There are so many great points in this video. I am a hardcore Mike defender. I know this man does make some questionable choices, but I can really relate to him. He’s bad at as expressing his feelings with words, and he acts with emotions. I too have put my foot in my mouth a time or two
@@fart63There's no "waste," don't objectify their relationship. It was real. It happened. But just like Hopper's letter- people change and grow. It's already heavily implied Mike was lying during the scene, it's just about what we don't know. Or even worse, he was so out of touch that he doesn't even see who El really is, just some super hero. That's the relationship you're banking on? Mike's "love" confession was off, but that's because it's off for a reason. It's everything that has been building with his character for 4 seasons. Whether he's gay for Will or just not in love with El like he thought.
I would also like to point out the dinner scene after the roller skate incident. Everyone talks about how Mike didn’t read the room, but no one talks about the look on his face. It’s the same face that Finn makes when he’s having an anxiety attack in real life. So i honestly believe that he’s in a lot of distress at that moment in time. So yes, while Mike didn’t read the room, nobody read Mike either. Nobody ever asks how Mike is doing, they just assume.
Exactly and he was probably confused asf bc El told him Angela was her friend, and that she goes roller skating all the time. People are trying to read too much into shit. Also everyone wants an excuse to hate mike and I don’t know why
This is why Mike saying he’s been in love with El since he first saw her is total bs. It’s all about Will. Mike only kept her around for that reason. Until she showed she could help find Will, Mike wanted to turn her into the police. Also, according to the Duffers, Mike has NO CLUE of 1) Will’s sexuality and 2) Will being in love with him. So him trying to “let Will down” makes ZERO sense. This video is soooo hetero 😭 At the very least, it should be acknowledged that Mike and El’s romantic relationship is all either kissing, fighting, or being separated. And Mike’s love confession only comes after Will confessed his feelings for Mike. The feelings that are disguised as El’s. And if Lucas is Mike’s best friend, what the hell is Will to him? Why is THEIR relationship highlighted sooo much more than Mike and the other guys in the party? Lol like yeah they’re paired bc they have to be, as though their relationship hasn’t been tantamount to Mike’s character the entire time. El dumps Mike- comedy. Will and Mike argue- serious and emotional. What is the reason? I’m not just saying this; it’s what the show does. Watching a mileven shipper analyze Mike just makes me sad bc there’s so much they disregard. Giant sigh.
bel pop - fully agree. Have you seen the videos by Lesbian Mindflayer? They have fully sold me from thinking (though I didn't want it to be true) that the relationship was one sided to being certain that Mike has internalised homophobia and that Will and Mike are endgame (which will hopefully happen and play out before the end of the season). There is so much compelling evidence that I think require a combination of being either LGBTQ+ (though probs especially with gay/lesbian viewers more so than other types of LGBTQ+ simply for having more direct awareness of beards - I'm demisexual/bi in a way where I've never fancied a woman but know I could and was clueless here, but my mum who's a lesbian read it that way without needing video analysis!) and/or highly aware of film analysis. It's frustrating seeing the heteronormative shipping of Mileven but I hope that we should get amazing payoff come season 5! Also it's funny how people love relationships that are deemed forbidden so much but let their bigotry stop them from appreciating LGBTQ+ relationships in media - as an ace spectrum person I find the massive amount of straight relationships too in your face to appreciate and especially ship LGBTQ+ couples because it seems more romantic when it's not just going along with the status quo and PDAs are so much more tolerable when the couples actually have to be somewhat brave (though it shouldn't be the case) to do them!
@@debbieparnell7582 nah cus same lmaoo ive been watching those vids for the past two days and i will feel robbed if the duffer Brothers Don't acknowledge anything and call us crazy cuz the signs have been there since S1
@@shelly5016 Exactly! Thanks. Plus The actor who plays Mike apparently wants to direct and has even directed stuff (according to the casting directing) so it would make even less sense if he'd have acted those signs if there's no payoff. It's frustrating how Mileven are seen as deeply romantic just because it's a straight relationship when the bond with Eleven is someone with an abusive childhood appreciating the first person to show kindness - which lacks the standards of healthy romantic love. Mike's bond to Eleven is that her superpowers saved Will. It's a solid platonic bond but it's not healthy romance for either of them. Mike's bond with Will is equal and based on who he is not what he's done.
