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bugsbenefit · 1 year

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Mike's state of mind and the basement in s4

Mike's basement has been one of the most important and reoccurring locations on the show. it's one of the few places that shows up in Every season, even the one Mike is out of town for. as it's a consistent location it also has very consistent set design throughout the seasons.

so it's interesting looking at it in s4 because for the first time in 4 whole seasons it looks different. and these changes raise some questions. (also a prime example of set design telling it's own story which hasn't been verbally highlighted to the viewer, which is super fun)

1.) the basement is a Mess

like, I'm serious it's BAD

games are lying everywhere, on the table, under the table (something must have changed about the "games are for kids and we're not kids anymore" mindset ig), toys and figures are also just next to the table on the floor. the desk Max is writing on is so cluttered she barely has room to write. there's also food wrappers everywhere. not "real food" as the show calls it but instead mostly sweets. there's even a full box of applejacks and poptarts laying about (poptarts which we also see Mike throw in the toaster in e1, got to love the consistency). on the drawer next to the couch is at least a hint to someone eating "real" food down here in the form of an empty plate with cutlery in it.

so. looks like someone's been spending a lot of time down here. but this isn't bad per se. Messy teenage boy behaviour. Max has been distant from the party, Lucas joined a new club, Hellfire replaced Mike's basement DND sessions, so the overall visiting rate must have decreased significantly over the 6 month time skip. if it's just Mike hanging out here on his own, is it really weird that it's messy?

well, the same season rightfully goes out of it's way to introduce the very real practice of comparing a person's behviour to their previous behavior to determine if it's unusual.

so let's do that. what IS normal for the basement?

here's the basement 6 months earlier in s3:

and, well. it looks perfect. no plates, no wrappers, all games are stored away. the same Simon game we see strewn on the table in s4 is neatly placed next to the drawer. the only remnants of food we see are the cocoa puffs Lucas is actively eating and the sodas on the table they're appearing to be drinking right now. and there's also no crumpled blankets lying everywhere and over every seat either.

the s3 basement looks how the basement has looked in all prior season. neat and cozy. in s4 that has now subtly changed. the basement is a mess now.

it's surface level, not too in your face, but it's there, constantly in the background. Max has to write around all the litter on the table. it's both in your face and completely in the background - and without comparing it to previous renditions of the basement we've seen we wouldn't question it. (very similar to Mike's room in s4. it's an absolute mess, closet open, bed messed up, clothes on the floor, he even ends up just grabbing a worn floor shirt when he leaves. which in itself isn't too weird. "teenage boy behaviour". unless you look at Mike's room in any of the previous seasons which is Very tidy and neat)

the mess is out of character for Mike judging by everything we've previously seen of him.

but if we're already comparing the basement of different seasons, there's also the next point

2.) Mike has also probably been sleeping down here at least a few times

the blanket we've seen folded up in previous seasons is now strewn over the couch and a bed-pillow is restricting Lucas' movement.

if we want to compare again. bellow are the normal couch pillows in previous seasons (screenshot from s1 where you can see all of them the neatest). there is no pillow used for beds in the basement until s4. and then there's also a picture of the comforter hanging over the couch in s3, a loosely knit blanket. which is replaced by the Actual blanket in s4 that was unused in all the previous seasons.

the fact that Lucas constantly bumps into the pillow also makes it clearly thought out set design because it's actively restricting the actors and wouldn't be placed there without reason.

but there is also something general to be noticed when comparing the basement of s4 to it's previous renditions:

3.) the basement lost it's comforting light. it's dark as shit down here now

this is something i haven't seen anyone talk about directly before but it's so jarring. the basement is always shot as a pretty cozy place. but season 4 gets a bit silly and goofy. we see the s4 basement during the day so lets compare that with s3 where we also get an equally long sequence in the day-basement:

this is what we're used to in s3. the basement is actually a very open area. multiple windows, a windowed door leading out to ground level, big enough to have an adjacent bathroom. the basement is a big open space. there's lights on everywhere you can see all corners of the room very well and the light brown colour of the walls makes the room feel warm. but light is also coming through the slightly open curtains and big door-window. you have warm artificial light but also natural sunlight. it's the main hub of the party and feels cozy.

now look at s4:

the basement is dark as shit. it's daytime during both these scenes but they have an entirely different feeling. if you didn't know it was daytime you could also just assume it's night. we never once even catch a glimpse of the door with the giant window, it's kept out of shot deliberately. we only have one angle with a window even in frame and in it the curtain is now completely closed, the plant previously on the window sill is also not visible anymore.

