one thing that never sat right with me when it came to this script is the fact that mikes perspective is detached & purposefully hidden.

since this is a mileven-centric scene, then why do we barely know a thing about how mike feels? I mean just THINK about it. their whole conflict this season was that mike could not tell el he loved her to save his life, and we're aware that it has always been a struggle for him since s3, meaning that this scene should mark a pivotal chapter in his character development, right?

If its so important and impactful to him and his relationship with el, WHY don't we know anything about how he feels as he speaks? and I'm aware that he's saying a lot in this scene, but him monologuing does not necessarily mean that he's being truthful; finn himself called this scene a profession (fake confession)

because, if you view this from the lenses of mike being gay, then him telling eleven that he loves her is him "sealing his fate" in a way. by doing this, he is choosing to live a life of heteronormativity. he's not chasing what he wants here, hes chasing after what he thinks is good for his relationship with el as well as his safety (given that it was the 80's and homophobia was rampant back then). he is choosing to conform to what society expects from him; he is choosing to live a lie.

if we were to get his full internal monologue in this scene, I can ASSURE you all we'd get would be guilt. and that guilt would tear his words apart bit by bit and would reveal all its inauthenticity. it would be too telling, which is something the writers can't afford if they truly want to keep the ending of this love triangle ambiguous in order for byler to be a plot twist next season.

not to mention, the descriptions of els perspective do NOT match up with what we see in the show

I'm aware this strays away from the point of this post, but I'd just like to point out that this is not the face of a girl who is reassured by her boyfriends words, which obviously does NOT match up with what we see in the script. If anything, it could just be an intentional acting choice from millie, but I'd like to hear your opinions on it! if you'd like to see an analysis on this scene, you can read this post of mine!

moving on, this isn't the only instance where mikes perspective is being hidden, since it can also be observed in the van scene.

this scene revolves around byler in the sense that both will and mike are having a heart-to-heart and sharing their feelings, yet we get to know more about how will feels and even how JONATHAN feels (despite this scene not being about him) but barely anything about how mike feels in response to wills words?

here, the purpose of including jonathans perspective is to establish his awareness of wills feelings for mike, which falls into place later where we see the two of them having a heart-to-heart while making els salt bath.

If they were to include mikes thoughts and feelings here, I'm confident most of it would be satisfaction and disappointment. I mean, you can see it on his face from the moment he unravels the painting, to will "admitting" that the painting was commissioned by el (which we all know was a blatant lie), which would tell us that he wishes it was from will himself. If they were to build up on his sudden change of reaction in the script, then his feelings for will would be explicit, for all to see before they even got a chance to turn it into a plot twist.

It's important to remember that the painting is a plot device implemented in the show to raise questions about wills lie and mikes feelings about it; It's essentially meant to set up byler next season.

It wouldn't make sense for them to reveal so much about mikes perspective on it in the script for this scene if it's meant to catalyse his romantic relationship with will in the final season.

TL;DR - Mike plays a crucial role in both scenes, yet we barely get any insight into his perspective. To re-affirm my statement earlier, I fully believe that they did this on purpose to potentially mislead viewers and keep us in the dark. Including it would tell us too much about where he's headed as a character (which they dont want to reveal yet) and his feelings for will—which, again, would lean into byler endgame and rob the possibility of it ever becoming a plot twist.

1. how they struggle to communicate and see things eye to eye...

this scene is just baffling to me honestly. its the way mike is SO afraid of coming to terms with the fact that he doesn't actually love el the way he should love her, to the point where he simply can't even say "love" as if its some slur that would lead to judgy looks and gossipy voices... it's really not that hard, michael! need I bring up him doing the exact same thing with will in s4 when it comes to "that term"?

2. the imbalance in their relationship as they view themselves as inferior to the other...

el wanting to be viewed as normal like mike whereas mike feel's like he isn't good enough for el due her having powers...

what el wants is to be viewed as normal and to be appreciated for her qualities that are unique to her powers such as her resilience, kindness, and empathy. what mike wants is to be able to care for and protect the people around him whilst leading them to a solution.

mileven inhibits both these aspects of mike and el, as they feel like they have something to "prove" out of fear that the other has this skewed, negative perception of them. el's whole conflict and trauma regarding her powers is that she blames herself for what happened to those kids in the lab. mike's reaction to her at the roller rink was paralleled to brenners reaction to el at the lab, which was intentionally done to show us els perspective. mike feels borderline useless when it comes to el, which is why he places such a heavy emphasis on her powers and how shes "superman" since she can fend for herself whereas mike feels he has no redeeming qualities and sheds some light on his insecurities which leads him to feeling inferior to el.