I agree to disagree with some parts you mentioned. If you analyse el and will’s friendship/relationship with mike and also how other couples are portrayed, there’re so much parallels and evidence to limit mike+will as just best friends. And I hope s5, the duffers show us a mature view of mike’s perspective between these relationships considering the time skip -nearing the early 90’s, and the show including other similar pairs!! Also, the more I watched through the seasons (rewatched a few times already) I realised that mike’s storyline becomes very interesting when will’s character is driving the plot. For example, in s1 & 2, mike feels more of a main character alongside will, compared to s3 & 4. Just a random rewatch observation
another thing that's really sad is Mike really has no older character to go to - not Steve, or Robin, or Nancy, or Johnathan, or Hopper, his parents - no one, not really. Even when we do have the rare scenes of him having a comforting relationship with someone older (like Joyce, Karen, and possibly Eddie) its gone just as quickly as it came
He has no hard time expressing his feelings towards Will though, which he has done in both season 2 (the shed monologue) and then season 4. (in Will’s bedroom) He just have a hard time showing his feelings/emotions when he knows he doesn’t feel the same, that’s what I really believe. He really wants to say ily to El because he wants to love her but he just can’t because he knows that would be a lie.
@@angelwithnightmares bc Will is his childhood friend, lmao. And even when speaking to will, he is still struggling to actually say what he thinks and put it into words. Mike has never been an expressive character. The most expression he has ever had is when he blurted out that he loved el and was tired of her getting hurt and being used as a machine lol. His second most expressive scene is when he is screaming at hopper and punching him for hiding El away.
@@fart63 the shed scene? When he said that meeting Will was the best thing he’s ever done? That was the rawest Mike moment of the entire show. He told him his feelings straight from the heart without no one pushing him into it. It was real and genuine and true.
I am so hyperfixated on Mike and his character, especially the POVs and reactions this was so well focused on Mike and how his life will always affect how he decides to respond ily for this
I would've liked Mike to take El's side even after she assaulted Angela. She was feeling all alone and vulnerable and yet Mike seemed intent on blaming her for lashing out. His body language at the roller rink, and what he said at dinner was really bad. His girl needs to be shown a lot of love, and he should endeavour to understand her better. I believe El doesn't want to be thought of as a "superhero" to Mike, but yet he keeps telling her that. Its implying that her worth as a person is because of her special abilities. That is quite hurtful. But being as young as he (Mike) is, I can buy into how he doesn't understand this yet. Its funny how we're discussing fictional characters like this, but the show and these superb actors have created really compelling and believable characters. So much so that it has got me thinking if I know my partner well enough too. Or am i as bad as Mike? I enjoyed this analysis of S1-4 of ST's flagship couple. Its very interesting.
Alright one last comment, I’m glad someone said it. Mike is just a teenager, and people judge him so harshly for his actions. I’m also glad that you pointed out that people treat Will as if he’s a saint and can do no wrong. Will is feeling abandoned by his friends but he also low key ditched Dustin, which instantly gained less sympathy from me in that situation. And lastly I’m glad someone finally said it, but both Will and Mike are in the wrong. Mike should have tried harder for Will to maintain the relationship, but Will gets less of a right to complain because he didn’t put in the work either. It’s not all on Mike, it’s on both of them. This concludes my Ted talk for now.
I’d like to argue that El does know what Mike is trying to say when he says “blank makes you crazy”. She just wants to hear it from him, and is trying cajole him into saying it
love this! In general i think mike it a very interesting character, especially when u see s4 as a culmination of all the seasons past, i think it makes a lot of what people found irritating abt his character make a lot of sense. I’m not sure what’ll happen with him in s5 but i do think it would make a lot of sense to finally get to see Mike sharing his emotions openly and I wonder how they would go about that. I personally think byler would be a good conclusion as I see a lot of traits of repressed queerness in him and if i read both mike and will as gay then i actually relate to mike more as someone who was deep in denial as a teen. I also think it would make sense because a lot of queer people often live in denial and try to be as “normal” as possible and so much of how Mike behaves in his relationship with El feels like him trying desperately to grasp at normal. Either way no matter what I want Mike and El to end on good terms and become best friends and even if byler never happens there’s no denying they should deserve a good ending. anyways thanks for the vid!
