ghostlycleric

[ghostlycleric]

They’ve only finished the first 2 episodes. Yeah a summer release was NEVER on the table.

Also a crazy cold open for ep 2???? Eventful first episode?????? HELLO???

[ghostlycleric]

This is literally one of my favorite Miwi moments and i literally couldn’t tell you why. Thank you to @ghostlycleric for helping me find the scene ^^

Idk if i’ll do this piece digitally, mainly because I don’t do scene redraws that often. But i wanted to share anyway!

[ghostlycleric]

Wait I could totally see this happening. Especially cause he’s like constantly shown in some sort of vision/passed out in the teaser. And I can imagine them being near the middle school at some point, maybe cause of Erica or just on their way to some location that puts them near enough to have Will plausibly wander off to it.

I’m still not 100% sure that this is Will, but it would explain why the boys are there with so much urgency.

So glad this is going to happen in volume 1. We don’t have to wait till December to find out what’s going on in this scene🎉

(The highschool has orange and green stripes, the middle school has 2 dark blue ones.)

Is this old news? I know the st5 clip is old, but I haven’t seen anyone say Lucas and Dustin were in the middle school. I don’t know how I never noticed this. Did Tumblr rob me of this information when the bts came out?

But like why the hell are they there? Somehow in the first episode or two Mike and Lucas end up running into the middle school alone. Like literally running. Sprinting even.

Are they sprinting into the middle school while it’s in session? Or is it empty and that’s Will at a weird angle? And if it is Will why is he there? (I know many think that person in front is Will because of the hand thing, but now we have a clip from st5 of him doing that the hair line in this pic really doesn’t look right.)

This is so confusing. Are they looking for Mr. Clarke? Erica? One of the new kids? Are they even looking for a person at all? Did something bad happen at the middle school? Why would they be there alone and unarmed if something bad did happen?

[ghostlycleric]

The Ghost of Byler in this Elmike Tease.

With further film analysis, this elmike shot in the season 5 teaser trailer is actually a callback, or poetic full circle moment, to the byler scene at the end of season 4 between Mike and Will. It is supposed to call to mind Will. This is really who this scene is about, if not literally in dialogue than reflexively through its diegetic filmic techniques. In the first photo, I outlined the shot composition's similarities in blue text/shapes/lines. Then the key differences in red.

To start, both shots place our subjects in front of the same windows, in the same location. Yet, instead of the couch there is now a make-shift sensory deprivation tank (see 5th pic on Ross Duffer's insta).

Also check out this video, to understand the meaning of the couch, and how it gives S5's "Rightside Up" episode title way more of a romantic meaning. The upside-down couch could mirror the previous trajectory of byler's arc. It signals that something is amiss after Mike's love confession in S4 (that coincided with El losing a battle). The door being on it's side should recall the peculiarity of the upside-down couch.

The sensory deprivation tank represents a whole slew of meanings (like mike's and the ga's 🌈 🙈), but I will simply say this theory/deduction is what is most likely going on. In the scene, El almost certainly uses this tank to find Will. Moreover, the filmmakers are using an almost identical shot to harken back to when Will was there.

Perhaps, the tank's fashioned out of a closet door. We see that it is open during their exchange. El and Mike seem to be openly communicating about an important subject matter. As the composition reminisces about Will, they might be, too. Their dialogue is most likely not going to be about Mike coming out about his sexuality. Yet, the mise-en-scène (set up of the scene) shows us this layer of subtext without the need to tell the audience explicitly.

Keep playing spot the similarities and differences. Why also include a broom prop in both shots as well, if not to further this idea? They are using filmic techniques to draw the audience's attention to this constructed analogy.

Then, notice the plywood boarding that covers up the massive hole where the sunbeams once shined. This is obviously functional. El needs the least amount of light leakage as possible so when she enters the tank she'l have an easier passage into the void (on top of no one wanting a giant hole in their living space). You could say that about the dim light, too. Yet, form is always at play with function in cinematic storytelling. It's symbolic meaning could be mending their relationship, sure, but it's such a scabrous, flimsy board compared to a full-on, resolute renovation. It's also just an eyesore the more you look at it. Perhaps, it is glaringly obvious that Mike can't cover up his true feelings for much longer.

