the best thing about crazy together is how mutual it is. because itās mike saying hey will, i know that you feel like everythingās falling apart and that youāre always the odd one out but iām not gonna let you feel like this alone, iām here to go through this with you, iām crazy together with you. and will, who feels so lonely and terrified and on the brink of losing his sanity, whoās confiding on mike some of his deepest fears and truths, for once feels like heās genuinely being comforted, like mike really means that, like heās trusting the right person and even if everythingās doomed, heās not alone. he has someone to go crazy together with and so he wholeheartedly agrees to it. he canāt imagine promising this to anyone else.
anyways. byler is as requited as crazy together šš
this tweet pointed out how the pov change from will to angela makes mango juice look like a sad couple. so i went back to watch it and the difference is very striking. will's pov of this scene is really bright (literally), he sees minivan as the happiest couple ever. but as soon as angela walks in and sees them on the rink, the scene gets bleaker and darker and we see none of what will is seeing
This moment when Mike first says āI love youā to El remains at the top of my Byler proof list for one simple reason:
WHY THE HELL IS WILL IN THIS SHOT?!?
And itās not just his shoulder or his hair or his half-blurred face. Itās his fully-framed head.
Because the truth is, if the viewer is meant to take this as a 100% genuine love confession from Mike, Will would not have been in this shot. It would've been an intimate close-up of Mike.
Imagine Jim from The Office confessing his love to Pam while Dwight lurks in the background. It would be fucking weird and confusing, right? Can you think of any other genuine love confession scene where the camera didnāt devote its full attention to the couple in that moment? These moments are meant to be powerful and emotional and intimate for the couple involved. Including Will in this shot (fully framed) makes him just as much a part of this moment as Mike and El. Visually, it creates ambiguity around Mike's true feelings: who is he saying this to, really?
And this was all absolutely intentional. Noah Schnapp was positioned beside Mike for a reason. It's honestly quite brilliant foreshadowing.
Yeah, there is no doubt in my mind of what the creators are doing at this point.
(Also something else crazy that I just noticed?? Willās eyes flicker to Mike the instant he says āI love youā. I justā¦)
Guys go give Axel some love on Twitter and Instagram. Axel has made amazing artwork for Stranger Things and created this beautiful Byler artwork. In addition, lots of milkvans were hating on the artwork they produced so letās give them love for the art.
Byler is legit that trope where the main couple that was always meant to be is the LAST one to get together in the show. Jopper, Jancy, and Mike and El's situationship wouldn't have existed if Will never went missing. Hopper found a new purpose helping Joyce out and it lead him to adopting El/finding love again with Joyce. Nancy realized Jonathan and her both had people taken from them by the insidious Hawkins Lab messing with the UD and it bonded them for life. El would've never found shelter with the Party if Mike wasn't out searching for Will and she only got to stay with them because she remembered Will's face/could help find him.
Key factor is Will. Who doesn't think he's all that important and is a mistake, but without him none of the major popular ships would have existed. So, yeah, I'm ready for Will to finally get his man and his happy ending.
no no but listen. you know how el thought she was a monster but she isnāt, paralleled with will who thinks heās a mistake but he isnāt and the fact that they had will lie to mike about the painting which means this story isnāt over even if will thinks it is.
thereās NO WAY this isnāt a setup for willās arc of accepting himself in season 5 because mike makes will feel like he isnāt a mistake therefore heās the one who can help will complete his arc.
me: knows fully well that will sacrificed his own feelings for the sake of mike and elās relationship, knows fully well that he doesnāt think he has any chance with mike and all thatās left to do is move on from him
duffers:
me:
IF WILLIAM BYERS DOESNāT GET THE HAPPIEST ENDING POSSIBLE