Of course, no one can "prove" Byler is endgame before Season 5! This is SPECIFICALLY to (1) make clear Byler fans aren't "delusional" because Byler ABSOLUTELY has been set up, and (2) to establish that if Byler doesn't happen then the Duffers are 100% guilty of queerbaiting. If the last part moved you, a necessary Coda to this video is David Bowie's "Heroes," a song about forbidden love, a cover of which the show ALREADY has played with Mike and Will: ua-cam.com/video/lXgkuM2NhYI/v-deo.htmlsi=I-_r4Ux9A0AIe6cm For those wondering what the hell kind of lawyer I am and WHO I am, you might like my political "coming out" video. I'm a left-wing social justice activist: ua-cam.com/video/ee6uZby2eH4/v-deo.html Also, I exist on Tumblr as TEAMBYLER. EDIT: I hit 1000 subs, only to discover THIS VIDEO CANNOT BE MONETIZED. ='( I think I put over 100 hours of work in this video, and this isn't sustainable for me unless I get support. This also means I can't make public videos with the same quality -- using show clips and music makes a stronger impact. I've considered deleting and reposting an edit, but that would losing all the wonderful comments and CUTTING OUT THE LAST SCENE. ='( ='( ='( NO. FUCKING. WAY. So this is what'll happen: future videos will NOT use clips and music to the same extent, except versions I post on my Patreon. And I need Patrons because I don't make money as a social-justice lawyer, and rely on that plus UA-cam ads. Here's the Patreon link! (Any future video will be clipped, with the full version on Patreon) www.patreon.com/c/theruleslawyer ADDITIONS: -28:00 On "We should normalize same-sex friends being affectionate, they don't have to be gay," I should have been clearer. HOMOPHOBIA is the reason for that stigma. Straight friends feeling like they can be affectionate in our society HAS to include normalizing LGBT+ people. -1:16:55 I should've said this more clearly: Will reminded Mike that who HE is, HIS unique qualities, make him worthy of love and make El love him, not dumb luck. And Will of course could convey that because Will loves the actual nerd MIke and everything he is. -1:17:06 Mike making El "not feel like a mistake" doesn't fit El, because she says that Mike looks at her "like I'm a monster, too". Nor did she "push you away because she was afraid of losing you". That's Will, not El. Mike felt love because Will was describing himself. -1:52:36 I forgot to mention that, in the original Nina opera, Nina's lover is ALIVE and DOES return. The Duffers changed the story so that Nina's lover does NOT return, to further suggest Mike won't return! -2:35:22 I'm kicking myself for not being more specific about Mike and Will being heroes in more than one way: I think the theme of bullying from s1 will return, with Will (and also Mike) having to face bullying for being boyfriends in Hawkins. As I explain in the intro, I do not claim this to be an exhaustive list of Byler evidence! I decided to stick to the more important bits and talk in-depth about them. I hope you enjoyed the video, and please share with others! =D TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Why this video 1:38 Hate for Byler on the internet 10:16 Case for Mileven 15:21 Case for Byler: Starting premises 17:56 If Will were a girl... 25:30 The evidence! 29:05 EXHIBIT A: The Snow Ball 31:34 B: Mike's reactions to El and Will being upset 34:21 C: Season 3 ending montage 39:16 D: Airport reunion 47:51 E: Rink-O-Mania argument 51:28 F: Heteronormativity, audience expectations 58:25 G: Throwing away the letter 59:55 H: 2nd heart-to-heart scene 1:05:43 I: Mike can't say he loves El 1:13:27 J: Platonic reunion 1:15:12 K: Will's role convincing Mike to say "I love you" 1:20:08 L: Effect of the "love confession" on El 1:39:54 M: The Painting Lie 1:43:22 Honorable mentions 1:45:27 Non-diegetic evidence 2:01:23 Actor statements 2:10:34 NOT how you write an unrequited love story 2:16:07 Why Byler SHOULD happen (queerbaiting, etc.) 2:28:21 A more powerful story 2:35:45 A personal note
Awesome video sir. I found it last night when someone posted it to the byler reddit. I think it's great to have all the evidence broken down from the analytical mind of an attorney. As a middle aged gay man from the Deep South, I relate to Will a lot, as I was a different quiet kid who didn't fit in. I have listened to your video in its entirety, and will watch again today during, in between work. You earned yourself another subscriber. More videos please of Stranger Things or whatever interests you. I will be watching. Thank you for your time and effort put into the video. BYLER FOREVER!!!
OMG! I just read your description and I appreciate you so much! Also, I feel like Mike and Will won’t die because they’ve just had too much buildup for their love story. I feel like it’s more likely el we get trapped in the upside down, saving the party because she’s heavily implied to have a solo ending, standing alone in a group of couples such as byler hopper and jancy! Also if Mike died, I feel like it would hurt Will too much. Same the other way around. I feel like it wouldn’t provide a satisfying ending either. I feel like if anyone in the party were to die I would make the most satisfying ending sacrificing herself. It sort of started with Will but it also sort of started with el without her, they wouldn’t have known about any of this. So it pretty much started with el
right like they just didn’t look into the show / into will’s character too much!! it’s literally the same case with byler too, so many people say they shouldn’t be endgame bc it would feel so forced and random, when they’ve been hinting at it since literally season one. also, it seems that the duffers’ fave plot twist is something like “it’s always been right in front of you, you just didn’t look enough / you couldn’t see it” and it makes a lot of sense not just with will’s queerness but even with vecna, the upside down, and basically the whole plot of the show itself. it’s all tied together. some of these people are just lacking media literacy and it shows
Forget whether or not those people were paying attention while watching the show, the internet was aflame with gay rumors about Will since Season 1. I remember how much people speculated every time a new season came out “This is the season we’re finally gonna get confirmation that Will is gay” and each season came with new scenes and hints that made everyone even more convinced about his sexuality. By the time season 4 came out, everyone was like “just stop hiding it at this point, we need a gay scene”. Now you’re telling me there are people who were completely oblivious to this “Will Byers is gay” internet craze too?? Because how else did you just not see it coming??