Yes, the second edited photo is supposed to be figurative. Cheekily, it depicts byler's ghost hanging over this new elmike teaser shot—because that is what this callback is essentially functioning as. This repeat composition tells us that there is an unresolved or lingering issue, fear, or memory from the past that continues to affect the present. Possibly, it's saying that Mike fears that he was never able to tell Will how he truly feels…

A lot of others have already discussed the lighting/color differences (better than I could, so check them out). What I'll say is, you can see a clear difference between the higher contrast/darker lighting that subtly silhouettes Eleven and Mike's faces and body (due to a missing fill light and the use of harsher key light behind them). With the byler shot, natural light is diffused and bathes them in a romantic glow.

Instead of natural light in the elmike shot, there is now an artificial light bulb hanging above them. Acting as a spotlight, this lighting choice indicates pressure and slight tension. Simply put, placing two supposed love interests in the shadows does not communicate an idealized, romantic angle. Shadows, instead, indicate lingering secrets and the veiling of emotions.

The cabin's barrier/divider is also way more prominent in the teaser shot. Before, the glow/light overtook or flooded it out, and the camera's angle makes it less apparent. Now, in the teaser it is more in focus, straight-on. I'd say, El and Mike still love each other, but there is just simply a barrier keeping it from being romantic love. To me, this represents a platonic barrier.

Now what I really wanted to point out is the body language. Look closely at El's hands. She is holding Mike's, not the other way around. She initiated the hand holding. She would have taken Mike's in hers, brought them on her lap, and then lifted one hand to touch his face.

If this was suggesting mutual romantic feelings, then their hands would be on both their knees, intertwined. Her knees are fully facing his, which are facing away. This body language communicates that she is attempting to comfort him. Mike is still apprehensive, possibly lost in thought. Her raised hand on his cheek is meant to redirect his gaze so to lock his avoidant eyes with hers.

Everybody has pointed out the heart-shape in their blocking. It's undeniable that this is a classic duffer heart-to-heart special moment. Yet, with my shot analysis that suggests nervousness, platonic symbolism, and the recall to Will, it seems to me that this is a display of comfort, lacking an amorous tone/mood. I have another post about how the teaser's editing also suggests new meaning to their dynamic here. The primary idea is companionship, rather than lovers.

At the end of S4, Mike firmly grabs Will's shoulder. He initiates touch in their very similar heart-to-heart scene. Even though both times he's at an arm's length away, the contrast in his body language is noticeable. His body points/faces Will, desperately hanging on to him. In my opinion, his level of engagement and desire for Will's attention in the blocking is more active than in this elmike scene, where he is passive.

His active role in the previous S4 byler scene also indicates that it was from Mike's perspective, where this new elmike scene is from El's perspective since she is being the actionable one. All of this platonic imagery could very well be from El's side/feelings as the perspective suggests.

Indeed, she's been questioning Mike and Will's relationship for awhile now, and now has come to an acceptance.

...

I hope my thought process was easy to follow along, and that my points were clear enough. I do not mean to dissuade others of their interpretation of this moment, but only to offer my own theory. As an audience member, I will not know until I've seen the final outcome (that includes the necessary context). Excuse my crappy photoshop! I'm much better at this (I promise), I just wanted to get my sunny on.

[ghostlycleric]

(The highschool has orange and green stripes, the middle school has 2 dark blue ones.)

Is this old news? I know the st5 clip is old, but I haven’t seen anyone say Lucas and Dustin were in the middle school. I don’t know how I never noticed this. Did Tumblr rob me of this information when the bts came out?

But like why the hell are they there? Somehow in the first episode or two Mike and Lucas end up running into the middle school alone. Like literally running. Sprinting even.

