannot be picked or broken down). The first two shelves each have two small statues, and the third one has only one statue. Shelf 1 Statues. A man with a crown and a bag of coins. Shelf 2 Statues. A woman with a crown and a jar of honey. Shelf 3 Statue. A common woman wearing an apron and an empty space for a second statue. In the room is a large table covered with many small statues, including a cake, a pie, a spinning wheel, a basket of laundry, a plate with a steak, a toy soldier, a sword, and twenty-four sculptures of crows. To solve the riddle, the characters must put the right statue from the table in the empty space on shelf 3."

The answer ends up being the basket of laundry.

This also was an answer featured on Netflix Puzzled that I connected to Mike:

This version of laundry reminds me of compartmentalizing things, which is a coping mechanism we've suspected Mike of using all through S5.

Instead of facing his problems, Mike was simply telling them to "go away" (like Bob re: Mr. Baldo) so he could deal with the bigger battle at hand.

But another phrase associated with laundry is "airing your dirty laundry" aka allowing your dirty secrets and personal issues to see the light of day. Usually it's considered something shameful, but when you've hit rock-bottom, sometimes airing things out is a necessity in order to move forward.

You could say, it's about taking a hard look in the mirror:

Which is what Mike needs to do in order to realize HE'S about to let history repeat itself with Will by not facing his queerness and unacknowledged feelings.

It's only by acknowledging his secret shames and accepting them that Mike can escape the labyrinth and then follow the rest of the steps to "A Love Supreme"...

Where will that lead him?

If the campaign is any indication, the Knight (again, Bob) will congratulate Mike and show him the way out -- not back home, but to the UD:

"[...] a cold, dark place. It's always night there, and the air is always cold (like just before a snow storm)."

Snow storm, eh?

Speaking of snow -- one of the weapons Sir Tristan gives the Party is a sword mined in the UD, called Winter's Dark Bite. Not only could that be read as a fancy name for snow, but "Winter's Dark Bite" is also said to be a powerful weapon against a Thessalhydra.

I think Mike will be getting a weapon after all...

While it looks like Mike will find his way out of the Labyrinth, per the campaign, it seems like the Lost Knight remains... lost.

For now.

Which is why it's best to move onto our next mysterious character: The Proud Princess.

"A powerful adventurer who has her own quest and wants nothing to do with the characters. She shows them the way out of the Upside Down and into the thessalhydra's lair."

Hmm... A powerful adventurer...

If we're thinking of Isolde as a stand-in for the "Proud Princess," then we must also remember she's a "wild" princess forced to marry a cruel king. The characters/archetypes are also not too dissimilar from that of The Little Mermaid.

Here is where I think the rest of the Party will be more involved, because it will ultimately tie into the Back to the Future, time travel shenanigans.

As many fans have pointed out, it's never made clear what exactly Henry has planned for the kids and why. (Why collide the worlds? Why 12 kids?)

How many hours on a clock? How many months in a year? Who is the show's Master of Time?

If Henry is the Proud Princess, then it's implied he is on his own quest. One the Party never learns.

I'm a sucker for tropes, and one I've seen a lot in my day is two seemingly unrelated characters who ultimately want the same thing -- each other.

What if, like the Lost Knight is trying to find his way back to his Princess, the *Proud* 🏳️‍🌈 Prince is turning back time in order to reunite with his Lost Knight? A plan with a goal so secret, not even the MF is aware of it.

While the Proud Princess tells the Party to stay out of [his] way, [he] also tells them where to find the Thessalhydra and how to kill it:

"The lair is a cave where the Material Plane and the Upside Down touch. A special plant grows there—a plant whose flowers bloom in both worlds. These flowers can be used to cross between worlds if you perform a certain ritual."

The location of this "cave" is still up for debate, but let's assume based on previous theories that it's the Abyss and/or Dimension X.

But what -- or who -- is the "special flower"?

Who has been called "special" by Henry? Whose help did Henry want so badly?

Who have we established to be Henry and Bob's "love theme" -- their "half-selkie" child who can travel between worlds and open gates allowing others to cross too?

Who is the Witch and Human [Boy's] "true love's knot", entwining their love forever?

