#Mike fully stepped into father replacement mode from when hopper died even in the subtext dlkdf THEY SET HIM UP

[emblazons]

Hopper also told El in his letter that find her in the woods changed his life 🤔

NAWWW BESTIE tell me why I went to go pull the images to your point and THIS is the image that shows up during that quote?

Mike's one handed hug is what they chose to put here? The one where she's clinging to him while he's only half-invested/also holding Lucas AND Will is in the shot, knowing damn well there's a shot right after where it look like he hugs her proper? 😭 "I feel like my life started that day when we found you in the woods" to "I left eggos in the woods, you came into my life and I started to feel things again?"

and then, right before that...we get this parallel too?!

Mike Wheeler never escaping the familial-parental associations with Hopper for El in this show ever in his life