the bathroom and under-the-stairs area is so dark it's almost impossible to make anything out back there. the shadows in this scene are absurd when compared to s3. there are no warm shadows in corners and cozy walls anymore, there's just dark behind and between the characters and you can't even tell the colour the wall has near the bathroom door in s4. the white lamp in the background also becomes a primary light source for once this season, by being center frame constantly + the added lack of sunlight in the scenes, which makes it feel even more uncomfortable and cold.

and if the shadows and odd lighting choices aren't enough. the entire space feels much heavier now. the dark shadows shrink the room away, the hidden windows and door make the room feel closed off and Actually underground, and on top of that, clutter is Everywhere which closes the already tight space even more.

Max is sitting far back in the darkness (because she's cursed and emotionally distanced from the others) so the gloomy lighting of the basement is clearly intentional here and not just a fuck up from the lighting crew. the basement is supposed to feel dark here.

-> somehow the basement lost it's calming open nature between s3 and s4. it's still the hub of the party but it feels less cozy than it once did, it feels closer to suffocating now.

4.) and characters are giving dialogue nudges to that change too

the general change of the basement, both in appearance and vibes is so apparent, but what if it's just supposed to be a fun background detail that we shouldn't pay closer attention to? - well, first of all, you should be paying attention to the sets of ST 100% of the time after what we know they hid before. the set designers really love their job there apparently since they keep putting their whole setussies into these backgrounds (sorry). but also secondly, both Max and Nancy actively comment on it and suddenly it's not only the set design but even the dialogue that vaguely gesticulates in the direction of what the sets are already telling us:

Max, despite having no problem with Mike's basement prior, now calls it an armpit. and Nancy goes out of her way to jab at Mike's (now) messy room by telling everyone it's looked worse before than the absolutely wrecked cabin.

the basement is in an absolute state in s4. both from the way it looks all the way to how the camera work and lighting portrays it. and even later dialogue points out Mike's messy state of living (both his room And the basement are a mess).

Mike's basement has been the central heart of operations since the first seasons and a has been a place of comfort and consistency all throughout. in season 4 it still serves that purpose, however, it's starting to look worse for wear now. it's function is unchanged, but you're able to see that something is different now if you actually pay attention or compare it with what's normal for it. (as s4 kindly tells us to do)

the set design on this show is absolutely amazing but this is really such a cool case of telling a story in the background. even without getting direct dialogue in s4 we can infer that Mike has been spending a lot of time in the basement, presumably also at night, doesn't bother to tidy it up along with his room, and that the general atmosphere of the basement has lowered.

Mike's general off-ness and state of mind are left unaddressed by the end of s4 despite the many nudges in it's direction we get both verbally and non verbally. and the basement is just another part of massive character work done entirely through set design and camera angles/ lighting choices.

#i love the subtle character work the show does to build foundations to their characters #same goes for all the movie posters and background details that show up seasons prior only to end up being Massive foreshadowing #i love set design and behind the scenes work but ST is such a fun show because of how much care consistently gets put into it #stranger things #st analysis #st4 analysis #mike wheeler #mike's mental health

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tal-vez-o-quizas · 1 year

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I was reading, once again, this wonderful post by @aurorabyler and this part particularly struck to me:

And I wholeheartedly agree.

Can I say how much people disregard the actions of Mike towards El or don't think too much of it? Same with El.

Mike going through ST4EP3 is paralleling Nancy's incapability of saying "I love you" to Steve after she called their relationship "bullshit" while drunk (even though Nancy already said that she loved Steve, to his face).

Why is it that people took it seriously when Nancy was unable to say those words when Steve demanded them but when Mike doesn't say such words after El confronted him about it, most of the audience's response is "He's just a teenager", "They're too young", "He doesn't know what love is" or "He doesn't have to say that he loves her to demonstrate he cares about her" while simultaneously saying "Say you love her!", "My man, you can't say those words?!"

How come Steve and Nancy were teenagers but people still took it seriously when they had their "I love you" situation but somehow the same doesn't apply for Mike and El?

How come people were expecting someone who can't even write "Love, Mike" in a letter to his girlfriend or mention the word "love" to his best friend to say "I love you", even after he was confronted by said girlfriend and just said that he cared a lot about her?