I think I've made my case here.

What is the ritual?

"The Proud Princess can point them to the cavern where the flowers grow, but if the characters want to open a gateway, they'll also need the blood of a monstrosity. Luckily, she knows of one that has been stalking around the Upside Down lately: a demogorgon!"

While getting a demogorgon's blood seems clear enough (and relatively easy for our experienced Party members), unfortunately there's a slight hiccup.

One person from the Byler-Creelby family has yet to be mentioned...

Someone who has been a host for baby demos --

And this season has been established *very* specifically to be seeing through demogorgons' eyes...

As if he were one.

FUUUUUUUUUUUU--

If Will is the "demogorgon" in question, what does the campaign say about his fate?

Well, one -- it maybe implies that by this point in the campaign, Will has become a monstrosity (any #Dark!Will/Phineas Gage/Eye of Vecna truthers out here?)

"The Proud Princess says that they need a few ounces of blood from the creature to open a gateway (filling an empty potion vial will do nicely, but let the characters solve the problem). If the demogorgon is killed, they can get the blood easily. But let them try other ways if they don't want to fight to the death."

Since the DM of this campaign leaves the demo's fate for the players to decide for themselves, we don't yet have our answer.

But we do know a "blood" sacrifice must be made. How will Will be made to pay it?

In the world of ST, the only thing more important than blood to our characters is memories.

And with #BirthdayGate still looming large, it's likely that -- if Will has any say in the matter by this point -- his big hero moment will be sacrificing himself, his memories, and the memories of him in order to save Mike, the rest of his loved ones, and the world (Peter Parker/NWH-style, like many have predicted).

Mind you, I believe all this will happen before Mike has a chance to confess his feelings to Will.

Like many others have suggested, Mike will be -- as he's been several times across all seasons -- too late.

However, Will's sacrifice will allow Mike, El, and the rest of the Party to open a gate to the Thessalhydra's cave aka The Abyss/Dimension X.

That's where they'll encounter the USS Eldridge, a host of "troglodytes" to fight off, and of course-- the sleeping Thessalhydra.

A many-headed beast:

"Mr. Baldo"

Vecna

The Mindflayer

Mother Goose herself -- Tharizdun

An "Evil Sorcerer" wearing the face of a loved one.

The manifestation of each of our characters' worst fears.

How will the Party defeat it?

Mike's campaign doesn't go into the details of "how", but if Sir Tristan's "weapon" and Part Thirteen were any indication, it won't be through fear and hate, but through a shower of love:

Mike & Will's love, Henry & Bob's love, and El, the representation of all this love, being fueled by it.

Forming a beautiful rainbow.

The puzzle finally complete.

The campaign ends with the Thessalhydra losing its heads, and the Party delivering them to Sir Tristan.

I believe the defeat of this creature will finally break "Sir Tristan"'s curse, and allow him to be reunited with "Isolde" for eternity.

As for the Party's reward?

"[Tristan] will welcome them as conquering heroes, shower them with treasure, and grant each one a boon* (as long as it is within his power to do so). Additionally, in area 6 of the thessalhydra's lair they will find coins, gems, and artwork worth 1,000 gold pieces, plus one magic item of your (the Dungeon Master's) choice."

Who is the DM of our world?

And I have a feeling that whatever Mike chooses will allow him to get Will back and allow them to be together in this life --

Finally giving the audience the "musical resolution" they've been so desperately craving.

*I'm excited to see what the rest of the Party members ask for too!

So, with *a version* of the Hunt for the Thessalhydra campaign completed (it only took me ten hours), the next quest I want to look at is what I think will only confirm our suspicions of WHEN we see the campaign finally come to fruition --

The Quest of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Stay Tuned.

Part Seventeen: Sir Tristan, The Lost Knight, and the Proud Princess

PART ONE HERE | PART TWO HERE | PART THREE HERE PART FOUR HERE | PART FIVE HERE | PART SIX HERE PART SEVEN HERE | PART EIGHT HERE | PART NINE HERE PART TEN HERE | PART ELEVEN HERE | PART TWELVE HERE PART THIRTEEN HERE | PART FOURTEEN HERE | PART FIFTEEN HERE | PART SIXTEEN HERE

So, this post was inspired by a conversation I had with @imjustheretowastemytime re: this post featuring a dialogue they were having with OP @kirrroh about the Hunt for Thessalhydra Campaign from the end of S1. I recommend checking it out first for context. I've been mulling over it ever since, especially in light of the recent Netflix Puzzled clues that have come out.