@elenawsmao when they were friends, they had never lied to each other. But as we see, their relationship developed into something different now, which is romantic trope, so they started to lie to each other and hide some things.
2:44 makes me sad because even though I know Stranger Things is a big show that lots of ppl watch, this show was meant for losers, nerds, queers, and people who don't fit in. The show constantly goes against bullying, abuse, homophobia, extreme religion, racism and more. So it sucks when the very people that stranger things goes against say these things about a selfless character who deserves love.
And yet some people in the fandom are homophobic! How is that even possible? I would think if ur homophobic you wouldn't watch a show w/ a gay main character and even more queer characters. And S1 antagonist (the bullies at school) are literally homophobic. Like do they not understand the show is making fun of them?? El literally makes one of them pee their pants in front of everyone lol.
this exactly! I'll never get over it. I'm really happy Stranger Things got really famous for the hard work put into it and because it deserves it, however, at the same time, I'm really sad most people don't get it. They don't get the whole point of the series, they don't understand the hardest work put into it, they don't get how well-written the characters are. This is for people who understand because they can relate.
I’ll never forget this one person telling me “if Mike isn’t some sort of queer it just makes him a asshole rather then a insecure closeted teen in the 80’s” and it’s just so true because the only way all that stuff Mike said can be justified is if he felt this way and was projecting
I liked Mike’s character in S1 & S2 but I didn’t understand him in S3 & S4 UNTIL I learned about Byler, and I realised how good Mike’s character could be if they become canon. NO joke byler will be the best slow burn if it becomes canon 😭
im gay and im trying to tell every one this is one reason why pep are getting sick of the lgbtq.. the only reason these two would be coupled is for pandering and not for the story it would be a mistake cause it was already dealt with
I have seen writers, directors, people who score music for a LIVING, actors (hi), and now LAWYERS talk about them and people still say "it's not that deep". Bro how would YOU know you don't have the resume! We have jobs but we're also nerds and we're on Netflix and online! They're queer. People have written thesises on it now.
@@donkeykong3628 responded in earnest but deleted them and decided to ask this FIRST: was this passive aggressive/rhetorical or are you genuinely interested? I have answers - the gist of which is "don't worry, you're not meant to yet: that's why we have a season 5", I just don't wanna share all my excited rants on the many ways to subtly plant the seeds of queerness in writing with someone just looking to disagree because they've already committed to an opinion.
No this comment is too real. Me and my little brother ship Byler but the rest of my family think we’re crazy lol! Me and my mom have a five dollar bet on Byler so I’m crossing my finger that I win!!
To be completely sincere, I'm one of those people who started to hate Mike Wheeler after season 3. I got so mad that Eleven decided to go back to a relationship with him, and during the rain scene, where I noticed that Will also likes him romantically, I was like: 'You both deserve better!' But then season 4 came out, and, girl… My point was proven, yes, but I started to think: 'Why would they make the love interest of the hero such an ass and make everyone who likes him cry?' Then, the airport scene, the van scene, and even the confession Mike makes to Eleven when she's fighting Vecna made me start to think: 'Do they want us to hate Mike for the way he is acting? But WHY THE HELL IS HE ACTING LIKE THAT?' Then I realized that he probably likes Will, hates that, and starts acting weird with both Eleven and Will. If he isn’t being mean and distant because he’s fighting this feeling for his best friend and stays with Eleven, even when everything points out that they don’t match in a relationship, then the writing is trash. People are BEGGING for Mike Wheeler's development and Byler is the only way!!!
I cried, my friend cried. I feel like creators like you, people who are with two feet on earth are the ones who make the strongest impact. I love this video and I love the way you expressed it all. Thanks for making this.