A character saying "I care about you" to someone else is THE MOST PLATONIC thing ever and it basically means that person is automatically being friendzoned.

We all know that.

But when Mike says it, it's nothing serious?

When El wrote "From El" in the letter Mike received in ST4EP5, most audience's response was "It just means she's being petty", "Aww she wrote him a letter" or it just caused some laughs.

They downplay every action Mike and El take towards each other and honestly? I'm not even surprised cause most people suppose Mike and El will never have a big issue or something that can break them as a romantic couple because they've been "love interests" throughout the show (as if movies and TV Shows have never broken up long-term relationships ever before).

Why is it that back in ST2, when Steve and Nancy had that fight, everyone automatically thought of Jonathan, who seemed to show romantic interest in Nancy but somehow nobody thought of Will (who was shown pining after Mike) when Mike couldn't say "I love you" to El?

#gee can't wonder why #we all know why #even if people don't think Mike and Will could end up together it's not hard to wonder why Mike has those issues with El and think of Will #it's easy to figure it out when it's a heterosexual couple #but when it's someone of the same sex it's hard to figure out?#please #byler #st4 analysis #st2/st4 parallels #st analysis #anti milkvan #anti st*ncy #mine #my post #my ramblings #tal-vez-o-quizas #byler hope #mike wheeler i know what you are

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whynotimtired · 1 year

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The more I think about it the more I like the idea that mike was supposed to be the 4th and final sacrifice and him going to California kicked off every problem that Henry had in his plan, like it was Chrissy, Fred, max, and then mike. The plan was take max out for El and take mike out for Will, by the time they come back to Hawkins for the funerals all the gates are open and Wills mental state is worse for wear and for the first time he's without Mike, his rock. There's no longer anyone to pull him from the brink which makes Will perfect to manipulate and finally get on Henry's side for good. But Mike leaves and he suddenly needs a new number 4 so he finds Patrick and then max, his number 3, finds a loophole so he has to take Patrick instead as 3 and max becomes his final sacrifice. It all worked out in the end for him and Will was still drawn back but the only hitch in his plan is still Mike. He's still alive which means he needs to get rid of him in some way if he's ever going to have a chance to get to Will

#thinking thoughts thinking so many thoughts #which is why mike would be getting vecna'd without a clear reason as to why #bc hes not killing him to open a gate he just really REALLY wants him gone and yk 'if you want smthn done right you have to do it yourself'#i think the idea of mike screwing up another one of his plans is funnier than henry waiting for him to leave #bc chrissy was killed while mike was still in hawkins #but anyway its whatever fkbdbsbs #stranger things #mike wheeler #st5 speculation #st4 analysis #will byers #will byers has powers #byler #mike gets vecna'd #and the fact that patricks was weird and different and he didnt have the build up that everyone else did #....and mike is the only person who left hawkins #the potential flashbacks when henry reveals that he was supposed to be in Max's place....like the max reveal #when she was popping tylenol and getting nosebleeds and having nightmares #i am clawing at the walls #'i thought you were done. you got what you wanted! the gates are open! hawkins is in ruins!'#'oh dont be so naive michael.'

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kittenkatbar · 2 years

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so. will’s van monologue is just him confessing his feelings for mike but projecting them onto el, right?

what if. and hear me out. what if the only reason mike could say all of that to el during his pizza place monologue is because he was using his feelings for will. after will spurred him on to say something. after will called him the heart. and that was enough for mike to say something to el, just like it was enough for will to say something to mike.

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sarahivess · 11 months

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I don’t know if anyone has pointed this out before but I def think El’s season 4 poster foreshadowed El and Mike’s broken relationship (the squished coke can) and El saying goodbye to her own self (the broken mirror with young El)

#stranger things #st4 analysis #byler #anti milkvan

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nadia-zahra · 1 year

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So getting drunk while watching stranger things actually just leads to me going into full conspiracist mode and thinking EVERYTHING means smth and taking over 200 “evidence” pictures from literally only the first couple of episodes from st4 🥸

Out of all my pics I think this shiz is the most interesting:

First things first this feels a lil on the nose for stranger things. Like "expression necessary to evolution" feels like they're saying "expressing our true selves leads to acceptance and change for the better because being normal sucks ass"

The bball game may actually be st5 final battle foreshadowing along with the dnd game cause wtf is up with these numbers... like we get 20 (which from the dnd game is the winning number but from this game its a stepping stool which is v interesting), we get 11 decked out in red, and Jason and Lucas have a difference of 4 (that's revelevant cause we've seen MULTIPLE time byler and eleven have numbers surouding them have a difference of four).