As you can guess by the title of *this* post, I also want to throw my theory into the ring re: the Lost Knight and the Proud Princess.

You've also probably already guessed who I think they are.

But before I go into that, I want to explore another significant figure in this campaign, who I haven't really seen discussed* --

Sir Tristan.

*If someone has and I didn't see it, please let me know!

What's interesting is that Mike specifically refers to him as King Tristan in the episode. Yet, in the released materials for the campaign he's titled "Sir" Tristan, the kind ruler of a lonely stretch of mountains and an "old friend" the Party can trust.

But this name reminds me of another, more well-known Sir Tristan:

The Arthurian folk hero, Knight of the Round Table, and most famously, the doomed lover of Isolde.

Excerpt from TFS:

Henry: "Well maybe you have a superpower too." "Patty": "What?" Henry: "Clark Kent was an orphan, and, so was Batman and Robin--" "Patty": "And Wonder Woman was sculpted out of clay!" Henry: "Having no parents is basically a prerequisite to being --" Henry/"Patty": "A SUPERHERO!"

According to legend, Sir Tristan was born of heartbreak; his mother died birthing him after finding out his father was killed in battle. Tristan was born an orphan. Tristan's very name has come to mean "sadness."

Tristan was raised by his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall, and Mark's hate for him would eventually force Tristan to flee and find refuge in King Arthur's court. It was then that he became a Knight of the Round Table, faithfully serving King Arthur, and even going on the Quest for the Holy Grail (@lilialunaa, you'll like this one).

But the most famous legend about Tristan is his forbidden love with Isolde, the Irish princess he had to escort back to Cornwall so she could be wed to his uncle.

It's been the subject of countless paintings, songs, films, plays -- including Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde. That's right. Another GD opera.

Buckle up, Buttercups, we're about to dive into the story of a Princess Bride and the knight she never planned to fall for:

The opera begins with "wild Irish maid" Isolde being held in Tristan's ship, en-route to his uncle, the man to whom she'll be married off. It's implied she's essentially a prisoner, the spoils of war after Ireland's defeat by the English.

Isolde hates Tristan because she healed him post-battle, not knowing he was the one who murdered her fiancé. When she found out, she was ready to kill him, but he looked into her eyes and she couldn't bring herself to do. Instead, she got him to promise her to leave and never return, only for him to break that promise by arranging her marriage to his uncle.

Since then, she's told Tristan that he owes her a "drink of atonement" for his betrayal. What Tristan doesn't know is she plans for them both to drink poison -- allowing Isolde her revenge and a way out of this unwanted marriage. But Isolde's handmaiden, Brangäne, trying to "save Isolde from herself", switches the poison with a love potion. When Isolde and Tristan share their drink, they're surprised to find they've fallen madly in love.

Now in King Mark's castle, Isolde and Tristan wait till nightfall to reunite. Despite the warnings from their friends, and the risk of getting caught, they meet and declare their passion for each other.

In the opera, Tristan sings:

"Amid the vain fancy of Day he still harbours one desire - the yearning for sacred Night where, all-eternal, true alone, love's bliss smiles on him!"

Translation:

Again, we see themes of society's rules (ie. "courtly life") forbidding love, and secrecy and/or death being the only way the lovers can be "eternally united." A love that can never see the light of day.

Alas, the lovers are so caught up in each other, they don't hear Brangäne's warnings to get a move on.

Day breaks, and they are caught by King Mark, who got the heads up from Tristan's own best friend, Melot (I have my theories on who this is in ST, but I'll keep them to myself). A fight ensues between Tristan and Melot, which ends with Tristan allowing Melot to stab him.

Tristan's death is a slow one, but Isolde finds a way to see him one last time.

It's here I'd like to mention that what makes Wagner's opera so special is its use of harmonic suspension over the entire work.