I've been a Byler shipper for a while and I'm always down to watch analysis videos. I've seen people say that "Byler can't happen" or that "they wouldn't buildup Mike and El for 4 seasons just to break them up," but those don't really feel like actual arguments. Mike and Eleven got together at the end of S1. Then spent most of S2 apart. Then broke up for most of S3. And spent most of S4 fighting. One of the most jaw dropping moments for me was El telling Mike that he never says he loves her. And Mike's only response is to shift the blame and say that she's being ridiculous. This is supposed to be the "endgame" couple and all they do is lie to each other and fight constantly. Mike and Will are constantly shown to have a special relationship. We focus on Mike's reaction to Will's "body" in S1. Will doesn't like lying to Mike about even small things like dice rolls. Mike notices that something is off about Will while Lucas thinks he's just being his normal self in S2. Mike spends the rest of the season attached to Will's hip and tells him becoming friends with him was the best thing he's ever done. In S3 Mike suddenly changes and distances himself from Will and says it's because he wants to grow up and move away from childish things like D&D. But then in S4 Mike suddenly decides to join a D&D club so clearly it wasn't the childish aspect that Mike was trying to escape. So what was Mike trying to run away from? In S4 we see that El says she thinks Will has a crush on someone because he's been acting weird. But then we see Will acting completely normal and Mike is the one who starts acting strangely around Will. He pays close attention to what Will is doing but also doesn't openly say that like he would in Hawkins. He says Will being sad sabotaged the whole day(2 seconds after he sees his girlfriend being bullied). Mike mistakenly thinking Will is talking about the two of them being in a relationship when Will just was asking about them being friends. In S1 Dustin and Mike talk about how the party all consider each orher to be best friends. But in S4 Mike specifically tells Will that the others are great but that home isn't home if Will isn't there. He's saying Will is special to him. Mike nodding when Will talks about how it's scary to open up to people because they might not like the truth(if Mike loves El, what truth would she not like?). The van scene where Mike smiles after getting Will's painting that El told him was for someone he liked. The show constantly is going out of its way to show how much Mike and Will mean to each other. I can't wait to see how their storyline ends. Especially because Mike and Will are seemingly attached at the hip again and Will has been confirmed to have a huge role in S5
this is completely off topic lol but i just realized i LOVE that the connection that got El to break out of Vecna's hold was Max's friendship!! not a boy who's been a terrible boyfriend to her all season, but strong female friendship!! i love that!!! it feels rare and precious idk maybe i need to watch more shows,
40:46 fun fact: the song playing in the background was played in a Lumax scene (on the bus) and in the script it says that they got interrupted by the doorbell ringing but in the scene they get interrupted by the sound of the tires, Byler has been parallleled to Lumax before and Lumax has been paralleled to Byler before, and Mike listed all his platonic friends but then he sad that they're not like Will and the word "team" was a Jopper parallel plus they called this scene an "intimate moment"
At this point, if mike isn’t secretly gay with internalized homophobia then it will be a case of bad character writing. If mike isn’t gay, that means he just said all that homophobic stuff to him in season 3 just because he knew it would hurt him. Not because it was him lashing out of insecurity. Same goes for will- if mike doesn’t have a crush on him, then it’s just a terrible plot line where will sacrifices HIS feelings just so the main heterosexual couple can be happy and in love
How is it bad writing for things to not end the exact way you want them to? I don’t care much for any of the ships in this show but why would it be such an issue for the “main couple” to stay together in the end?
@@mr.o3062 hi!!! I totally understand what you mean, and I get why people want Mileven to be together. I’m just saying that if mike isn’t gay, the duffer brothers wrote his character in a really strange way. His character struggles to say I love you to his girlfriend, gets defensive about wills (implied) sexuality, and just generally is kind of a douchebag in s3 and s4. Mike having another layer of character development that the audience doesn’t see on a surface layer makes his character so much more interesting and makes his actions generally make sense
I saw this on an instagram post and I was like "this has to be fake" but no. It isn't. And now I won't even study for that exam because of this. Update: I got a 10/10 on that exam, it was byler that helped me I know it
In 2019, when I was 11, I started watching Stranger Things. It was the same year I had a crush on my close female friend and realized I was a lesbian. I felt a sense of pain when I knew I was queer and also unrequited in my feelings. When i watched season 3 and 4 of Stranger Things, I saw apart of myself through Will and Robin and connected with them greatly, Will especially after season 4. The long hidden feelings between Mike and Will and the representation it holds feels so important for film/media today to stop 'queer-bating' characters and inevitably making people feeling hurt and lied to. Byler is so so personal to me in experience and the duffers including this quiet, complex love story would make the show's writing so so much greater for defeating 'queer-bating' and representation. Thank you so much Ronald for this amazing in depth analysis on this relationship.
When I was like 15-16 I realized I liked one of my best friends (I’m a girl and she is too). And I also see so much of myself in Will, specially the fear of coming out and coming out to your friend you also have a crush on. The whole finding out you’re queer, do you confess to your friend in hopes for the best, thinking it might ruin your friendship. Will’s experience hits way too close to home and is a character I hold dearly to me. Makes me wish I could hug him and tell him everything will be okay in the end :( ❤️
i also watched st at the same time and age as u, while i was figuring out my sexuality. i grew up with this ship and i will go insane when its endgame.
28:27 (starts before time stamp) THIS!! People always tell us to normalize men being close friends, but we don’t hear them telling people to normalize boys and girls being close friends…
This man needs recognition ASAP truly one of the better video essays I've seen on yt recently. It's not just recounting events as proof but going into the culture of the fandom, the anatomy of the character writing, the pros and cons, and more. Very quickly has become my new favorite youtuber even with just 2 videos :)
byler fandom exploded after season 4 but i’ve been in it since season 3, so many noticed things in season 1 too. it gives me so much happiness to see how big the pairing grew and every theory we came up with after season 3 came true in season 4 😭
honestly it kinda wild bc ive been watching stranger things since season 1 and have always been vaguely aware of byler but not sought it out. yet to see it blossom in recent years has made my heart full as nothing represents a show about nerdy loser freaks more than nerdy loser queers like me. it just makes sense to have queer storylines in a show like this
@@j_fenrirsame here! i caught on to will and mike within the first two episodes of the show bc of what joyce told hopper and how karen talked to mike when el was in the closet, and was so shocked that no one else was talking about it 😂 i felt crazy in 2016, like “yall didnt see that? maybe im reading into it too much.”
i put off watching this for a whole week because, as an og byler (i’m talking 2016 tumblr, when it was still byeler) i got… weirdly nervous? a video this long felt like a culmination of the last 8 years of my fandom experience. but i finally watched today and i’m so grateful i did! it’s wonderful to see this stuff we’ve been talking about for years all compiled into one concise, well-formulated video, and even showing some new aspects i hadn’t thought of. i love the law structure, it came off as very confident in the best way. great job on the video!