Oh and this might actually be smth or just miscommunication between costumes and props...but I'm pretty sure Patrick is called #13 when he's actually #23...there's literally not a #13 on the team

The phone number murray was saying is def not what’s on the paper

The clock behind Max is literally wrong like why does it skip over 5?! Why is the 4 red?!

Speaking of Max... why all the mf butterflies surrounding her?!?!?

Guy who is #20 on team is decked out in yellow, Lucas is wearing blue, and Jason looks like Henry while framed between them and watching from afar…mmmm byler senses are tingling.....

Creepy red smiley faces that are just super clear in shots for no reason

the shot of brenner's finished cross word puzzle plus the horoscopes feels important

btw wtf was up with brenner's notes... like is that a compass or a clock in the corner of his notes??

last… THE EYES (all of them are either in green lighting or have green in them which makes this creepier)

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dxrlinggxd · 2 years

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all the robin&vickie/byler parallels in vol 2

mourning period is over im back with my delusions!!!! either these were intentional or the duffers are the most unoriginal crappy homophobic writers who could be outsold by a 12 year old on ao3

so obviously this is parallel number one:

(looking at these pictures makes me upset again theyre so homophobic wtf)

anyway immediately after this shot vickie and mike parallel each other again

if we're being extreeeeemely delusional, did mikes face fall a little when he saw will after touching his forehead to el?? honestly that might be a stretch but ill just put it in here <3

these 2 shots are EXACT parallels tho woah

links to the scenes on youtube: vickie/robin & will/el/mike

next up we have this OBVIOUS OBVIOUS parallel

vickie: im so sorry i am rambling about my boyfriend when there are people out there who are suffering who need food

mike (in the painting scene): sorry it's just so stupid given everything thats going on

[i'll add photos with subtitles if i find them but here are the scenes: vickie/robin & byler ]

then theres the way mike looked at will & robin looked at vickie (plus how vickie and will are both filmed in the exact same way)

and finally, the last shot of all 4 characters in the whole season being with the love interest

pls lmk if ive missed anything. they need to treat their queer characters better honestly how are they getting away with this

let robin buckley actually kiss a girl on screen. byler canon endgame is real idfc if the show agrees or not

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #mike wheeler is gay #will byers is gay #mike wheeler is bi #robin buckley #vickie x robin #stranger things #stranger things 4 #st4 #vickie stranger things #vickie chapman #robin x vickie #stranger things analysis #stranger things thoughts #stranger things 4 analysis #st4 analysis

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byler-alarmist · 1 year

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What if Will was hoping Mike had remembered his birthday here, then got disappointed again?

(Img credit @mayahawkins )

Mike says "no, no you didn't deserve anything" and Will whips around, but then Mike starts talking about the past year and Will gets disappointed. The script even tells us this:

Why would he get disappointed?? What had he been hoping to hear??

#birthdaygate #will byers #byler #stranger things #st4 vol1 #st4 analysis

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aemiron-main · 2 years

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just had a realization about mike’s monologue: he mentions the yellow Benny’s burgers shirt specifically

it’s literally hilarious how Mike, even if we take his monologue at face value, seemingly fell in love with a girl who has been mistaken for Will by other people (that guy who saw El at Benny’s burgers & thought she could be will), and who was also wearing Will’s colour the night they met.

I thought that the mention of the shirt was weird in the monologue, but it seems like the writers are pointing out another subtle comparison between El and Will, with El specifically being mentioned to be wearing Will’s colour.

#byler endgame #byler analysis #byler #byler canon #stranger things #stranger things season 4 #st4 analysis #byler script #byler evidence #byler s4 #mike wheeler i know what you are #will byers

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strangertheories · 2 years

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Max mayfield 💚

Max Mayfield (and some Lumax) Analysis

So before I begin this analysis, I'm going to put a quick trigger warning for depression, PTSD, abuse and suicide. If that's not something you want to read about at the moment, please take care of yourself and skip this post. I'm going to write this out similarly to the Mike Wheeler one by breaking down her arc season by season. I might not have included all of her moments, but this post is long enough already so sorry if I missed something out.