Harmonic suspension is a musical device that creates musical tension by "exposing the listeners to a series of prolonged unfinished cadences, thereby inspiring a desire and expectation on the part of the listener for musical resolution."

Sound familiar?

In the case of Tristan und Isolde, the musical resolution does not come until the very end of the opera (talk about edging your audience), after Isolde sings the "Liebestod", or "love death". This is when Isolde sinks down over Tristan's body and dies with him.

This "Liebestod" has been known to be used in similar situations in other pieces of media. Do we think it'll make an appearance in ST5 Vol. 4?

What's Tristan and Isolde got to do with Bobgate? The Lost Knight? The Proud Princess?

Well, if you've read my previous posts, you likely already realized that Tristan and Isolde are yet another example of the doomed/separated lovers trope. And yet another example of how, even in death, love is stronger than outside forces.

One trope, as I've shown, clearly applies to Creelby's relationship up until now (presumably). The other is how I believe their story will end.

But how do they get there? Well, let's follow the campaign:

Even though Sir Tristan is the quest-giver, I believe the journey to be less literal and more internal.* Therefore, with this logic, it would make sense to assign the roles of the Lost Knight and the Proud Princess to Sir Tristan himself and his "proud" Irish princess Isolde, respectively.

*Like another famous quest by an Arthurian figure, who I will be discussing in Part Eighteen.

Who would those characters be in the world of ST?

Again, I turn to this shot from the Ep8 credits:

What's another nickname for Rob? Bob. And what's another name for a superhero, or knight? Paladin.

And what term is synonymous with Lost Knight? Fallen Paladin.

As other folks here have discussed, a fallen paladin is a paladin who broke his sacred oath, is disgraced, and either chooses to remain an Oathbreaker (turning evil) or goes on a quest of atonement/ redemption to restore his honor.

This concept recently came up in Netflix Puzzled:

In Moana, Maui also happens to be on a redemption quest because he stole the heart of Te Fiti, cursing her and the world. So you could also call him a fallen paladin...

How will Bob make his appearance? Isn't he dead?

I believe he's still around, perhaps as one of the "consumed" souls trapped in the mind of possessed Henry.

A resident of Vallaki, if you will.

But, as Dustin says:

With Mike now trapped in the dungeon, he will be the one to find treasure --

The campaign begins:

Sir Tristan's assignment for the Party is to defeat the creature attacking his castle: The Thessalhydra, a multi-headed creature known for being poisonous and being able to regrow its heads. The obstacle keeping him from being reunited with his Isolde.

Now who is the Thessalhydra? Again, as many have suspected -- either Vecna, the Mind Flayer (who has been interfering in Bob and Henry's love from the beginning) or the suspected Even-Bigger Bad Tharizdun (who I think they're going to end up calling Mother Goose. Call it a feeling).

In the psyche of Bob Newby though, I think it's safe to call this many-headed beast "Mr. Baldo".

Perhaps, in this campaign, "Tristan" aka Bob's true goal is to break his curse: Escape the labyrinth that represents his inner struggles, redeem himself by finally defeating "Mr. Baldo", and reunite with his "princess", even if it's in death.

I think the whole Party is going to participate in this campaign one way or another, but I believe the Cursed Labyrinth portion of the campaign is all Mike (#labyrinthgate livessss).

So, quoting Mike's campaign materials, and inserting the proper characters:

"Following the thessalhydra's trail leads [Mike] into a curse labyrinth, where [he] meet[s] [Bob Newby aka Rob the Relentless]. He will help [Mike] escape only if [he] prove[s] [himself] worthy by solving his riddles."

What are the riddles?

"The first riddle is simple. All they have to do is catch him. He runs around the corner and calls back: 'At my heels you nip in this game we play. But cursed is the maze, and lost am I. So who's chasing whom? Oh, who's to say? The front is the back. Hello is goodbye.'"

Is Mike's first task to realize that the person Bob is chasing is Henry (and perhaps vice versa)? To learn the *true* story of The First Shadow via Henry and Bob's memories? To discover how Bob loved Henry, broke his sacred oath by betraying him, and then lost him?