I'm a gay man who, like many other gay men, fell in love with a straight best friend when I was a young teen. Anyone who has gone through this particular experience knows that it involves emotions and complications that aren't really in any other sort of relationship. In Season 2 of Stranger Things, it became obvious to me that Will was in love with Mike. The signs were everywhere, and due to some fantastic acting (and I assume directing), I just got the vibe. I didn't amass evidence, I didn't think back to particular moments---I just knew from the way Will talked about, thought about, and looked at Mike that he was going through the same thing I had. I have really only ever felt this way about fictional characters with Killua and Gon from Hunter x Hunter (where it is incredibly obvious to anyone who has ever fallen for a straight friend that Killua loves Gon). I didn't notice that there was so much evidence for Mike's homosexuality. It never crossed my mind that the childhood bff straight crush could actually reciprocate lol. I didn't notice any of the admittedly obvious signs *because I was not looking for them or even aware of their possibility.* No straight man I have ever met has been open to the possibility that one party of a pair of guy friends might have feelings for the other. They see moments of particular flavors of intimacy, pain, jealousy, fear, and adoration and interpret them according to their experiences and the expectations founded therein (just as I do)---they conclude that they are just really close friends. But it is not as if their conclusion is as valid as any other. Rather, they are *blind* to the emotions and relations depicted. They mistake their blindness for the nonexistence of what they cannot see, as if the blind man doubted the existence of the sky. Hitherto I was blind to the possibility that Mike was also gay. Thanks for your video. It definitely showed me what I had missed.
i watched this entire thing. thank you for putting this together. fingers crossed no more queerbaiting. if the duffer bros get this right, they are going down in the history books.
10:48 Mike is dressed up as Venkman and Venkman's love interest in the movie gets possessed just like Will in s2 and in "Stranger Things the first shadow" Henry gets possessed by the Mindflayer just like Will and Patty (Henry's gf) used the "power of love" to help him out just like Mike did with Will and the hand Mike held was the only part of Will which was not possessed so basically gay love saved Hawkins in s2
YESS ok and also another thing adding credibility to this is the fact that both mike AND Lucas dress up as Venkman and Lucas’s love interest (Max) also gets possessed (by vecna) in season 4 and it was thinking of her memories with him (could also be seen as the power of love) that saved max (well the first time), so this just adds another parallel of the same thing happening to byler and both of the non possessed people being dressed as venkman which just shows that it can’t be a coincidence.
"we have a human right to squee" is RIGHT on the money. People think it isn't homophobia but it is. If you are purposefully robbing queer people of joy, that IS malice.
In further addition to Exhibit G, Mike throwing away the letter: It was definitely not necessary for the military to find the letter that Mike throws it away. The writers of that scene could've chosen for Mike to just leave it on the bed or desk or that Mike loses it when the house gets attacked. The soldiers ransacked the whole house, they would've found the letter even if it wasn't in such an obvious place as the bin. But no, they deliberately chose for Mike to be dismissive and disrespectful to the last message he receives from El and showing it in 4k, zooming in and all that.
I'm a bisexual writer with a very good gaydar and I could tell when i watched the first episode when I was 16 that those two were likely gay for each other. I am going to flex this if they end up together 100%
Yeah, plus if they don’t end up together and Mike ends up being straight then the Duffers just did a whole lot of Queerbaiting 💀. Although I’m praying that’s not the case, love me some queer representation.
As someone with a crush on their same sex best childhood friend, who even met in a similar way to byler, I cling to this ship like it’s a lifeline. It’s so nice to see a relationship like this, with characters LIKE THIS. I hope they’re endgame (if neither die :[)
another thing in the airport scene: it's established that yellow is also WILL'S color and when he was talking about the flowers saying "there's too much yellow" instead of the purple (el's color) it could be implying that mike's feelings for will are interrupting his relationship with el. that one may be a bit of a reach but i just think it could be something to mention on top of all the other evidence in that scene.
another detail i found, at the end of season three el tells mike she loves him back. mike still doesn’t directly say “i love you” to her and the kiss they share seem to be a moment of realization for mike. she kisses him, and he doesn’t kiss her back, and his eyes are OPEN the whole time she’s kissing him.
Yeah it makes no sense for Mike to be afraid to tell El that he loves her. She literallt told him she loved him at the end of season 3 so he shouldnt be afraid of rejection.
when I was his age, I distinctly remember being afraid of saying things like "I love you," regardless if the other person made it clear they had feelings for me. it was just hard for me to show i had emotions, due to trauma in early childhood. I definitely think it can make sense.