His relationships with El being a way to stay normal??? Come on, El is anything but normal. Mike is clear with Will about being not guilty because Will doesn't like girls... So, yes, he has a clue that Will is gay, but that doesn't affect their friendahip at all. Probavly he is clueless about Will's a feelings for him because Will is always truing to help him os his relationships with El . Mike is such a nice a Nice guy... For him, being"different" is ok, genuinelly. That's why Eleven falls for him, and that is also why Will falls for him. Mike doesn't care about being normal... He pointed It out in his conversation with El in seanson 4.
@@marcelasismottogandara2843 he is not a person he is a character. yes he said he doesnt care abt being normal and yes el is anything but normal. but if u look at the writing, when he first lands in california he is very clearly trying to be someone he’s not, someone he imagines is normal. when i say ‘normal’ i mean it in a societal sense- so in the society he lives in being a straight man who is very enthusiastic about having a girlfriend is what he is Supposed to be. that is the Norm he is trying to fit into. He’s wearing clothes that dont match his usual style we see in hawkins, he’s saying loving and nice things to el, but still cannot bring himself to say i love u, not even in writing. when he brings her flowers he over-explains the meaning of it because he wants to make sure his facade is perfect. but as the story continues, their relationship does not recover. yes he says i love u to her but they dont have any scenes where they r intimately talking to each other, nor any scenes where they both talk through their issues and come to and understanding. his love confession comes from will prompting him during a life or death situation, that’s not exactly the best situation to share how u truly and deeply feel. like think abt it, a life or death situation, wouldnt anyone say what they think will help the other person survive? but he does have intimate convos w/ will where they show they understand each other deeply. again, remember he is not a person there is a whole group of people writing the scenes for this character, the things they do and do not put into the show are intentional. If they wanted mike and el to be a good healthy couple they would! Also the mike maybe knowing will is gay and is ok with it, yea maybe but also how would he know will is gay?? like in terms of the show?? yes we can assume throughout their friendship he might’ve caught onto it but again, this is a tv show, the scenes they do or dont add in matter to what the point of the story is. they never once showed us a scene that implied mike knew will was gay, as an audience, what he said kinda came out of no where. that means it came from HIM, his own insecurities, his own fears. So yea. i say all this but idk what will happen with the story im not the duffer brothers but i really do not agree with viewing characters as if they are acting of theyre own volition, they r not!! they r written certain ways for a reason and thats why u cant always trust a characters words, because characters arent supposed to know the overall plot, we are supposed to see them grow and change so what they say will always be second to what we are actually shown narratively. thats what makes picking apart writing so fun. u can think watever u want to think abt mike but this is just how i interpret what the show actually shows us.
Great video! I think Mike is an interesting character, especially because we haven't really seem his point of view in a while (season 4 being more focused on El and Will's pov). I was wondering what your thoughts are on the possibility that Mike might return Will's feelings?
Thank you! I would say that it's really hard to know what Mike is feeling right now when it comes to Will, especially because there wasn't much of his POV this season and he spent most of it worried about El. I think that with the way that things seem to be playing out currently, it really unlikely that Mike will reciprocate Will's feelings in the following season. However, there is going to be a time skip at the start of season 5, and a lot can change with a time skip, especially if the time skip is big enough, so I wouldn't say that it is impossible, just probably unlikely. It would make for a pretty interesting storyline for him though if he eventually does!
@purple123 I found this on byler/anti mileven Tumblr and this is kinda hilarious 💀 hes not "confirmed" straight and if he's gay/bi that was planned all along so he wouldn't "would out to be another sexuality"
@@_Creami_ byler shippers are suddenly so loud, it’s pretty annoying. I really hope they don’t waste all of mike and els development for a new relationship that would be extremely out of nowhere for mike. I also hope they stop treating mike as an afterthought and let him speak for once. Since season 2 he has been ignored completely, and in season 3 and 4 he was disrespected by everybody lmao
Why is everyone keep saying that the day Mike met Eleven in the woods was the same day that Will went missing. Mike, Lucas and Dustin didn't find out about Will til the next morning. They are 2 separate day.
I honestly just love how the fans keep trash-talking about him for most of the crap he's done, yet they seem to be perfectly fine with ignoring the fact that he was risking his own life just in order to save his ungrateful friend Dustin from these two bullies in that one scene in season 1.
I mean I sorta agree with you, the Duffer brothers could've done better to portray Mike, I think it's because we're seeing it from Will and El's perspective. I wanna see how it's being from Mike's perspective.
