i get really into shows that aired like 5+ years ago like “have y’all heard of this”
Goshhh, how often will I have to read the argument that it doesn't matter whether Mike is gay or bi. He is the ONLY character for whom this matters GREATLY. Has everyone forgotten the show in the never-ending hiatus?
I will remind you: Mike is currently in a straight relationship with a little glorified extra called Eleven... a relationship completely central to the whole show, most important relationship in S1, which we will circle back to in S5, featured relationship in the showdown of the penultimate season. It's kind of a big deal.
It has been set up, very obviously and dramatically, early in S4 (after already being hinted on lightheartedly in S3 ... and hinted in a more sinister way in S2 for that matter) that El fears Mike doesn't love her, which kinda pulls the rug from under her, but most importantly it has been set up that she wants AN HONEST EXPLANATION. She asks, she cries, she screams, he deflects. This has to be resolved. Few things have to be resolved as urgently as this, because otherwise there was no reason to set it up!
Why not Mileven? El needs to know, the (general) audience needs to know or this is just a confusing mess. Did he have this huge crush on her, but it didn't stand the test of time and separation and now he is into Will? OK, but then he needs to TELL HER (and us) this. Was he in denial of being gay and therefore mixed up friendship feelings for a girl with romantic love? Yes, that is actually the case. I can tell you now, but my Tumblr blog doesn't resolve the arc. HE needs to tell her and us this, so it all makes sense.
Dustin (& co) vs. Ted Wheeler
2.05 x 4.05 x 4.07
Dustin’s ongoing beef with Ted is great!
Get him Dustin!
what if i told u…that both mike and will are important…that both of them have been sidelined by the show and theyre really very similar…that theyve both been thru internal struggles and react in different ways…that theyre not an “opposites attract” type of relationship…that neither of them exist solely to be the love interest for the other…if i told u this would u believe me? or would u continue trying to pit two bad bitches against each other.
i'm so glad i've lived long enough to hear uma thurman say the word "bottoming"
RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE (2023)
— dir. Matthew Lopez
Entertaining the possibility that Mike’s struggles with Will and El are exactly what was shown to us on screen
i.e. looking at Mike's perspective through the lens of his insecurities rather than internalised homophobia. This is going to be long, but I've tried my best to properly articulate and connect all my thoughts!
Starting off with,
Mike being unable to tell El that he loves her (4x2) because to put it simply, he’s not in love with her (anymore at least) but he loves her enough that he can’t lie about it, and neither can he let her go. He’s not fallen out of love because of El, but subconsciously because of who he’s become when he’s in a relationship with El. We see early on in season 4 that El has been pretending to be someone she is not in her letters to Mike. We see her breakdown when Mike handles the roller-skate-to-Angela’s-face situation badly because that’s the confirmation she wanted to know that Mike may not be appreciative of who she truly is. El was under the impression that she was a monster in that scene. She is not, but she was worried Mike would react negatively to her and he did. El even compares it to Brenner’s reaction to a traumatic incident she repressed and believed was her fault. What Mike said later is probably true - that he just reacted that way out of shock, but he also couldn’t tell her he loved her right after, so El heard what she wanted to hear. Pretending to be someone else wasn’t working for her anymore. If we observe carefully, we’ll realise that El hasn’t been the only one pretending in this relationship.-
The character development of Dustin Henderson!!!!!
Yessssss this, bc we see his character start to develop like this at the end of s1, too. When they’re playing DnD, Dustin says:
Love him for that <3
“i liked it before it was cool” well i liked it AFTER it was cool when everyone abandoned it