Man, your final words really got me💔 I'm a girl who loves bl (boy love) shows and series. I dove deep into that when I was 14 and really felt magic of this kind of relationships. At that time I was coming to terms with my sexuality. I'm a lesbian and I can relate to the characters deeply. I like gl shows as well but there are unfortunately not many of them. Stranger things being that popular gives me hope that Byler story can actually affect people. Many people that I know have watched the show including my parents. That would be wonderful if they could learn something from this. Be more accepting f.e. I think in addition to this ship being cute and heartwarming this is the main reason I want Byler to be the endgame. 🤧❤️🔥
I’d like to add on and mention that the “rain fight” between Byler parallels a scene from “eyewitness 2016". Both scenes when put back to back look, and somewhat sound the exact same. An example of this is during the rain fight Mike says “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls”, this is similar to when Lucas, the character that is paralleling Mike and is from eyewitness says “I’m not gay like you” to Philip who is also paralleling will in that moment. if you watch eyewitness you know that Lucas, the character that is supposedly mirroring Mike is canonically gay in the end but has experiences with internalised homophobia throughout the whole series like how we suspect Mike might have, and also Philip the character who is mirroring will , is as I would describe “more comfortable with his sexuality” somewhat slightly like Will is more than Mike would be at least . This also adds up to Lucas being Philip’s love interest and also the other way round and they end up as a canon couple at the end of the series aswell. I believe that this is not a coincidence at all because why out of anything would they pick that show to parallel it or that pair, this clearly would’ve had to have been thought out carefully and planned because it doesn’t make any logical sense otherwise you can easily say that this might be hinting at byler being real ,as philkas (the other ship name) became real aswell and gives hope towards byler (I probably worded this so badly as I struggle a lot with wording things )
for me, the biggest byler proof is the fact that will is in love with mike. it makes no difference to the main plot, so why? sure, they needed to have will have a crush on a guy to show hes queer in the show, but why did they choose mike? they couldve picked any of the main four, even Steve would have made sense, but they chose mike, his childhood best friend and the person who has always been by his side. having it be unrequited makes zero sense to me. in a show about people who are 'weirdos' or abnormal, why wouldn't the queer character have a happy ending? just my personal take
Did I know all these facts already? Yes. Did I still watch the entirety of this video rn? Yes. Did this give me hope for #bylerendgame? Yes. Thank you for this beast of a video 🫡💙💛 also, important note to all milevens who think we all hate El: we don't. We love El and want her to be happy, which she clearly is not being with Mike but being independent!
This is the most complex analysis of Byler, I’ve ever seen! I enjoyed this SO MUCH. You are SOOO underrated and I will be following your journey and hope you get more recognition in the future!!
this truly deserves all the views, love, & appreciation👏👏 and to anyone who thinks that we're reading into moments, facial expressions, body language, line delivery--acting is a craft, and if a directors doesn't think the acting conveys the proper emotion, then they cut and direct the actor differently! They would've had so many takes to choose from and likely intentionally filmed different takes with different motivations so they had variety to choose from in the end. Analyzing media like this is giving the creators, actors, set & prop designers, and costume designers the respect and kudos they deserve.
I came here with my doubts about Byler but after watching this video till the very end, i felt a sense of relief. Not because it convinced me the byler will be endgame but because it makes me comfortable since i'm still a closeted gay boy in a small and war devastated country called myanmar. I'm not even sure if i'll be alive when Sranger Things Season 5 comes out. My one wish is to enjoy stranger things season 5 and come out to my family and friends(hoping they won't be homophobic). But, i still really hope Byler become an endgame❤.
omg i’ve seen u on tumblr before and this was awesome and well said. i love seeing people a little older be so passionate about mike and will’s relationship it rly just shows how much their story speaks to so many people. it’s actually insane that even after covering all this, there’s still another mountain of evidence i can list. i’m 100% certain it will happen and their romantic relationship will be absolutely vital for the ending of the show. they are both insanely well written and also my fav characters of all time individually :)
I wasn't as invested in Byler before today. I truly have started seeing Byler in a new light today after being a fan of Stranger Things since the very beginning. I'm so glad this video popped up on my timeline 😭 Thank you for this amazing video!!
*_THANK YOU_* for mentioning the disproportionate hate on the Stranger Things subreddit. Oh my god, it's so stifling to theorise about anything slightly "out of the norm" on there. There's this constant sentiment of "Great, more fangirls shoving their irrational gay ships in our faces" (because apparently anything women like is bad, and apparently only women like gay ships... sure, Reddit). Often, even the silliest theories are treated better than Byler, simply because they're not about a gay ship. It's not delusional or irrational to think Byler is plausible, especially for a show that 1. Consistently hides small clues and foreshadowing for the audience to find, 2. Has repeatedly emphasised the problems with Mike and El's relationship, and 3. Wrote Will's crush on Mike to be clear and sympathetic for the audience in Season 4. I'm really not a romance person, and even I'm a Byler fan. I'm so excited to see what could happen next in their story, fingers crossed.
No this is so real, the subreddit is ridiculous. If you so much as mention byler in passing they will downvote you to hell, call you delusional and annoying, call the ship predatory and annoying...
I think byler went over my head because of the fact. I don't wanna give myself hope gay characters gets a happy ending. Because we rarely do. If byler is canon I will cry so hard
Thank you so much for this video. I hate that I watched these entire seasons with an open mind instead of an inclusive mind. As an 80's baby, I feel like our brains were conditioned with the nuclear family by our parents, and despite my willingness to push back and accept the many facets of love - I still find myself subconsciously viewing the world with these conditioned eyes. I was accepting of Will being gay without issue, but the romance between Mike and Will never crossed my mind as it would have if Will had been a female. I'm honestly elated at how this video cleansed my view of not only Stranger Things, but of this Strange World that we live in! I can't explain to you how happy and joyful your perspective made my heart. And I cannot express my excitement and pro-shipping of Will and Mike's connection. It would only be the perfect ending to this series, WOULD IT NOT?!! It fits so much better than El and Mike ending up in this 'normal' thing - and is the much more profound, 'STRANGE', and beautiful storyline for all three of these exceptional characters! Thank you again for your perspective, your evidence, and this share.