Sorry I’m just gonna make new comments whenever something else is like to point out happens. I also think the reason why Mike was so bratty towards Hopper was because he had some resentment for hiding El when he knew how much El meant to him.
Are you serious? When did he ever act bratty to hopper? He was a completely normal kid with a normal relationship in season 3. Hopper was the asshole in all aspects. He threatened mike and el and became violent to be possessive over her. Season 3 was horrible, I cannot believe there are people who take hoppers side.
I liked Mike in season 1 and how he protected El then in season 2 with how he supported Will and then yea they did him dirty and instead Dustin seems more like the heart of the group. Honestly I feel they never should have had them move away and just stayed in Hawkins and keep Mike as the leader role! Will's painting would have made more sense :p
I honestly think that Mike ended up figuring out Will’s feelings for him sometime after season 3, and was trying to behave in a way that would prevent Will from getting false hope. Unfortunately I think that ended up resulting in him kind of pushing Will away which Will also did because he was in love with Mike. Which made that whole situation between them 10 times as worse in season 4.
(If I've typed this twice it's cause my computer was going wrong!) Cari Miller - I would have thought that but a channel (I think is) called 'Lesbian Mindflayer' has done a load of video analysis that makes me now fully converted from thinking that to being certain that Mike has internalised homophobia and what he actually realised and felt uncomfortable with in season 3 was his own feelings for Will. In the 80s people especially had to hide their sexuality, so they would have made even more of an effort to hide signs of it. The Duffer brothers have filled it with so much symbolism like an arrow that says 'one way' pointing to the closet, the way Mike reacts to El versus the emotion he has in reactions to Will which once you notice would make a really strange choice for the actors/directors to make if it wasn't paving the way for a reveal later, kissing EL with his eyes open or in sunglasses. El is Mike's beard and I'm convinced from the amount of sophisticated evidence presented that the Duffer brothers have paved the way for that reveal in such a subtle way it would take LQTQ+ people who are more aware of what being closeted might look like and/or film critics to notice the signs (my lesbian mother also noticed that subtext). That reading makes so much more sense and is a much stronger character arc for Mike. Now I've seen the sheer amount of evidence presented - including the amount of times Mike checks Will out and how much more impassioned he feels about his friendship with Will then relationship with El etc I will actively be frustrated because the writing/directing would be weak for the amount of symbolism and subtle emotional cues to have no payoff, and I think the team are better than that (plus I'm convinced that season 5 is going to have so many reveals that make rewatching previous seasons really rewarding and I already am going to have to go back and watch for all the signs the feelings are actually mutual).
@@debbieparnell7582 this!!!!! 👏🏻 And besides, both Finn Wolfhard and The Duffers have explicitly said that Mike has no idea about Will’s feelings for Mike. As far as he knows, he thinks Will is straight. Which fully explains the airport scene. Mike was acting like a jealous person here because…. He was.
@@angelwithnightmares thanks! Yes it does. Once you notice the signs you can't unsee them. It's like the twist to a movie - it's all there and you can watch it again for a different payoff but most people won't pick it up first time round (and I didn't without help!) and when you do rewatch it seems painfully obvious.
I personally hate him because of season 4. He couldn’t go a single sentence without mentioning eleven. I’m talking every scene. His entire life revolves around her
There are so many great points in this video. I am a hardcore Mike defender. I know this man does make some questionable choices, but I can really relate to him. He’s bad at as expressing his feelings with words, and he acts with emotions. I too have put my foot in my mouth a time or two
What if Mike was talking to Will when saying he loves El during the fight. Just like Will did to Mike in the van in a subliminal way.
OMG I never thought of it this way, that would be amazing
Would be a pretty big waste of 4 years of relationship lmao
@@fart63There's no "waste," don't objectify their relationship. It was real. It happened. But just like Hopper's letter- people change and grow. It's already heavily implied Mike was lying during the scene, it's just about what we don't know. Or even worse, he was so out of touch that he doesn't even see who El really is, just some super hero. That's the relationship you're banking on?
Mike's "love" confession was off, but that's because it's off for a reason. It's everything that has been building with his character for 4 seasons. Whether he's gay for Will or just not in love with El like he thought.
