sunluna01

[sunluna01]

Why the byler kiss will happen in episode 7 and not the finale

I fell like there’s worry going around that the Byler kiss (or canon moment) won’t happen until the finale or last minutes of stranger things so that Netflix doesn’t lose viewers. I actually started to worry that would happen too but then I thought nope. That’s a disaster . Here’s why episode 7 (or at least volume 2) is objectively the superior place for Byler to go canon:

1. It’s not payoff if it’s a final scene

You don’t build up five seasons of heartbreak, longing, monologues, and repressed feelings just to have the kiss in the last 30 minutes or so.

That’s not payoff. That’s bait.

We need the aftermath. The soft smiles. The awkward tension. The “wait are we dating?” energy. Let Byler breathe as a couple before the world collapses.

2. Seven is their number

The number 7 is seen as a significant symbol of their bond, with Will's memories of happiness with Mike. In S1E1, Will rolls a 7 and loses the dnd game. He tells Mike privately “it was a seven.”

This shows Will doesn’t lie to Mike and this sparks the bond between them in the beginning of the series. Then in S1E8, one of the final scenes in season 1, they play another dnd game and Will this time rolls a 14 and wins the game.

14 is double of 7. This is symbolic of Will’s growth and the fact that Byler is a slow burn that doubles in depth. Their bond grew stronger. Byler started on 7 and will end on 14. It’s always been building.

7 means everything. They started with a 7. They'll peak with a 7. They'll end with a 14.

Also, let's look at this pattern with each season. Each season, there's a notable byler moment or shift in the episode matching the season number:

S1E1: "It was a seven." Will tells the truth to Mike, saying that he rolled a 7, showing trust from the very start.

S2E2: "Crazy Together." Their first heart-to-heart shown in the series. Mike is reassuring Will that he’s not alone. That no matter what he’s going through — the visions, the possession, the fear — He is right there with him. This is where their bond deepens.

S3E3: The rain fight. This is their emotional turning point and also the beginning of Mike's journey to understanding his true feelings.

S4E4: Bedroom heart-to-heart. Mike opens up and says he misses Will and wants them to be a team again. It’s the first real emotional moment between them that season and starts rebuilding their bond.

So what does this mean? Well if the pattern continues, then season 5 episode 5 is going to have a huge turning point for byler. It would make sense for the episode to have something (another fight, almost kiss, confession, etc.) that gets brought back up in ep 7 where then they'll have their first kiss. It would be a full circle moment.

3. Way more discussions if they let it linger

Letting Mike and Will kiss or go canon in episode 7 gives us a week of chaos before episode 8 drops. There'd be edits, youtube videos, the ga acting shocked, reaction videos, internet crashing, "we won" posts, milkvans crashing out, literally so much. It let's the fandom go FERAL. It raises the stakes for the finale. Bylers (aka us) would be going into the final battle with our favorite ship finally canon.

4. Netflix will be fine. The ratings aren't leaving.

They'll lose half the viewers and ratings go down? Nah. Let’s be real. The Duffer Brothers aren’t new to building tension — they’ve been laying down the Byler groundwork since Season 1. If they were going to “surprise kiss at the end” it would’ve happened last season.

But Season 5 is not about hiding anymore. It's the final season. Every arc — character, emotional, romantic — needs closure.

Also:

The Duffers hate rushed endings. In interviews, they’ve said they don’t want a “Game of Thrones” finale situation. So why would they jam the biggest emotional reveal into the last 30 minutes?

They love emotional payoff. Think: Max and Lucas slowly rebuilding trust after heartbreak. Joyce and Hopper FINALLY kissing after years of tension and missed chances. Jonathan and Nancy slowly falling for each other through shared trauma and also finally kissing. Byler is long overdue for the same energy.

People are watching no matter what. I know people have said they'd "turn off their tv if it happened" but like let's be real here. You really think someone’s actually not gonna watch the finale when it's the final battle just because 2 boys kissed earlier? Be so for real. (Well I wouldn't be surprised if there was someone like that but you get my point).

They want volume 2 to be talked about. Episode 7 gives them the perfect cliffhanger: Byler goes canon, world ending, fans SCREAMING. Twitter and Tumblr crashing. Everyone HAS to watch the finale.

So, with that all being said

They’ve cleaned up every slow-burn romance in this show: Jopper. Jancy. Lumax. Are they really gonna treat Byler — the most carefully written one — like an afterthought?

Byler deserves the screen time. Give them Episode 7. Let it BREATHE.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk 🙂‍↕️

[sunluna01]

He's so much better. He's visibly so much better with her. Even when he's upset, he's relaxed now. He's comfortable again.

He's him again.

And it's that thing I said. All he has to do to convince you this is right is show himself happen than you've seen him, when you assumed that was the happiest he could be. There are even Byler season 4 smiles that will surely be best in season 5, and not just by Byler but by them too, because there was still an underlying tenseness to the guilt. I'm only even realizing that now myself, seeing this relaxation, that he wasn't truly at peace then either, of course he wasn't, now I see.