I find byler is so important to so many different people, byler has been my life support for 2 years, I've been struggling with mental health a lot and the possibility of them ending up togheter and me not seeing being able to enjoy it properly is one of the few things that has kept me going, obviously this applies to stranger things in general but more specifically, byler, if they aren't endgame I won't be mad but very, VERY disappointed in my role models (the duffers and the actors) I won't be able to see something that has made me happy for so long the same anymore and I believe any reminder would bring me pain, byler is more than just a ship to me and forever will be even if it's not endgame since it shaped me into who I am today and who I want to be
wanted to say this whole video was fantastic!! but on the topic of mike's monologue -- which i never really watched all the way through, because i was SO fed up with mileven in 2022 -- you pointing out that it was max being in danger, not mike's encouragement, that moved el to tears and helped her escape the vines actually changed me hello?? somehow in the past 2-and-some years i never noticed that at ALL. and the bit about mike/el's characters diverging, and mike looking for in el what he can easily find in will, is soooo UGH. no words. byler endgame and your analysis is spot-on!
im also pretty sure some people who dislike byler have said that it would cause discomfort with the actors which makes no sense???? Finn Wolfhard has been in multiple parts with romantic relationships with other male actors and Noah Schnapp is gay????
I'm new-ish to the fandom and the ship, and even I picked up on the romantic undertones between will and mike in s2 (before knowing abt byler at all)! Also, looking at everything put into perspective like this, anyone familiar with romance plot lines in media should be able to see that the arc mike and el are getting is never how an endgame couple plays out. like... it just isn't. you don't have a couple get together so early on in the show just to fight and break up and have constant misunderstandings and one-sidedness like they do, and still end up happily ever after at the end. To me it's obvious that they've just been establishing they're not right together. Amazing video by the way!! So well thought out and thorough!
I just found this video and I’m EVEN more glad that people actually understand my train of thought on this subject. I’m tired of getting my ideas shot down, so this video is really a breath of fresh air for me! :)
I love when a new UA-cam creator comes and makes videos about things they’re extremely passionate about. This video was so well put together. I loved watching it, the video went further into detail about how Byler is at least definitely hinted at. I’ve watched a few videos about Byler but this is the most detailed one I’ve seen so far. Also definitely checking out the other videos you suggested to watch now as I haven’t seen most of them yet. Also the story from that guy was so heartbreaking and bittersweet. I don’t cry often or easily but it very quickly got me teary eyed 😭.
2:32:49 A cool extra detail: when Heroes plays again in season 3, it CONVENIENTLY skips over the line "And we kissed as though nothing could fall. And the shame, the shame was on the other side." ...Coincidence? I think not! This lyric likely signifies Mike's love for Will in season 1, after his body was found. And the "shame" refers to the stigma queer people face. The fact that they chose to skip over it in S3 when byler were at odds... I believe the ST creators could be saving the line for S5, for a romantic byler finale.
I recently started watching people talking about how byler was clear since the beginning. I didn't really see it when I saw it for the first time. Now, some years laters, it's like: huh, I was completely blind
Thank you tons for contributing to this fandom! This discussion has been going on for years, and it's seemingly going to go on until season 5 is finally released. I never get bored of more people joining in to talk about the same scenes we always go crazy about ❤
Of course, no one can "prove" Byler is endgame before Season 5! This is SPECIFICALLY to (1) make clear Byler fans aren't "delusional" because Byler ABSOLUTELY has been set up, and (2) to establish that if Byler doesn't happen then the Duffers are 100% guilty of queerbaiting.
If the last part moved you, a necessary Coda to this video is David Bowie's "Heroes," a song about forbidden love, a cover of which the show ALREADY has played with Mike and Will: ua-cam.com/video/lXgkuM2NhYI/v-deo.htmlsi=I-_r4Ux9A0AIe6cm For those wondering what the hell kind of lawyer I am and WHO I am, you might like my political "coming out" video. I'm a left-wing social justice activist: ua-cam.com/video/ee6uZby2eH4/v-deo.html Also, I exist on Tumblr as TEAMBYLER.
EDIT: I hit 1000 subs, only to discover THIS VIDEO CANNOT BE MONETIZED. ='( I think I put over 100 hours of work in this video, and this isn't sustainable for me unless I get support. This also means I can't make public videos with the same quality -- using show clips and music makes a stronger impact. I've considered deleting and reposting an edit, but that would losing all the wonderful comments and CUTTING OUT THE LAST SCENE. ='( ='( ='( NO. FUCKING. WAY. So this is what'll happen: future videos will NOT use clips and music to the same extent, except versions I post on my Patreon. And I need Patrons because I don't make money as a social-justice lawyer, and rely on that plus UA-cam ads. Here's the Patreon link! (Any future video will be clipped, with the full version on Patreon) www.patreon.com/c/theruleslawyer
ADDITIONS:
-28:00 On "We should normalize same-sex friends being affectionate, they don't have to be gay," I should have been clearer. HOMOPHOBIA is the reason for that stigma. Straight friends feeling like they can be affectionate in our society HAS to include normalizing LGBT+ people.
-1:16:55 I should've said this more clearly: Will reminded Mike that who HE is, HIS unique qualities, make him worthy of love and make El love him, not dumb luck. And Will of course could convey that because Will loves the actual nerd MIke and everything he is.