@@fart63what are you talking about
I would also like to point out the dinner scene after the roller skate incident. Everyone talks about how Mike didn’t read the room, but no one talks about the look on his face. It’s the same face that Finn makes when he’s having an anxiety attack in real life. So i honestly believe that he’s in a lot of distress at that moment in time. So yes, while Mike didn’t read the room, nobody read Mike either. Nobody ever asks how Mike is doing, they just assume.
FR
so well said
Exactly and he was probably confused asf bc El told him Angela was her friend, and that she goes roller skating all the time. People are trying to read too much into shit. Also everyone wants an excuse to hate mike and I don’t know why
I agree, Mike is a kid, if you notice. From the get go(season 1) he has a hard time expressing himself.
This is why Mike saying he’s been in love with El since he first saw her is total bs. It’s all about Will. Mike only kept her around for that reason. Until she showed she could help find Will, Mike wanted to turn her into the police. Also, according to the Duffers, Mike has NO CLUE of 1) Will’s sexuality and 2) Will being in love with him. So him trying to “let Will down” makes ZERO sense. This video is soooo hetero 😭 At the very least, it should be acknowledged that Mike and El’s romantic relationship is all either kissing, fighting, or being separated. And Mike’s love confession only comes after Will confessed his feelings for Mike. The feelings that are disguised as El’s. And if Lucas is Mike’s best friend, what the hell is Will to him? Why is THEIR relationship highlighted sooo much more than Mike and the other guys in the party? Lol like yeah they’re paired bc they have to be, as though their relationship hasn’t been tantamount to Mike’s character the entire time. El dumps Mike- comedy. Will and Mike argue- serious and emotional. What is the reason? I’m not just saying this; it’s what the show does. Watching a mileven shipper analyze Mike just makes me sad bc there’s so much they disregard. Giant sigh.
bel pop - fully agree. Have you seen the videos by Lesbian Mindflayer? They have fully sold me from thinking (though I didn't want it to be true) that the relationship was one sided to being certain that Mike has internalised homophobia and that Will and Mike are endgame (which will hopefully happen and play out before the end of the season). There is so much compelling evidence that I think require a combination of being either LGBTQ+ (though probs especially with gay/lesbian viewers more so than other types of LGBTQ+ simply for having more direct awareness of beards - I'm demisexual/bi in a way where I've never fancied a woman but know I could and was clueless here, but my mum who's a lesbian read it that way without needing video analysis!) and/or highly aware of film analysis. It's frustrating seeing the heteronormative shipping of Mileven but I hope that we should get amazing payoff come season 5!
Also it's funny how people love relationships that are deemed forbidden so much but let their bigotry stop them from appreciating LGBTQ+ relationships in media - as an ace spectrum person I find the massive amount of straight relationships too in your face to appreciate and especially ship LGBTQ+ couples because it seems more romantic when it's not just going along with the status quo and PDAs are so much more tolerable when the couples actually have to be somewhat brave (though it shouldn't be the case) to do them!
Couldn’t have said it better!!!
@@angelwithnightmares thanks again!
@@debbieparnell7582 nah cus same lmaoo ive been watching those vids for the past two days and i will feel robbed if the duffer Brothers Don't acknowledge anything and call us crazy cuz the signs have been there since S1
@@shelly5016 Exactly! Thanks. Plus The actor who plays Mike apparently wants to direct and has even directed stuff (according to the casting directing) so it would make even less sense if he'd have acted those signs if there's no payoff. It's frustrating how Mileven are seen as deeply romantic just because it's a straight relationship when the bond with Eleven is someone with an abusive childhood appreciating the first person to show kindness - which lacks the standards of healthy romantic love. Mike's bond to Eleven is that her superpowers saved Will. It's a solid platonic bond but it's not healthy romance for either of them. Mike's bond with Will is equal and based on who he is not what he's done.
I agree to disagree with some parts you mentioned. If you analyse el and will’s friendship/relationship with mike and also how other couples are portrayed, there’re so much parallels and evidence to limit mike+will as just best friends. And I hope s5, the duffers show us a mature view of mike’s perspective between these relationships considering the time skip -nearing the early 90’s, and the show including other similar pairs!!