These pictures are so different to me. He's not performative anymore. He's not shutting her down, he's letting her in. And he's not performing joy, he's feeling it.

The scene with her hand on his face to me on his side is just their 4x03 fight if he let her in.

[sunluna01]

i don’t know how many times it must be said… there was literally no reason to make will in love with mike if it wasn’t going to result in something between them.

you cannot seriously tell me they decided to use a traumatised gay character who has felt lonely and broken his entire life because of who he is as a plot device to “fix” a STRAIGHT SHIP.

like seriously, just stop and think about how messed up this actually is.

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship in a show made for outcasts and minorities.

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship who kissed at 12 years old after knowing each other for less than a week and immediately became romantic JUST because one is a boy and one is a girl (it would NOT have happened like this if they were the same gender. there would’ve been outrage especially with how fast it happened and people would’ve said “they’re forcing sexuality onto children!”. it only got accepted without question because anything straight gets accepted without question).

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship who hasn’t known what it’s been like to truly be single since they were officially forced into this relationship + can’t see each other as anything other than romantic since they were just friends for only a few days and probably think they HAVE to stay in a relationship so they “don’t lose each other” (i don’t know how anyone can think this is healthy for two traumatised children).

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship who have absolutely nothing in common, don’t have healthy communication or heart-to-heart conversations, don’t trust each other, don’t feel fully comfortable around each other, are so painfully insecure and fake with each other and can’t be themselves around each other.

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship that absolutely no other character in the show has said anything positive about (other characters have only complained, rolled their eyes and been sick of them excluding and ignoring everyone rudely when they’re together).

a gay kid used as a plot device for a straight ship that wouldn’t even EXIST without him (mike only met el when he was desperately searching for will, who wouldn’t have even been taken to begin with if el didn’t open the gate which resulted in him getting kidnapped. AND their relationship wouldn’t have been “fixed” and mike wouldn’t have said he loves her if will didn’t lie to him about the painting and confess his OWN feelings for him in the van using el’s name as a disguise).

the issue is not mike and el being a couple or because people have a problem with straight characters/couples in general - that’s not why we’re mad. it’s HOW they handled everything. it’s the fact they dragged an innocent gay kid into this mess for extra drama and to USE HIM as a plot device to fix a straight ship. it’s insulting and gross. gay people suffer so much just for who they are and literally live their lives in fear. straight people do not get attacked, judged or hate crimed for their sexuality. they are NOT oppressed for being straight.

they could’ve introduced ANY other love interest for will earlier, but they didn’t. or they could’ve made m*leven a healthier and cuter relationship that everyone rooted for, but they didn’t (even the other characters in the show don’t say anything positive about their relationship, they only complain). and out of all people, why did WILL have to be the one to give relationship advice and help the boy he’s literally in love with get back with his girlfriend??

they’ve only shown us all the reasons mike and el DON’T work well together, while simultaneously showing us all the reasons mike and will DO work well together. how could you possibly blame people for rooting for byler after all of this?

[sunluna01]

the summer will byers died.

[sunluna01]

OHHHHHH MY GOD

[sunluna01]

Can we stop using "still lives with their parents" or "unemployed" or "doesn't have a drivers license" or "didn't graduate high school" as an insult or evidence that someone is a bad person? Struggling with independence or meeting milestones is not a moral failing.

[sunluna01]

Already deleted two posts about Will's season 5 volume 1 arc because I get lost halfway through it. I know what I want to say, but when I set out to explain it...

This is why I can't be a fiction writer.

It basically boils down to this:

Will's visions are Henry's attempt to break him down and coerce him to join him because he knows Will is a vulnerability for him and he needs him.

Will doesn't tell the others about the specifics of the visions because he's being shown things he doesn't remember and he wants answers. He's also afraid of being seen as a spy.

The others start to suspect Will of hiding things from them, playing into Henry's plan.

Mike gets upset that Will isn't telling him things, which also lets the audience know of a change in their relationship because Mike says he's been distant a lot lately. Will is just trying to back off and give Mike and El space though.

Lots of relationship stuff with Mike and Will along the way. This time it's Will being distant and Mike getting mad about it. Plenty of increasingly obvious romantic signals from Mike.

The Mike/Will/Jonathan flashbacks are part of Will's attempt to resist Henry, a la Max hiding in the light. Henry is able to break through it all, twisting the memories using Will's present day insecurities. Will's long repressed anger finally breaks free.

yadda yadda yadda, things happen, and volume 1 ends with a cliffhanger linked to Will, with the military thinking he is responsible for the attack seen in the teaser.