Are they sprinting into the middle school while it’s in session? Or is it empty and that’s Will at a weird angle? And if it is Will why is he there? (I know many think that person in front is Will because of the hand thing, but now we have a clip from st5 of him doing that the hair line in this pic really doesn’t look right.)

This is so confusing. Are they looking for Mr. Clarke? Erica? One of the new kids? Are they even looking for a person at all? Did something bad happen at the middle school? Why would they be there alone and unarmed if something bad did happen?

[ghostlycleric]

I really want to believe that there’s still a chance but idk that scene just looked way to intimate for my liking, like the warm colors, the light, the almost heart looking shape between they’re arms, the hand holding, or El’s hand being on Mike’s cheek. Not to mention every couple we know that are canon/or are going to be were shown in the trailer having a one on one scene.

Idk man.😭

If they wanted the scene to be intimate wouldn't they have dones something like this?

(Quick edit so apologies)

They're like 10 feet away from each other.

Also they canonically have made out - they're gonna be confortable touching each other even if they've broken up.

[ghostlycleric]

Two new marketing items to update on this prediction post! (Spoiler: I was really right about one and wrong about another.)

Teaser Trailer(s) Prediction:

Def m*leven positive, maybe even byler negative/not even there. Teasers mainly show where our characters start off, so if m*leven is together at the start of st5 then they’ll be shown together in the teaser. My only hope for byler content in the teaser is if they continue the og party marketing they’ve been doing since production marketing kicked off.

Actual Teaser Trailer(s):

2. M*leven positive, byler neutral. I hit the nail on the head with this one. I’m kind of proud of myself. This was an action teaser, though, not exposition focused. There’s a m*leven scene of El comforting Mike. And there’s byler on the same screen multiple times but no one on one scenes, which is more than I was expecting, as I guessed byler not even there.

Poster(s) Prediction:

Byler pos, just like in st4. Again they spend so much time together that the posters will likely reflect that. And when I say byler pos I mean they might like be looking at eachother or smth. And I don’t mean the the floating head/body posters, I mean the ones with actual backgrounds (if we even get those😭)

Actual Poster(s):

1. M*leven pos (sort of), byler neutral. I was comparing to st4 posters, which gave us so much more actually new content than st5’s, but I digress. The party are all riding bikes so they have to look forward. El, though, is on Mike’s bike, but only holding his shoulders (not his waist) and looking backwards. Is def a callback to st1, could be interpreted as m*leven pos, could not. I think that might’ve been the point.

[ghostlycleric]

That’s one long ass bike ride. Why is Holly going with byler down a long ass road to a military zone (or the other way around)? Where are they even trying to go??? Again why would Holly be with them? And this is probably from episode 1, before Holly vanishes. I NEED to know what’s going on😭

[ghostlycleric]

WHY NOT EPISODE 7????

[ghostlycleric]

Season of misery and despair what the hell😭😭

[ghostlycleric]

IS WILL GETTING VECNA’D HERE?? HIS EYES AND THE WAY HE SHAKES???

[ghostlycleric]

HOLY SHIT????

[ghostlycleric]

I’m deadass about to log off social media until tmrw o don’t want spoilers

[ghostlycleric]

The teaser is a real thing. It’s coming out tomorrow. It’s like an actual thing that we’re going to see with our eyes. Tomorrow.

[ghostlycleric]

So whatever promo we’re getting soon is going to be the original 4 themed, since only Finn, Noah, Gaten, and Caleb are on the promo set. And this video we just got was filmed with them split into two groups, Finn and Noah then Gaten and Caleb. Interesting.

This gives me hope for some og four shots in the teaser

[ghostlycleric]

STOP THEY MADE US WATCH A VIDEO OF OTHER PEOPLE WATCHING THE TEASER BEFORE WE COULD

[ghostlycleric]

Why is Will the only one with a backpack on?? And why do Mike and Lucas both not have their jackets on?