#they're literally on the verge of a fight and they both know it and mike is still being so protective over his wellbeing here | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thebrokengate · 2 years

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Melvin's relationship in S4 is essentially a retelling of S3 but in a more toxic and nonsensical way.

In S3, we see Mike and El acting like someone they're not, there are lies in their relationship. Mike actively acts like he hates being a nerd and hides his own personality to ''grow up''.

In S4, we see Mike and El acting like someone they're not, there are lies in their relationship from both sides, Mike actively acts like someone he's not when he leaves Hawkins because of his insecurities and because he feels inferior. We know he acts different because we see him being like his own S1 and S2 self since he actively chooses to join Hellfire and enjoys it, but the moment he steps on Cali his persona changes. El's the same, she acts like someone she's not, we also learn that she's been lying constantly in her letters to Mike. We also learn that Mike has not been saying or writing ILY to El for months even though he's been sending her letters.

In S3, we see Mike trying to say ILY to El in a fake-out scene with that ''(blank) makes you crazy'' scene, but he never verbalizes it and they get interrupted. Then he verbalizes it by saying he loves El in front of a crowd where he thinks El cannot hear him and El is physically away from him. When later on El says she loves Mike and kisses him, Mike doesn't react or reciprocate, he just stands there and El leaves.

In S4, the same saga continues. Mike avoids using the word 'love' and has been avoiding it for months, he doesn't say it even when El's crying in front of him. Then El leaves. We have a fakeout scene where it seems like Mike might say ily to El in that Pizza scene but he never says it, they get interrupted. Then he says it in a death-or-life situation when once again El is technically away from him and stuck in an alternate dimension fighting against the big bad. Then we see them not talking about it again. What's gonna happen in S5? Will the Duffers make El go and kiss Mike while Mike's standing without reciprocation? Then make El leave Hawkins again and rince and repeat ig?

The endings of S3 and S4 are also similar. In S3, multiple people die, Billy die, and villain is still out there and El loses her powers.

In S4, El loses to Vecna, Vecna is still alive. Hawkins and Upside Down merge, and multiple people die. Eddie dies, Max dies and dies up in a coma etc.

I mean, seems like the Duffers are joking atp. Because what the hell even is this?

Incoming rant:

Yeah, I mean, honestly it's the most tiresome and frankly boring part of the show at this point and I wish they didn't stretch it out this long. And you're right. The only stakes they raised here was making the relationship develop with even more toxicity than what it already had by season 3. They could've left it with them broken up by the end of season 3 and just remaining friends but they didn't. Hell, they could've had them break up by Vol 2, but instead decided to write that monologue that didn't help shit because Mike was basing it off of Will's feelings from the van, was telling even more lies, and just telling El what he thought she wanted to hear, so their relationship still isn't glowing, but the writers made the conscious choice to not just end it so now we're stuck for 2 more years putting up with being called delusional. Even if it's a little less frequent than what it was and the "power dynamic" has shifted where Byler is becoming more popular, it's still bad. They're literally on the verge of a break-up right now, but they still couldn't give it up this season and now have to do it next season. Why do they feel the need to literally milk Milkvan? Maybe they raised the stakes of toxicity to get the GA more used to the idea of them separating and not liking them as a couple as much, but still. Every season, they get separated and come back together. And at no point does that time apart solve anything, because they keep running into the same fundamental issues over and over, and it just gets worse and worse every time where they leave their relationship off. Just separate them for good and be done with it. They don't work. I know a part of it is a codependency issue in the relationship itself and that's closer to being solved on El's part at least and now she's starting to move away from Mike, but honestly. Every time we make 10 steps forward, we end up taking at least 7 back almost every season. It might've been less this time just looking at the not-great terms Mike and El have ended on this season and the character progress El has made, but it's just kind of getting old, and I completely understand.

#ask styx #byler #anti m*lev*n

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