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athenavallerie22 · 2 years

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the amount of hopium and copium in this. but uh yeah, I think I inhaled too much of it too.

I would love byler to be endgame but you know Mike confessed in his monologue for el,i don’t get why he should lie in that way to her,him all in a sudden liking will in season 5 would be too rushed :(

I don't think it would be rushed at all.

Mike was genuinely moved by the feelings shared with him through the symbolism of the painting: those were Will's feelings. Period.

And the speech Mike gave El was focused on how he sees her as his hero. He spoke to how incredible she is. Again. But it wasn't especially romantic or about their emotional intimacy. Yes, he said he loved her. But we know that. Yes he does love her: as his hero. And maybe as his friend, too. I personally think she deserved a speech about their friendship rather than a speech putting her on a pedestal as a superhero which was too similar to the speech Mike gave her back at the Byers house and that left her feeling that her powers were all she has to offer her loved ones (which isn't true!) but to return to the topic of Byler:

We had all the necessary heart-to-hearts in season 4. Mike and Will talked about how it's hard to tell people how you really feel: if Mike, as we suspect, is closeted and has feelings for Will... he's been thinking on this conversation and how it's relevant to himself. That conversation wasn't only necessary for advancing Will's narrative, it also spoke to Mike's.

We had the scene in which Mike and Will both expressed frustration that the other didn't call or write.

We had the scene in which Mike said he was worried that he "lost" Will and that maybe he had been too busy worrying about El. He told Will that he wanted to be a team again. Yes they spoke about being "friends... best friends" again but clearly they both miss the intimacy they once shared. They're both reaching for each other in that scene. They show how both Mike and Will understand each other and comfort each other, too. ("Thanks, by the way. For talking some sense into me. I was being a self pitying idiot." "I didn't say it..." "You didn't have to.")

There are only two more critical moments that need to happen, arguably:

Will needs to confess his feelings and own them as his own

Mike needs to realize Will's feelings for him are romantic and genuinely decide and express if he returns them or not

Do I think we'll get more than that? I sure hope so. A whole season gives us the time to see them spend time together again as friends, as we see them talking to each other and sharing feelings and fears again in the closing scene. Scenes in which both of them now think it's safe to express affection for one another again: Will is convinced he's rescued Mike and El's relationship (With a lie, Will? By dressing your feelings up as El's? By claiming that painting was her idea? Sir...) and if we assume Mike is closeted, he is relieved he can allow himself to spend time with Will again because he missed them being a "team" and he thinks things are fixed with El after his speech about her being his hero (Michael...!) so he can continue to hide and avoid his feelings for Will. For now.

But in my opinion the moment that painting is brought up and El, who I truly believe will have gone through a lot of character growth this season which will be most evident next season, will not embrace the lie that Will created about that painting. She may have lied about the roller rink and being happy and having friends at the beginning of season 4, but after her conversation with Mike and then discussing her struggles and insisting that he does not understand... and after Will told her that Mike would be angry once he found out she had been lying to him...I do think she's realized that lying isn't going to help and it won't magically make things better. I think she always knew that. I think she'll want an honest relationship based on true, honest communication going forward and that after everything she's been through she'll value being completely honest with Mike and demand honesty from him too. She already demanded honesty when she asked him if he loved her anymore, and called him out for not even being able to write "Love, Mike" on his letters. Yes, she lied because she was scared of losing Mike. But I think she's ready to know the truth, she actually doesn't "need" him romantically but she does need and deserve the truth. And she will surely appreciate finally having it and being able to share an honest friendship with him once everything is worked through.

But after Will called her out for lying to Mike, do we really think El is going to be okay learning that Will lied to Mike? Do we think she'd be okay with that? I don't. And then she'll want to know why. That could be one of many possible catalysts for the revisiting of all these conversations in season 5.

I'm typing this up before I've really gotten up to have my morning coffee so it's not an all-encompassing summary of every little detail that I believe supports Byler in season 5, but in summary:

Will never lies. Ever. And he lied to Mike and claimed that his feelings were El's.

Will told El that she shouldn't lie to Mike.

This alone needs to be addressed.

The lies.

We still don't have a true declaration (or understanding by Mike) of Will's feelings. He needs to do that. This needs to be addressed still. It's unresolved.

Fans comparing Will's feelings for Mike to Robin and Vicky are completely off the mark because this narrative thread isn't a quick little thing that entered the scene at the start of season 4 during band practice: this is a narrative thread that reaches all the way back to season 1. Will's sexuality, his feelings, Mike's feelings, and most importantly their fears and need to overcome them are at a core part of the entire show. People simply shrugging this off and belittling fans who care about this and need real closure for Will that's rooted in the truth are quite frankly missing a core part of the entire story. I would pity them if they weren't so damn insensitive, ignorant, and condescending.

El lied to Mike at the beginning of season 4, but has surely grown past wanting to. I believe she's confident in her own worth and who she cares about now in spite of Mike. I hope she is.

Byler is still a critical part of the narrative. It always was. And it still is. Season 4 hurt because things are unresolved, riddled with fear, and dishonest right now.

Will ran.

He ran from his feelings this season.

And it was so heartbreaking to watch.

But maybe next time he won't run. And Will can be the hero he deserves to be in his own fight against his own fears. Come what may.

We don't know what Mike will do once he learns of Will's feelings. I don't believe that audiences know what Mike's feelings are yet for Will. We didn't have a scene in which they've both truly bared their hearts to each other without hiding anymore.

I look forward to seeing what happens in season 5 once there are no more lies, and nothing but true feelings and honest heart-to-hearts remain.

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