Also, the more I watched through the seasons (rewatched a few times already) I realised that mike’s storyline becomes very interesting when will’s character is driving the plot. For example, in s1 & 2, mike feels more of a main character alongside will, compared to s3 & 4. Just a random rewatch observation
another thing that's really sad is Mike really has no older character to go to - not Steve, or Robin, or Nancy, or Johnathan, or Hopper, his parents - no one, not really. Even when we do have the rare scenes of him having a comforting relationship with someone older (like Joyce, Karen, and possibly Eddie) its gone just as quickly as it came
Tbh I see mike as a character that has trouble trying to express his emotions
um... yes
@@sabrinamayhew2736 you sound like ur questioning it
He has no hard time expressing his feelings towards Will though, which he has done in both season 2 (the shed monologue) and then season 4. (in Will’s bedroom)
He just have a hard time showing his feelings/emotions when he knows he doesn’t feel the same, that’s what I really believe. He really wants to say ily to El because he wants to love her but he just can’t because he knows that would be a lie.
@@angelwithnightmares bc Will is his childhood friend, lmao. And even when speaking to will, he is still struggling to actually say what he thinks and put it into words. Mike has never been an expressive character. The most expression he has ever had is when he blurted out that he loved el and was tired of her getting hurt and being used as a machine lol. His second most expressive scene is when he is screaming at hopper and punching him for hiding El away.
@@fart63 the shed scene? When he said that meeting Will was the best thing he’s ever done? That was the rawest Mike moment of the entire show. He told him his feelings straight from the heart without no one pushing him into it. It was real and genuine and true.
I am so hyperfixated on Mike and his character, especially the POVs and reactions this was so well focused on Mike and how his life will always affect how he decides to respond ily for this
He looked back at Will in the van scene. In the backround oop
He was scared away by the haircut though 💀
I would've liked Mike to take El's side even after she assaulted Angela. She was feeling all alone and vulnerable and yet Mike seemed intent on blaming her for lashing out. His body language at the roller rink, and what he said at dinner was really bad. His girl needs to be shown a lot of love, and he should endeavour to understand her better. I believe El doesn't want to be thought of as a "superhero" to Mike, but yet he keeps telling her that. Its implying that her worth as a person is because of her special abilities. That is quite hurtful. But being as young as he (Mike) is, I can buy into how he doesn't understand this yet.
Its funny how we're discussing fictional characters like this, but the show and these superb actors have created really compelling and believable characters. So much so that it has got me thinking if I know my partner well enough too. Or am i as bad as Mike?
I enjoyed this analysis of S1-4 of ST's flagship couple. Its very interesting.
Alright one last comment, I’m glad someone said it. Mike is just a teenager, and people judge him so harshly for his actions. I’m also glad that you pointed out that people treat Will as if he’s a saint and can do no wrong. Will is feeling abandoned by his friends but he also low key ditched Dustin, which instantly gained less sympathy from me in that situation. And lastly I’m glad someone finally said it, but both Will and Mike are in the wrong. Mike should have tried harder for Will to maintain the relationship, but Will gets less of a right to complain because he didn’t put in the work either. It’s not all on Mike, it’s on both of them. This concludes my Ted talk for now.
I’d like to argue that El does know what Mike is trying to say when he says “blank makes you crazy”. She just wants to hear it from him, and is trying cajole him into saying it
love this! In general i think mike it a very interesting character, especially when u see s4 as a culmination of all the seasons past, i think it makes a lot of what people found irritating abt his character make a lot of sense. I’m not sure what’ll happen with him in s5 but i do think it would make a lot of sense to finally get to see Mike sharing his emotions openly and I wonder how they would go about that. I personally think byler would be a good conclusion as I see a lot of traits of repressed queerness in him and if i read both mike and will as gay then i actually relate to mike more as someone who was deep in denial as a teen. I also think it would make sense because a lot of queer people often live in denial and try to be as “normal” as possible and so much of how Mike behaves in his relationship with El feels like him trying desperately to grasp at normal. Either way no matter what I want Mike and El to end on good terms and become best friends and even if byler never happens there’s no denying they should deserve a good ending. anyways thanks for the vid!
His relationships with El being a way to stay normal??? Come on, El is anything but normal. Mike is clear with Will about being not guilty because Will doesn't like girls... So, yes, he has a clue that Will is gay, but that doesn't affect their friendahip at all. Probavly he is clueless about Will's a feelings for him because Will is always truing to help him os his relationships with El . Mike is such a nice a Nice guy... For him, being"different" is ok, genuinelly. That's why Eleven falls for him, and that is also why Will falls for him. Mike doesn't care about being normal... He pointed It out in his conversation with El in seanson 4.