Season 2

At the start of season 2, we are introduced to Max. Max is a tomboy who enjoys skateboarding and is brilliant at arcade games. We later find out she can pick locks and drive to a certain extent as well as (in season 3) do proper first aid. Max overall is very smart and skilled and she's one of the most resourceful of the group which is shown throughout the show. In the book Runaway Max, which is dubiously canon, it is said that she learnt to drive from her biological father and even if this isn't the case in the show, we do know that she used to have a good relationship with him (saying her mother was the problem, writing him a letter in S4) which probably contributed to her aloof and unhappy attitude in season 2. It also is an early example of Max's loyalty which we see later on in the series.

Speaking of her aloofness, when Max moved to Hawkins, she is deeply sarcastic, cynical and antisocial. She pushes away the opportunity to make new friends in Lucas and Dustin but we can tell she still wants to be their friend by the fact that she turns up to Halloween with them. She also endures exclusion and poor treatment from the party in order to have friends and be included and I think this shows that deep down, Max craves friendships and closeness with people.

I think this is because Max is dealing with a lot due to her parents divorce, her move to Hawkins and her abusive stepbrother. We see Billy be rude to her, use tactics to emotionally torment her (breaking her things, trying to run over her friends) and be racist towards Lucas. This leads her to push other people away partially because she worries for them but also because she has very low self-esteem so maybe believes people don't want to be her friend and doesn't want to get close to people in case she gets stung again. I also think this is why she endures poor treatment from the party initially but as the season progresses, she stands up for herself to Mike and calls herself the group's 'zoomer', showing how she now feels like she is/should be part of that group.

We see Max's attitude to the world when it comes to the Upside Down. When Lucas explains to her what's going on, she doesn't believe him whatsoever. This is fair enough considering most people wouldn't believe in a parallel universe with D&D monsters. But I also think this is a greater symptom of her distrust and cynicism. But when the strange events are impossible to deny, we see a new side to Max. Max now feels able to trust Lucas and admits to him what's been going on with her stepbrother. She joins up with the group to help fight the demodogs and we see her caring a lot about them. When Billy attacks Lucas and then later Steve, she is able to fight back against him with her newfound confidence that's she's gained from meeting her friends, drugging him and telling him to leave her and her friends alone. She also steps up and drives them to the Mind Flayer's 'hub'. This is also an example of Max's loyalty.

At the end of the season, we see Max going to the Snow Ball. I think this seemingly small Max scene shows just how far she's come since the start of the season. In this scene, Max asks Lucas to dance with her and jokingly refers to him as a 'stalker', his nickname from earlier in the season. At the beginning of her time on the show, Max was aloof and distant. Her nickname 'stalker' was more accusatory and it was used to push away Lucas and co. But by the end of the season, Max has let down her guard, made friends and gained some self-esteem. Instead of being asked to do things, she now pursues friendships and relationships. Instead of using a nickname to push someone away, it's now a friendly joke. I think this scene is the pinnacle of how far Max has come.

Season 3

In terms of character development, I have a lot less to say about S3. We found out in S2 that Max was sarcastic and loyal and was opening up more to people. In S3, we get to see more of the payoff from that. At the start of the season, Max and Lucas are in a happy and steady relationship. Despite Max teasing Lucas and regularly breaking up with him, you can tell that their relationship is pretty good and that Max is no longer pushing away her friends. She has still maintained some of her sense of humour and teasing that made her popular, but it's coming from a positive place now.

Later on, Max takes Eleven under her wing. Eleven is pretty clueless about boys and a lot of the world in general so Max clues her in on what she's missing. Again, we're seeing that Max is now actively trying to make friends and that she's a lot happier which is a result of her arc in S2. Side note: I'm very glad they went in this direction with their friendship as Eleven being jealous of Max in S2 was odd to me. I much prefer them as friends.

Billy gets possessed by the mind flayer so the group describes to essentially boil him in order to find this out. In this scene, Billy begs Max to let him go and you can see that she is tempted as she walks towards the glass. At the end of the season, Max pleads to Billy to try and get him to overcome his possession. He ends up sacrificing himself to save Eleven, her and the rest of Hawkins. His last ever words were 'sorry' to her, which has obviously impacted her. We see her at the end of the season acting cheerful and happy, but privately she is sad and empty. This incident massively traumatizes Max and begins her character regression. Even though Max had a poor relationship with Billy, I think she still believed he could've changed.