-1:17:06 Mike making El "not feel like a mistake" doesn't fit El, because she says that Mike looks at her "like I'm a monster, too". Nor did she "push you away because she was afraid of losing you". That's Will, not El. Mike felt love because Will was describing himself.
-1:52:36 I forgot to mention that, in the original Nina opera, Nina's lover is ALIVE and DOES return. The Duffers changed the story so that Nina's lover does NOT return, to further suggest Mike won't return!
-2:35:22 I'm kicking myself for not being more specific about Mike and Will being heroes in more than one way: I think the theme of bullying from s1 will return, with Will (and also Mike) having to face bullying for being boyfriends in Hawkins.
As I explain in the intro, I do not claim this to be an exhaustive list of Byler evidence! I decided to stick to the more important bits and talk in-depth about them.
I hope you enjoyed the video, and please share with others! =D
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Why this video
1:38 Hate for Byler on the internet
10:16 Case for Mileven
15:21 Case for Byler: Starting premises
17:56 If Will were a girl...
25:30 The evidence!
29:05 EXHIBIT A: The Snow Ball
31:34 B: Mike's reactions to El and Will being upset
34:21 C: Season 3 ending montage
39:16 D: Airport reunion
47:51 E: Rink-O-Mania argument
51:28 F: Heteronormativity, audience expectations
58:25 G: Throwing away the letter
59:55 H: 2nd heart-to-heart scene
1:05:43 I: Mike can't say he loves El
1:13:27 J: Platonic reunion
1:15:12 K: Will's role convincing Mike to say "I love you"
1:20:08 L: Effect of the "love confession" on El
1:39:54 M: The Painting Lie
1:43:22 Honorable mentions
1:45:27 Non-diegetic evidence
2:01:23 Actor statements
2:10:34 NOT how you write an unrequited love story
2:16:07 Why Byler SHOULD happen (queerbaiting, etc.)
2:28:21 A more powerful story
2:35:45 A personal note
Awesome video sir. I found it last night when someone posted it to the byler reddit. I think it's great to have all the evidence broken down from the analytical mind of an attorney. As a middle aged gay man from the Deep South, I relate to Will a lot, as I was a different quiet kid who didn't fit in. I have listened to your video in its entirety, and will watch again today during, in between work. You earned yourself another subscriber. More videos please of Stranger Things or whatever interests you. I will be watching. Thank you for your time and effort put into the video. BYLER FOREVER!!!
Congrats for 10k views !!! :DD
OMG! I just read your description and I appreciate you so much! Also, I feel like Mike and Will won’t die because they’ve just had too much buildup for their love story. I feel like it’s more likely el we get trapped in the upside down, saving the party because she’s heavily implied to have a solo ending, standing alone in a group of couples such as byler hopper and jancy! Also if Mike died, I feel like it would hurt Will too much. Same the other way around. I feel like it wouldn’t provide a satisfying ending either. I feel like if anyone in the party were to die I would make the most satisfying ending sacrificing herself. It sort of started with Will but it also sort of started with el without her, they wouldn’t have known about any of this. So it pretty much started with el
Congratulations on 1k subscribers!! You deserve it, great video!!!
It is a beautiful video! Congratulations! I'd love to see more videos of Stranger Things and Byler in the future!
Definition of “your honor, they’re gay.”
@@ariannasstudio8765 OH MY GOD ITS HAPPENING
WHAT IS
@@michaelgaylerWHATTT
😂🎉
LITERALLYYY
We even have the lawyers on our side 💀
LMAO
Real lol l literally saw this on Tumblr and was pleasantly surprised
Nahhh fr
Bro 💀
Mentally impaired people can have any profession, and no, I'm not homophonic. I'm bylerphobic.😊
it's great to see an adult professional man put himself out there as an ardent shipper - fights the stereotype that all shippers are teenage girls!
(also the cultural association of shipping with teenage girls as a way to discredit it is misogyny)
the funniest thing about Will being confirmed is that people say it came out of nowhere when he was literally called slurs in the first episode
right like they just didn’t look into the show / into will’s character too much!! it’s literally the same case with byler too, so many people say they shouldn’t be endgame bc it would feel so forced and random, when they’ve been hinting at it since literally season one. also, it seems that the duffers’ fave plot twist is something like “it’s always been right in front of you, you just didn’t look enough / you couldn’t see it” and it makes a lot of sense not just with will’s queerness but even with vecna, the upside down, and basically the whole plot of the show itself. it’s all tied together. some of these people are just lacking media literacy and it shows
@ omg i totally agree but homophobes will be homophobes and deny and evidence you give them
!!
REALL Its like some people are watching ST with a blindfold over their heads lmao
Forget whether or not those people were paying attention while watching the show, the internet was aflame with gay rumors about Will since Season 1. I remember how much people speculated every time a new season came out “This is the season we’re finally gonna get confirmation that Will is gay” and each season came with new scenes and hints that made everyone even more convinced about his sexuality. By the time season 4 came out, everyone was like “just stop hiding it at this point, we need a gay scene”. Now you’re telling me there are people who were completely oblivious to this “Will Byers is gay” internet craze too?? Because how else did you just not see it coming??
10/10 use of your law degree
ikr
LMAO
😂😂😂😂
LOOK AT MY LAWYER DAWGGG IM FREE!!!!!!
These comments are killing me I love them sm
Get out of Byler Jail! You've been falsely accused of delusion!
LMFAOOOOOO
@@RonaldOffTheRecord sir, you are a national treasure
@@fxgia broo do you by any chance have the same user on insta?