That's Step One: Mike seeing doomed love play out before his eyes with all its consequences.

What about the next riddle?

Well, Indiana Jones has been referenced on this show.

In the campaign, the second "riddle" is:

"[...] the Lost Knight standing in a doorway at the far side of a large room. "You solved my first riddle," he says. "Now can you find the missing piece to finish my collection?" He points to three shelves above the doorway. Then he steps through the door, which closes and magically locks behind him (cannot be picked or broken down). The first two shelves each have two small statues, and the third one has only one statue. Shelf 1 Statues. A man with a crown and a bag of coins. Shelf 2 Statues. A woman with a crown and a jar of honey. Shelf 3 Statue. A common woman wearing an apron and an empty space for a second statue. In the room is a large table covered with many small statues, including a cake, a pie, a spinning wheel, a basket of laundry, a plate with a steak, a toy soldier, a sword, and twenty-four sculptures of crows. To solve the riddle, the characters must put the right statue from the table in the empty space on shelf 3."

The answer ends up being the basket of laundry.

This also was an answer featured on Netflix Puzzled that I connected to Mike:

This version of laundry reminds me of compartmentalizing things, which is a coping mechanism we've suspected Mike of using all through S5.

Instead of facing his problems, Mike was simply telling them to "go away" (like Bob re: Mr. Baldo) so he could deal with the bigger battle at hand.

But another phrase associated with laundry is "airing your dirty laundry" aka allowing your dirty secrets and personal issues to see the light of day. Usually it's considered something shameful, but when you've hit rock-bottom, sometimes airing things out is a necessity in order to move forward.

You could say, it's about taking a hard look in the mirror:

Which is what Mike needs to do in order to realize HE'S about to let history repeat itself with Will by not facing his queerness and unacknowledged feelings.

It's only by acknowledging his secret shames and accepting them that Mike can escape the labyrinth and then follow the rest of the steps to "A Love Supreme"...

Where will that lead him?

If the campaign is any indication, the Knight (again, Bob) will congratulate Mike and show him the way out -- not back home, but to the UD:

"[...] a cold, dark place. It's always night there, and the air is always cold (like just before a snow storm)."

Snow storm, eh?

Speaking of snow -- one of the weapons Sir Tristan gives the Party is a sword mined in the UD, called Winter's Dark Bite. Not only could that be read as a fancy name for snow, but "Winter's Dark Bite" is also said to be a powerful weapon against a Thessalhydra.

I think Mike will be getting a weapon after all...

While it looks like Mike will find his way out of the Labyrinth, per the campaign, it seems like the Lost Knight remains... lost.

For now.

Which is why it's best to move onto our next mysterious character: The Proud Princess.

"A powerful adventurer who has her own quest and wants nothing to do with the characters. She shows them the way out of the Upside Down and into the thessalhydra's lair."

Hmm... A powerful adventurer...

If we're thinking of Isolde as a stand-in for the "Proud Princess," then we must also remember she's a "wild" princess forced to marry a cruel king. The characters/archetypes are also not too dissimilar from that of The Little Mermaid.

Here is where I think the rest of the Party will be more involved, because it will ultimately tie into the Back to the Future, time travel shenanigans.

As many fans have pointed out, it's never made clear what exactly Henry has planned for the kids and why. (Why collide the worlds? Why 12 kids?)

How many hours on a clock? How many months in a year? Who is the show's Master of Time?

If Henry is the Proud Princess, then it's implied he is on his own quest. One the Party never learns.

I'm a sucker for tropes, and one I've seen a lot in my day is two seemingly unrelated characters who ultimately want the same thing -- each other.

What if, like the Lost Knight is trying to find his way back to his Princess, the *Proud* 🏳️‍🌈 Prince is turning back time in order to reunite with his Lost Knight? A plan with a goal so secret, not even the MF is aware of it.

While the Proud Princess tells the Party to stay out of [his] way, [he] also tells them where to find the Thessalhydra and how to kill it:

"The lair is a cave where the Material Plane and the Upside Down touch. A special plant grows there—a plant whose flowers bloom in both worlds. These flowers can be used to cross between worlds if you perform a certain ritual."