Season 4

Before I speak about S4, I just want to reiterate my previous trigger warning for PTSD, depression and suicide as it's pretty heavily implied in S4 and spoken about in some detail in mine.

At the start of S4, we see Max in being spoken to by her councillor because she forgot her last session. She's wearing dark baggy clothes in contrast to her more fun and bright clothes in S3. Max is isolating herself from her friends and her boyfriend. We find out her grades are slipping and that she's putting a lot less effort into school. At the pep rally, she rarely talks to Mike and Dustin except to make a snide comment. Her use of sarcasm in S4 is a lot more reminiscent of what it was like in S2 as she's using it as a tool to be rude and push people away instead of to show her affection to her friends. I also think this is the case in that (quite funny) scene where Max is making fun of Dustin's Hellfire Club t-shirt. She's not doing it out of a place of affection like her with Lucas in S3, she's doing it to try and push people away from her.

She also pushes away Lucas by breaking up with him and deflecting his comments which are coming from a genuine case of concern as him being annoyed she broke up with him. Lucas compared Max to a ghost because whilst she's physically there, Max is not herself at all, which shows just how much she's changed. Lucas clearly cares a lot about Max and I think part of her knows this but because of her depression she's not able to accept that he genuinely cares for her until later.

Under Max's aloof exterior we can still see that she's the same caring girl. Max checks up on Chrissy when she's concerned for her and noticed her leaving the councillor's office whilst upset. She feeds a dog that lives near her house and is very loving and affectionate towards it. She listens in to Lucas' game on the radio. Max is not incapable of love or closeness; it's all an act. But Max thinks that she is. She convinces herself people couldn't understand or care about her so she puts up her guard and pretends to not mind. This is a lot like her in S2, but her depression seems to be a lot worse in S4. I also think that because she's dealt with so much loss that she believes that if she gets closer to someone then she will lose them too.

When Chrissy dies, Max turns to Dustin and her other friends for help. But even at this point, she's still distant from them. We see more of her intelligence and resourcefulness during her investigation, which leads to her realzing that Vecna is going to target her next. She seems pretty resigned to the fact that she's going to die. She's sad about it, obviously, put not nearly as much as you'd think. She writes letters to everyone in her life, telling them what they mean to her because she's too distant to tell them whilst she's alive. To me, these are clearly meant to be suicide notes and before I continue, a lot of this is based off of this post by @kaypeace21 so please check that out for more on this allegory.

Vecna tries to use his trances to convince Max that no one cares about her or would be able to help her. He tries to make her feel isolated and scared. Vecna confirms all of her deepest anxieties and he psychologically tortures her whilst trying to lead her to an inevitable death, telling her that she hides from them and she knows why. He tells her that she is the reason Billy died and that part of her wanted him to die because of his abuse towards her. We know that this isn't true and that Max is clearly mourning his loss and the loss of any chance at having a sibling relationship. But Vecna is not saying anything Max hasn't thought of. He's a personification of that little voice in a depressed person's mind telling them that they're awful and alone and no one could understand them. Vecna tells Max that she wishes to join Billy and the lyrics of the song Running Up That Hill say she wishes their places were switched. Vecna is essentially a walking, talking suicidal thought.

But through the montage, Max realizes that he's wrong. Max has so many people who care about her. She has a boyfriend who loves her. She has so many great moments with friends. She's not a bad person, she's not alone and she's not helpless. Max runs away from her demons and from the forces dragging her down. She runs towards the light. She runs towards hope. And she survives. When she wakes up in Lucas' arms she tells him that she's here. She's not a ghost anymore; she's ready to begin the long rocky road to recovery with the boy and the friends she loves.

To conclude

Max Mayfield is sarcastic and funny, but often times her humour is just a tool to push away the people she cares about. But we start to see at the end of S4 that Max is trying to make a change and recover from her depression.