@@marcelasismottogandara2843 he is not a person he is a character. yes he said he doesnt care abt being normal and yes el is anything but normal. but if u look at the writing, when he first lands in california he is very clearly trying to be someone he’s not, someone he imagines is normal. when i say ‘normal’ i mean it in a societal sense- so in the society he lives in being a straight man who is very enthusiastic about having a girlfriend is what he is Supposed to be. that is the Norm he is trying to fit into. He’s wearing clothes that dont match his usual style we see in hawkins, he’s saying loving and nice things to el, but still cannot bring himself to say i love u, not even in writing. when he brings her flowers he over-explains the meaning of it because he wants to make sure his facade is perfect. but as the story continues, their relationship does not recover. yes he says i love u to her but they dont have any scenes where they r intimately talking to each other, nor any scenes where they both talk through their issues and come to and understanding. his love confession comes from will prompting him during a life or death situation, that’s not exactly the best situation to share how u truly and deeply feel. like think abt it, a life or death situation, wouldnt anyone say what they think will help the other person survive? but he does have intimate convos w/ will where they show they understand each other deeply. again, remember he is not a person there is a whole group of people writing the scenes for this character, the things they do and do not put into the show are intentional. If they wanted mike and el to be a good healthy couple they would! Also
the mike maybe knowing will is gay and is ok with it, yea maybe but also how would he know will is gay?? like in terms of the show?? yes we can assume throughout their friendship he might’ve caught onto it but again, this is a tv show, the scenes they do or dont add in matter to what the point of the story is. they never once showed us a scene that implied mike knew will was gay, as an audience, what he said kinda came out of no where. that means it came from HIM, his own insecurities, his own fears. So yea. i say all this but idk what will happen with the story im not the duffer brothers but i really do not agree with viewing characters as if they are acting of theyre own volition, they r not!! they r written certain ways for a reason and thats why u cant always trust a characters words, because characters arent supposed to know the overall plot, we are supposed to see them grow and change so what they say will always be second to what we are actually shown narratively. thats what makes picking apart writing so fun. u can think watever u want to think abt mike but this is just how i interpret what the show actually shows us.
@@mintycoolnessisrelevanceTheres no implied scene mike is gay?
Justice for Mike! 🖤
Great video! I think Mike is an interesting character, especially because we haven't really seem his point of view in a while (season 4 being more focused on El and Will's pov). I was wondering what your thoughts are on the possibility that Mike might return Will's feelings?
Thank you! I would say that it's really hard to know what Mike is feeling right now when it comes to Will, especially because there wasn't much of his POV this season and he spent most of it worried about El. I think that with the way that things seem to be playing out currently, it really unlikely that Mike will reciprocate Will's feelings in the following season. However, there is going to be a time skip at the start of season 5, and a lot can change with a time skip, especially if the time skip is big enough, so I wouldn't say that it is impossible, just probably unlikely. It would make for a pretty interesting storyline for him though if he eventually does!
Mike is cannon straight I really don’t think he would out to be another sexuality now
@@Purple-xy1ud I don't think even the Duffer Brothers said he was straight. He could be _anything_ rn
@purple123 I found this on byler/anti mileven Tumblr and this is kinda hilarious 💀 hes not "confirmed" straight and if he's gay/bi that was planned all along so he wouldn't "would out to be another sexuality"
@@_Creami_ byler shippers are suddenly so loud, it’s pretty annoying. I really hope they don’t waste all of mike and els development for a new relationship that would be extremely out of nowhere for mike. I also hope they stop treating mike as an afterthought and let him speak for once. Since season 2 he has been ignored completely, and in season 3 and 4 he was disrespected by everybody lmao
that would sounds like depression to me
that would be also sounds like anxiety disorder to me
Why is everyone keep saying that the day Mike met Eleven in the woods was the same day that Will went missing. Mike, Lucas and Dustin didn't find out about Will til the next morning. They are 2 separate day.
I honestly just love how the fans keep trash-talking about him for most of the crap he's done, yet they seem to be perfectly fine with ignoring the fact that he was risking his own life just in order to save his ungrateful friend Dustin from these two bullies in that one scene in season 1.
Unpop opinion about Mike he doesn’t have his own story line outside of Eleven’s boyfriend really. Much
Duffers did that on purpose cause he has a huge secret
I mean I sorta agree with you, the Duffer brothers could've done better to portray Mike, I think it's because we're seeing it from Will and El's perspective. I wanna see how it's being from Mike's perspective.
