#vol2

I fucking hate netflix execs, i fucking hate the duffer brothers and most of all i fucking hate queerbaiting.

WHY. WHY.

If byler IS canon, they are being cowards by writing it off as some last minute surprise twist just os audiences stick to the end to "see who mike ends up with omggg". IF IT'S NOT CANON, thye have been hinting towards and creating marketing for a fake piece of the story that was never meant to happen just to BOOST viewership and create drama and discourse. It is fucking sherlock all over again it is fucking klance all over again it is fucking ever queer ship that has been used as bait to use us as little fucking rats to raise raitings and earnings.

Cause that's all we are to them. fucking rats to trick so we'll engage with their media. "ohhh it's a show for outcasts" yeah, if being an outcast is playing dnd and being geeky, if it goes beyond that your identity gets reduced to....a half assed coming out scene that makes no sense in the time period or thematically

WHY WOULD A QUEER KID IN THE 80S WHO'S BEEN VITICM OF AGRESSIVE HOMOPHOBIA ALL HIS LIFE RISK HIS SAFETY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE APOCALYPSE JUST TO SAY HE IS GAY WITH PEOPLE HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW ARE SAFE??? BECAUSE MIND YOU, HE TALKED TO STEVE ONCE, HE KNEW MAX FOR LIKE...A YEAR?...HE RISKED IT ALL FOR NOTHING JUST TO LIE ABOUT THE GUY HE'S BEEN IN LOVE WITH SINCE THEY WERE LITTLE CHILDREN AND REDUCE IT AS A CRUSH IN A "WE ARE ALL THE SAME EVEN THO I'M GAY ALSO I'M STRONG AF #BORNTHISWAY

I AM SICK of shows using queer relationships and characters as a way to shut the fans up when they demand representation (wtf was rovicky istg) or to just make a "realistic" suffering character.

Queer people are either used as rep machines (esp bc they're either in a show centered around being queer, or a background character who's only personality is being queer), or as plot devices and i am TIRED OF IT

I know it can still be canon but atp i just don't gaf. They had their chance to make it a good story and they fucked it up to play it safe.

I've seen a couple of people (mostly on twitter, but some on here as well) immediately assuming with the possibility of cut scenes, that netflix must have pulled the plug on the queer plotlines last minute and that therefore byler now won't be endgame. That is not a realistic possibility for a multitude of reasons.

I do believe in cutgate AND finale byler endgame, but I feel like it's important to point out that the cut scenes we KNOW exist (specifically the scene with the water tank that we know about from behind the scenes set photos, the water safety credit, and photos noah posted) cost thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce; and while I do think the amount of scenes cut is slightly over-exaggerated, I do believe it's important to talk about media censorship whenever possible. No matter the reason, if netflix cut scenes without the creative team's input, that is censorship.

Netflix would not cut scenes like this last minute for fun. If we're talking about cutgate, I think a much more realistic answer is that an advertiser, or netflix exec head was worried about the tv-MA rating that season 5 was set to be given (we know this was planned because of cast interviews, duffer interviews, and the original imdb pages) and cut the plotlines that were the direct cause of this rating. We DO NOT KNOW what all of these plotlines were, and I don't trust leaks, but if they cut out specific scenes attached to these plotlines, the non tv-MA scenes also attached to these plotlines would have had to have been cut as well to keep continuity.

Whatever the reason was, if netflix was willing to eat the possible millions of dollars spent on those scenes and plotlines, it would have been serious. Advertisers pulling out especially for a season as big as stranger things is serious. It can cost netflix millions if not tens of millions of dollars, and as they are for profit company, their priority will always be their advertiser relationships over their shows.

I implore everyone to take EVERY LEAK with a grain of salt; that document is not a good cutgate source, and I think trying to bring up unconfirmed leaks (no matter how believable or 'legit') while trying to make an official resource document is a bit silly.

We will most likely never know the answer as to why they cut these scenes or if it would have changed the outcome or overall reception of this season. All I do know is that the final version of the season feels abrupt, poorly paced, and like there's gaps missing. Whether that's due to cutgate or just shitty writing and editing is up to you to decide.

MIDI MASTER NT VER HELL YEAH!!! coming out soon... 11 hrs after this posts, on the wanopo channel!

and of course will’s coming out scene was a little awkward and weird. remember, folks: just because you’ve never met someone who’s had an experience doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. will doesn’t have the vocabulary to describe coming out. he doesn’t know he doesn’t have to tell the whole world. and yes, i will admit, i understand that it was fucked up that his abuser forced him to come out. but like, that happens in real life? do we just not want that experience represented? as long as they resolve it in the last episode, acknowledge it as being traumatic for will, i think it’s good, actually, that we got this incredibly specific and nuanced queer depiction in a mainstream television show.