3. them telling each other exactly what they DON'T want to hear...

this links to my previous statement about mileven, and is especially detrimental towards how the two of them want to be perceived by the other.

els powers are a prison to her. they tie back to her trauma and are the reason why she could never have a normal childhood and is why she rarely gets a moment of peace due to the military constantly being after her. mike is the one who keeps reminding her of them, and showcases his deep association with her and her powers. we never see him bring up her other great qualities, its always just about her being a superhero. you can only imagine how painful it must feel being constantly reduced to the one thing that was the root of all your trauma.

mike is someone who simply can't handle change. he clings to the idea of el he remembers back when they first met and doesn't want to come to terms with the fact that she expects more from their relationship than he can give, only for him to give in when her life is in imminent danger. he can't handle the possibility of change in the parties group dynamics when it comes to including max. and even now, he still uses d&d as his main reference when dealing with supernatural conflicts regarding the upside down and is also his source of strength and comfort as we know from his heart to heart with holly. el telling him that he doesn't get to write the ending dismisses a major aspect of his personality and what makes mike mike. this is el telling him that he needs to face reality as it is and to consider the possbility that things likely won't work out for them this time.

this is absolutely not how you portray the winning pair in a love traingle.

will has been actively haunting the mileven narrative. you simply cannot make a s4 mileven edit without that poor thing lingering somewhere in the background. he unmissable presence in these scenes is meant to act as a constant reminder of mikes true feelings and how they won't be able to be hidden in the dark any longer.

need I mention how shabby the cinematography is when it comes to these two?

they have people constantly walking infront of them, obscuring them from the viewers up until the tension in the scene grows once el sees the "from mike" note on the boquet.

their reunion is uncomfortably zoomed in on with a blurry will byers looming in the background.

mikes monologue has shitty, dull, flickery lighting and doesn't only focus on the two of them but also has bits of other characters sticking out in the scene such as jonathan and argyle, and I don't think I have to address the elephant in the room here...

now compare this with all the cinematic byler shots we currently have, and the answer becomes quite clear..

in the case of fleshing out their flaws, what this typically results in is having the couple break up while the mc gets with love interest two instead. of-course, this doesn't occur with the snap of a finger. the writers still need to get the audience to "warm up" to the idea of the mc being with a new love interest as some people may be used to the old one, which is exactly what they've been doing with byler as they simultaneously unravel mileven.

1.the way mike always describes any new ability of wills in a positive light...

whenever there's a new development in wills powers, he's always seemingly anxious about it. both times he expresses concern about them or simply talks about them, it is MIKE who turns things around and says, "hey! maybe the thing you're so afraid of isn't as bad as you think it is. maybe its a key to bringing us closer to ending this once and for all!", and it honestly reminds me of this patty interaction with henry!

2. how will manages to bring out the best in mike despite his insecurities..

I think it goes without saying that wills speech to mike in the van is 100% what makes mike return to his "leader-mike" self from seasons 1 and 2 that we miss so dearly. byler brings out the best in each other even when they're at their lowest, and the show stops at nothing to show how much they believe in eachothers potential.

showing will go on a tangent about all of mikes redeeming qualities, despite all the pain he's caused him last summer and in the time they were away shows the audience just how deep wills love for mike goes. and the fact that his belief in mike has a physical manifestation which is the painting is simply the cherry on top.

3. the way they communicate non-verbally which only further highlights their chemistry!

in the miwi flashback, we don't see will respond with a "yes" to mike asking if he wants to be friends. instead we see him nod. this correlates to will and his lack of consent in his life, the way its constantly taken away from him, whilst mike is the one who helps him regain his agency.

this aligns with how byler is very "show, don't tell based" since a lot of evidence can be derived by what we are being shown rather than what we are being told.

their conversation in the bedroom is meant to mirror mike and els arguement:

"I didn't say it" & "you didn't have to"

vs

"you never say it" & "I say it."

this shows how deep down, mike truly gives more regard towards will. he actively takes accountability for his assholery towards will, and realises the weight of his mistakes once will mentions them. this contrasts his behavior towards el and his ignorance towards her being bullied until it was too late to be stopped. he can't even utter the three words el wants to hear from him so badly out of fear of his ingenuinity. it also shows how byler communicates both verbally & non-verbally, highlighting their chemistry and closeness which is the epitome of a romantic relationship.

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Closing Thoughts 🚬🚬

we always see people complain about how mikes character regressed in seasons 3 and 4, how he was this more annoying and infuriating version of himself and how they want "season 2 mike" back. what they don't realise is that the mike they miss and love so dearly is the same mike who wasn't in a relationship with el. who wasn't forcing himself to conform. they can't see how his relationship with her actively holds him back from being the best version of himself, since he's constantly forced to face truths about himself he can't accept.

What byler has is exactly what mileven lacks. the show has been actively shoving it in our faces! why else would you tease a love triangle so obviously, wherein one pair holds each other back while the other brings out the best in each other? why introduce a love triangle involving a couple in the first place if you have nothing to prove? it certainly hasn't done mileven any mercy, so wouldn't it just be a waste of time?

Id like to point out that If they were to go the rejection route, they'd get it done with quickly. like ripping off a bandaid. It wouldn't be stretched out for this long, similar to how they handed the lumaxstin love triangle as well as the misunderstanding between steve and robin. Instead of giving will a new love interest, theyre dragging it—now with will having more hope than ever!

at this point a byler rejection would simply be underwhelmingly shitty writing, especially after they've been teasing a change in the status quo since season 4. byler endgame would expel the most cathartic reaction from the audience, be it euphoria or rage, that all comes down to whether the show was truly made for the viewer.