This post was longggg. I've got asks for Will, Robin, Eleven and Dustin analyses and I promise you that they're coming! Thanks for the ask, anon (:

#stranger things #stranger things four #stranger theories #st4 #stranger things analysis #lumax #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #anti billy hargrove #mucas #max x lucas #lucas x max #lucas and max #max and lucas #st4 analysis #stranger things season 4

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autistic-robin · 2 years

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stranger things 4: hiding from conformity & confronting monsterhood (a deep dive)

let’s start at the beginning.

season 4 is the first season since season 1 to feature a game of DnD in the first episode. eddie loves DnD, says “conformity is killing the kids,” then hides in a shed to escape the people hunting him like will hides in the shed to evade the demogorgon in season 1. the townspeople think he’s a monster because of his nonconformity (but this isn’t the truth).

right from the start, we’re revisiting things from season 1— mike and dustin being enthusiastic about their identity as freaks and nerds, lucas diverging from the group (before later joining them again), max’s isolation from the group (like her feeling unseen by lucas in s2), el’s past trauma haunting her, and will’s figurative vanishing from his family’s lives (they forgot his birthday). it feels cyclical.

the theme of the past haunting these characters is obvious, but what’s most interesting to me is the show’s emphasis on hiding (from trauma), monsters (that traumatize), and doors (a way out of the cave).

in s4, several callbacks and parallels to previous seasons re-establish these motifs to remind the audience of how it all began and connect the pieces of the puzzle that most viewers are unable to. i’m going to break this post up into parts to keep everything organized and easy-to-follow.

motifs discussed: hiding from societal expectations, monsterhood, doors and gates (confinement and self-acceptance)

PART I: HIDING

in episode 1, chrissy hides in the bathroom when she has her first hallucination. this is after we see max look in the bathroom mirror like will at the end of s1 and el in s1. we find out that she’s experienced trauma at the hands of an abusive parent.

chrissy’s mom (the monster) yells at her to “open the goddamn door” (i’ll touch more on this later) and she screams for the monster to “go away, go away” just like will does to the mindflayer in s2.

additionally, @/ghostgirlinsatin pointed out that chrissy’s death scene ends with her trapped by what looks like a shed door. she also caught this painting in chrissy’s house:

this imagery is chilling. the painting— of a wealthy, white, nuclear family— is the image of 80’s conformity that the wheelers try desperately to emulate. this veneer is just that: something empty to hide behind. but chrissy can’t hide from the monster, or her traumatic memories. conformity and hiding can’t save her or any of the other characters affected by vecna’s curse. and the shed imagery is an obvious callback to will hiding in the shed in s1.

later in the season, brenner has a discussion with el after she halfway-remembers her past (and still believes she k*lled the other test subjects). he tells her that she cannot hide from her past, or the “good and bad” parts of her. he also stresses that heroes are the stuff of “myths and fairytales”— in victor’s flashback, his daughter alice says their new home/life is “like a fairytale,” which ultimately ends up being untrue. brenner tells el that she will have to reconcile the good and the bad that exists in her in order to become whole again— he tells her to “stop hiding.”

brenners’s comments about reconciling the good and bad (or percieved good and bad) stuck out to me in part because of the lighting of the scene— both el and brenner are lit using sidelighting (or chiaroscuro lighting), which emphasizes a character’s duality. another notable example of this technique being used in stranger things is mike’s monologue in the shed in s2– he is the only character in this scene that is half-eclipsed by shadow— joyce and jonathan are spotlit entirely. it’s safe to say that mike is battling some inner conflict (dual nature) that he percieves as monsterhood, just as el percieves herself as a monster in the scene with brenner.

so hiding in s4? not such a great idea for our characters. but it wasn’t always this way— in season 1, the first mention of a character hiding is the scene where el flips the DnD board upside down. this is the first time we hear the demogorgon’s theme. mike asks where will is, and el says: “hiding.” the implication here is that hiding saves will’s life— it’s interesting to see how this motif has evolved over the seasons. initially, it was a good thing, something that protected will. but now, we see how it is ultimately unsustainable for the characters in danger. another example of hiding being ineffective was eddie hiding in the shed at reefer rick’s and later at skull rock (skull imagery often symbolizes death— eddie has a skull ring like b*lly’s skull tattoo, who also died.)

we also see mike in s1 hide el in his closet before karen finds him. assuming he’s acting off because of will’s disappearance, she tells him he doesn’t have to hide anything from her (a queer-coded conversation). mike insists that he’s fine. all the while, el is having flashbacks (because of the closed closet door) to the past she is trying to hide from.

so literally and figuratively, our characters try to hide from conformity. will is hiding from past trauma (lonnie trying to make him conform to heteronormative standards) and el is hiding from her time at the lab (papa trying to force her to conform like the other test subjects/001 trying to force her to conform to his worldview) because if they are forced to confront society, they will be forced to confront their otherhood and will be labelled “monsters.”