@@anaivanic7303 and that secret is going to reveal itself in season 5 and I can’t fucking wait for it!!! It’s going to be SOO GOOOD
@@angelwithnightmares yeap
Mike is the most complex and interesting character of the show,people just don't know it yet
@@anaivanic7303 which secret, about what
Mike wheeler has Bpd in season 4 that needs to be addressed
1:04:13, wow, I missed that detail. Great video! Really nicely balanced with all the sides! Hope you do more stranger things videos!
I'm digging the content.....I'm a new youtuber myself but I like your approach
Sorry I’m just gonna make new comments whenever something else is like to point out happens. I also think the reason why Mike was so bratty towards Hopper was because he had some resentment for hiding El when he knew how much El meant to him.
Are you serious? When did he ever act bratty to hopper? He was a completely normal kid with a normal relationship in season 3. Hopper was the asshole in all aspects. He threatened mike and el and became violent to be possessive over her. Season 3 was horrible, I cannot believe there are people who take hoppers side.
I liked Mike in season 1 and how he protected El then in season 2 with how he supported Will and then yea they did him dirty and instead Dustin seems more like the heart of the group. Honestly I feel they never should have had them move away and just stayed in Hawkins and keep Mike as the leader role! Will's painting would have made more sense :p
I honestly think that Mike ended up figuring out Will’s feelings for him sometime after season 3, and was trying to behave in a way that would prevent Will from getting false hope. Unfortunately I think that ended up resulting in him kind of pushing Will away which Will also did because he was in love with Mike. Which made that whole situation between them 10 times as worse in season 4.
(If I've typed this twice it's cause my computer was going wrong!)
Cari Miller - I would have thought that but a channel (I think is) called 'Lesbian Mindflayer' has done a load of video analysis that makes me now fully converted from thinking that to being certain that Mike has internalised homophobia and what he actually realised and felt uncomfortable with in season 3 was his own feelings for Will. In the 80s people especially had to hide their sexuality, so they would have made even more of an effort to hide signs of it.
The Duffer brothers have filled it with so much symbolism like an arrow that says 'one way' pointing to the closet, the way Mike reacts to El versus the emotion he has in reactions to Will which once you notice would make a really strange choice for the actors/directors to make if it wasn't paving the way for a reveal later, kissing EL with his eyes open or in sunglasses.
El is Mike's beard and I'm convinced from the amount of sophisticated evidence presented that the Duffer brothers have paved the way for that reveal in such a subtle way it would take LQTQ+ people who are more aware of what being closeted might look like and/or film critics to notice the signs (my lesbian mother also noticed that subtext). That reading makes so much more sense and is a much stronger character arc for Mike. Now I've seen the sheer amount of evidence presented - including the amount of times Mike checks Will out and how much more impassioned he feels about his friendship with Will then relationship with El etc I will actively be frustrated because the writing/directing would be weak for the amount of symbolism and subtle emotional cues to have no payoff, and I think the team are better than that (plus I'm convinced that season 5 is going to have so many reveals that make rewatching previous seasons really rewarding and I already am going to have to go back and watch for all the signs the feelings are actually mutual).
@@debbieparnell7582 this!!!!! 👏🏻
And besides, both Finn Wolfhard and The Duffers have explicitly said that Mike has no idea about Will’s feelings for Mike. As far as he knows, he thinks Will is straight. Which fully explains the airport scene. Mike was acting like a jealous person here because…. He was.
@@angelwithnightmares thanks! Yes it does. Once you notice the signs you can't unsee them. It's like the twist to a movie - it's all there and you can watch it again for a different payoff but most people won't pick it up first time round (and I didn't without help!) and when you do rewatch it seems painfully obvious.
mikes my favourite character bro😔
I personally hate him because of season 4. He couldn’t go a single sentence without mentioning eleven. I’m talking every scene. His entire life revolves around her
So glad I found this video. Would you consider one on Lucas?
Oh girl you are not really bright
First of all, go look at the mirror.
@davidostapenko2578 no problem, I like the view,)
@@nastepnastacjapolemokotows7786 No, there is one problem: you're just not smart enough to do that.
@@davidostapenko2578 sure buddy
I LOVE THIS PLEASE MAKE MORE