The location of this "cave" is still up for debate, but let's assume based on previous theories that it's the Abyss and/or Dimension X.

But what -- or who -- is the "special flower"?

Who has been called "special" by Henry? Whose help did Henry want so badly?

Who have we established to be Henry and Bob's "love theme" -- their "half-selkie" child who can travel between worlds and open gates allowing others to cross too?

Who is the Witch and Human [Boy's] "true love's knot", entwining their love forever?

I think I've made my case here.

What is the ritual?

"The Proud Princess can point them to the cavern where the flowers grow, but if the characters want to open a gateway, they'll also need the blood of a monstrosity. Luckily, she knows of one that has been stalking around the Upside Down lately: a demogorgon!"

While getting a demogorgon's blood seems clear enough (and relatively easy for our experienced Party members), unfortunately there's a slight hiccup.

One person from the Byler-Creelby family has yet to be mentioned...

Someone who has been a host for baby demos --

And this season has been established *very* specifically to be seeing through demogorgons' eyes...

As if he were one.

FUUUUUUUUUUUU--

If Will is the "demogorgon" in question, what does the campaign say about his fate?

Well, one -- it maybe implies that by this point in the campaign, Will has become a monstrosity (any #Dark!Will/Phineas Gage/Eye of Vecna truthers out here?)

"The Proud Princess says that they need a few ounces of blood from the creature to open a gateway (filling an empty potion vial will do nicely, but let the characters solve the problem). If the demogorgon is killed, they can get the blood easily. But let them try other ways if they don't want to fight to the death."

Since the DM of this campaign leaves the demo's fate for the players to decide for themselves, we don't yet have our answer.

But we do know a "blood" sacrifice must be made. How will Will be made to pay it?

In the world of ST, the only thing more important than blood to our characters is memories.

And with #BirthdayGate still looming large, it's likely that -- if Will has any say in the matter by this point -- his big hero moment will be sacrificing himself, his memories, and the memories of him in order to save Mike, the rest of his loved ones, and the world (Peter Parker/NWH-style, like many have predicted).

Mind you, I believe all this will happen before Mike has a chance to confess his feelings to Will.

Like many others have suggested, Mike will be -- as he's been several times across all seasons -- too late.

However, Will's sacrifice will allow Mike, El, and the rest of the Party to open a gate to the Thessalhydra's cave aka The Abyss/Dimension X.

That's where they'll encounter the USS Eldridge, a host of "troglodytes" to fight off, and of course-- the sleeping Thessalhydra.

A many-headed beast:

"Mr. Baldo"

Vecna

The Mindflayer

Mother Goose herself -- Tharizdun

An "Evil Sorcerer" wearing the face of a loved one.

The manifestation of each of our characters' worst fears.

How will the Party defeat it?

Mike's campaign doesn't go into the details of "how", but if Sir Tristan's "weapon" and Part Thirteen were any indication, it won't be through fear and hate, but through a shower of love:

Mike & Will's love, Henry & Bob's love, and El, the representation of all this love, being fueled by it.

Forming a beautiful rainbow.

The puzzle finally complete.

The campaign ends with the Thessalhydra losing its heads, and the Party delivering them to Sir Tristan.

I believe the defeat of this creature will finally break "Sir Tristan"'s curse, and allow him to be reunited with "Isolde" for eternity.

As for the Party's reward?

"[Tristan] will welcome them as conquering heroes, shower them with treasure, and grant each one a boon* (as long as it is within his power to do so). Additionally, in area 6 of the thessalhydra's lair they will find coins, gems, and artwork worth 1,000 gold pieces, plus one magic item of your (the Dungeon Master's) choice."

Who is the DM of our world?

And I have a feeling that whatever Mike chooses will allow him to get Will back and allow them to be together in this life --

Finally giving the audience the "musical resolution" they've been so desperately craving.

*I'm excited to see what the rest of the Party members ask for too!

So, with *a version* of the Hunt for the Thessalhydra campaign completed (it only took me ten hours), the next quest I want to look at is what I think will only confirm our suspicions of WHEN we see the campaign finally come to fruition --

The Quest of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Stay Tuned.