PART II: MONSTERS

if the literal monsters in stranger things are interdimensional eldritch horrors, the figurative monster is forced conformity. eddie says this in his opening monologue (while mike looks at him with heart eyes lol), foreshadowing his being suspected of murder while also establishing him as a nonconformist. eddie’s identity as a freak/nerd is harmless, but it still sends the town into an uproar— at the town hall meeting, eddie is called a monster and erica says it’s “bullshit” and that hellfire is just a club for freaks and nerds. after jason’s monologue, the police insists on everyone complying with a curfew and “closing their doors” (hiding from the killer.)

we also revisit the theme of conformity creating monsters when 001 shows nancy his life and monologues to young el— he felt trapped and imprisoned by the structures humanity imposed on him and the societal pressure to be normal. but the lack of love in his life (an understanding family or close friends) led to his villainy. we see a direct contrast to 001’s nonconformity with will’s noncomformity— his family makes it clear to him that being a freak is cool (jonathan tells him this in s2, and joyce supports him no matter what.) parallels between will and 001 also include being described as “sensitive,” and the location of the tracker in 001’s neck is eerily similar to the part of will’s neck that he touches when he feels a connection to the upside down. 001 also tells el “everyone is just waiting for it to be over,” which calls back to will saying he “just wants it to be over” to joyce in s2. (i am not comparing will to a monster here, but rather contrasting them— where 001’s otherhood made him evil, will’s makes him empathetic and selfless.)

we also see monsterhood discussed (described as a curse— like vecna’s.) when hopper laments about failing el and joyce. he says he feels like a curse to the people he loves— this parallels el’s conversation with brenner about being the monster. they’re both convinced that they are the reason for their loved ones’ suffering. however, hopper breaks free from this line of thinking because of his drive to help save el from the monster (“i thought i was stuck here as a punishment… but maybe i was put here to help save el.”) he escapes the demogorgon later in the season through the open door. (murray yells at the guards to “open the doors” and free the prisoners). also worth noting: there is a drawing in will’s room in s2 of a hopper-esqus prisoner that will is freeing.

PART III: DOORS & GATES

in s4, doors serve as barriers/prisons and gates serve as mechanisms to accept nonconformity. when doors are closed, they put the characters in danger (hopper in the cell/fighting the demogorgon, the townspeople in their homes, chrissy being trapped by the shed door in her death scene, el trying to escape through the double doors of the rainbow room & 001 keeping them closed). when they are open, they provide an escape. so closed doors represent conformity— hopper being forced to conform to the rules of the prison, chrissy being trapped by the pressure to conform in her own home, el having to conform to 001’s demands— and gates represent freedom from conformity/societal expectations.

we see gates as mechanisms to accept monsterhood throughout the series— in the beginning, they’re framed as a bad thing. el opens the gate to the upside down, which hurts people, will insists on closing the gate, and owens says that there are gateways to forgotten trauma in the human mind.

but in s4, gates end up helping our characters confront their trauma (or otherness). in episode 4, the hawkins gang opens a gate using music and saves max— she escapes through the open gate. in episode 7, el opens the gate that banishes 001, potentially saving others that could have lost their lives to him (at least temporarily.) also, robin and eddie make it back to the real world using the open gate in eddie’s trailer. steve and nancy can’t because their trauma/guilt about being the same as the monster that k*lled barb (that hasn’t been confronted and accepted) holds them back. nancy percieves herself as a monster just like el and hopper (and maybe mike?) do— her survivor’s guilt keeps her trapped on the other side of the gate.

in the neverending story (referenced many times throughout st), there are several gates that atreyu has to get through. the first gate is a pair of yellow sphinxes that shoot lasers from their eyes (interesting thought: sphinx rhymes with lynx, which is the silver cat ref from s3), the second gate is a mirror (the mirror of your dreams), and the third is the no-key gate.

GATE I:

GATE II:

GATE III:

the hero of Neverending Story has to accept himself (the good with the bad) in order to make it through all of the gates.

this mirrors how our characters’ struggle for self-acceptance (even if they perceive themselves as monsters) is key to rooting out the disease of the upside down— which is a representation of the reality created by a world that condemns otherhood.

they’re trapped in a cyclical, never-ending story because they are reliving their trauma or unable to accept what they percieve as monsterhood.

#st4 #st4 analysis #byler s4 #ive been staring at my phone for too long #i was going somewhere with this #who knows where that was

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