[sunluna01]

first post kinda nervous

decided i needed a new banner for my profile so NATURALLY it had to be byler…

hope this officially welcomes me into the byler tumblr community

[sunluna01]

Hot take: the main st cast knows all about endgame byler. It’s called NDAs and being an actor. Their occupation is pretending. And yet nobody’s perfect, so yes, they have cracked a few times along the way. Still, I can’t help but notice how happy they get whenever they talk about the overall story and its ending, it’s like praise and appreciation, with this hint of defensiveness about audience expectations. Hmm wonder why…

[sunluna01]

a lot of things get on my nerves. im constantly annoyed. and i also have a deep love of humanity and the world but everything is really annoying

[sunluna01]

I thought the people of tumblr might enjoy some more cleradin

I also have this drawing of just paladin!Mike for y'all

[sunluna01]

Things ST Actors & Directors have said that make me believe in byler endgame

Noah Schnapp/Will Byers:

Someone asked: "What were your favorite moments with Finn on set?"

Noah: "Oh, um... well, I would probably say from this new season, so I guess I can't tell you but..."

"I think I spend the most time with Finn throughout—the course of— wait. Um... sorry, I gotta not—make sure not to say anything from season 5, but in other seasons... what was the question?"

"Lot's of good stuff coming. It's going to be a wild last season, so just, everyone get ready. There's some crazy stuff, some iconic scenes thrown in there."

Noah talking about Will:

"I think in season 5, it will have some... we'll just be like, "Yes! Something went right for him!""

"Mike was always super protective of Will and Will always leaned on him, and you could never really tell if it was something romantic or just a really special friendship."

"I can just tell you that I'm very, very excited for what's to come. I think they did a great job with Will's character this season, and beautifully addressed everything they needed to. The way they closed the show is just perfect – the story started with Will, and it’ll end with Will."

Someone asked: "Is there one scene in your whole career that stayed with you the most?"

Noah: "Yeah... but I can't talk about it."

Finn Wolfhard/Mike Wheeler:

Someone asked: "Finn, where do you think El and you are going to go?"

"Oh, I don't know. I don't know, I'm really interested in like the end of the show in general. You know, it's hard to tell, obviously, with Eleven and his relationship... but I hope they find—you know—happiness."

"Mike is just trying to be a normal teenager as much as he can."

"I think Mike is trying to be as normal as possible and trying to keep on a normal path. He might be into some new things."

"How is he (Mike) this clueless right now? With the Will scene in the car, I remember asking the Duffers, why would he not know this? And they're like, "Don't worry, it'll pay off in the end.""

Caleb McLaughlin/Lucas Sinclair:

"I love Lucas and Max's relationship, it's not like Eleven and Mike's—you know— in that teenage relationship dynamic. Their love is very—you know— it's real."

Sadie Sink/Max Mayfield:

"We're (Lucas & Max) both very independent. We're not like Mike and El where they just kind of are obsessed with each other."

Gaten Matarazzo/Dustin Henderson:

"The Byers have moved to California and the season picks up with Mike going out there to visit his friend Will—and Eleven who lives out there with them."

Shawn Levy/Director:

"Our show is an anthem for the marginalized and imperfect, precisely because the Duffer brothers know from experience that the popular and easy road is rarely the most interesting one, and that character, grit, connection, and soul are bred in the same moments that challenge us the most."

"People talk about mythology and The Upside Down, and all that is huge, but the magic of S5 are the characters who find a sense of belonging with one another and through that connection, become heroes."

[sunluna01]

Realized the other day we got kinda Neville Longbottomed by Ferb. Couldn't let this thought go without including the entire, wholesome Flynn-Fletcher sibling unit!

THEY LOVE THEIR SISTER

[sunluna01]

hope its not too late for me to join the byler nation >////<

[sunluna01]

actually. it's so cute that mike thought "yes, but these aren't your normal dice. they have up to twenty sides!" was this amazing selling point for dnd. like.

look how freakin excited he is at the idea of these dice having an above average amount of sides. bro is really :D he's so cute someone tuck this dude in and read him a bedtime story already he is so itty bitty teeny tiny. michael wheeler i hope you know you are so loved

mike: ignore the sodomy allegations, these dice are really fucking sick

[sunluna01]

All I want for Christmas is a season 5 epilogue scene where the party is at their school dance, messing around and having fun together, and then the slow dance song comes on. So we see all the couples form together in the hall, but we see Mike leading Will outside to the hallway. (they're an established couple already btw) they're in the hallway dancing, it's a very soft and gentle moment, and they start kissing, and it's really sweet, so that the GA can be like: "aww they're actually pretty cute!" And then the slow song ends and Mike pulls away to start dramatically singing, paralleling the s3 mileven makeout scene. But instead of telling him to stop, Will laughs before joining in with him, showing that they're a more compatible pair. And then they're really cute and laughing and singing and dancing in the hallway like the boyfriends that they are :))

[sunluna01]

season 5 lesbyler😀😀