"friends don't lie ... boyfriends lie" I GASPED, it is so obvious
ME TOO HOW DID I NOT NOTICE THAT
wym i didn’t catch it 😭
@elenawsmao when they were friends, they had never lied to each other. But as we see, their relationship developed into something different now, which is romantic trope, so they started to lie to each other and hide some things.
@ OMG THATS SO TRUE
@@elenawsmao It's at 1:42:38
went from saying “they’re in love your honor” to an actual lawyer pleading his case for byler oh my god
SO REAL
REAL
your so right about how people only are hating on byler beacuse there’s a ACTUAL possibility of it happening unlike Elmax or steddie.
No cause that’s literally it, compare them to mike x lucas, nobody hates that ship
We have a whole legal team now 💀
LMAO I love this
Mileven doesn't have a legal team
@eli-bc6xg fr lmao
Mileven: We have three seasons.
Byler: We have a lawyer.
2:44 makes me sad because even though I know Stranger Things is a big show that lots of ppl watch, this show was meant for losers, nerds, queers, and people who don't fit in.
The show constantly goes against bullying, abuse, homophobia, extreme religion, racism and more.
So it sucks when the very people that stranger things goes against say these things about a selfless character who deserves love.
fr!
this 1000%. looking at the people who make fun of dnd yet love stranger things
And yet some people in the fandom are homophobic! How is that even possible? I would think if ur homophobic you wouldn't watch a show w/ a gay main character and even more queer characters. And S1 antagonist (the bullies at school) are literally homophobic. Like do they not understand the show is making fun of them?? El literally makes one of them pee their pants in front of everyone lol.
this exactly! I'll never get over it. I'm really happy Stranger Things got really famous for the hard work put into it and because it deserves it, however, at the same time, I'm really sad most people don't get it. They don't get the whole point of the series, they don't understand the hardest work put into it, they don't get how well-written the characters are. This is for people who understand because they can relate.
i ran out of byler video essays i’m so grateful for the length of this one
👀 pls drop the links to the other byler video essays 🥺🤲
Length
@@nonsensicalramblings9167 Two of them are in the video description. But if you search byler in UA-cam you'll find more!
SAME
i know right!! i love just absorbing all the information and gushing about the ship while I'm doing something like painting
first artists who know a lot about lighting and symbolism, then a psychologist, NOW A LAWYER??? BYLER NATION WE ARE WINNING
side note, i’m gonna be watching this whole video tonight! also 3:22 Megan looks EXACTLY like my cat who passed away🥺❤️
I need the links for the artist and the psychologist's vids pleaseeeee😭
Real me tooooo
@@iglowpinkinthenight2685 same like what
I’ll never forget this one person telling me “if Mike isn’t some sort of queer it just makes him a asshole rather then a insecure closeted teen in the 80’s” and it’s just so true because the only way all that stuff Mike said can be justified is if he felt this way and was projecting
I liked Mike’s character in S1 & S2 but I didn’t understand him in S3 & S4 UNTIL I learned about Byler, and I realised how good Mike’s character could be if they become canon. NO joke byler will be the best slow burn if it becomes canon 😭
yess
yessss
yessss
he would still be a good character who struggled regardless of if he ends up gay or not, don’t be so shallow
you do not know true fear until you’ve been a byler in the main stranger things subreddit
Realest comment I've seen 😭
omfg yes why do they hate byler so much
Literally almost got doxxed
so real lmao
they also hate will and gay people on there
look at my lawyer dawg we winning the cass
case*
one wheat mask pfp
only writing in your comment because i cant on the main comments for some reason
im gay and im trying to tell every one this is one reason why pep are getting sick of the lgbtq.. the only reason these two would be coupled is for pandering and not for the story it would be a mistake cause it was already dealt with
mike is with eleven that wont change unless they kill one of them off it would not make sense with the story
I have seen writers, directors, people who score music for a LIVING, actors (hi), and now LAWYERS talk about them and people still say "it's not that deep". Bro how would YOU know you don't have the resume! We have jobs but we're also nerds and we're on Netflix and online! They're queer. People have written thesises on it now.
Exactly what im saying. And we're supposed to take Milevens words over these creative talents
Can you tell me any instance where Mike showed any potential romantic interest in Will? Cause that’s something i missed seeing
@@donkeykong3628 responded in earnest but deleted them and decided to ask this FIRST: was this passive aggressive/rhetorical or are you genuinely interested? I have answers - the gist of which is "don't worry, you're not meant to yet: that's why we have a season 5", I just don't wanna share all my excited rants on the many ways to subtly plant the seeds of queerness in writing with someone just looking to disagree because they've already committed to an opinion.
@donkeykong3628 also ftr in season 1 I remember being very surprised when Mike kissed El because I hadn't clocked their romance
"you dont have the resume" SERVES.
“If you don’t see it then you don’t see”
10/10 line 😅🤣
the way u just SAVED the byler fandom from this drought ily
littttttttt😭
This is going to be iconic in byler history after s5 comes out
It’s definitely gonna blow up
im so glad
Except byler isn’t happening
@@ForBlueSk1es Did you watch the 2 hour video? I'm pretty convinced.
@ it’s the same repeated recycle shit like on the Byler document which I teared apart in minutes
never apologize for being too thorough, i wish i could strap everyone i know into a chair and force them to watch this
SAMEEE😭
No this comment is too real. Me and my little brother ship Byler but the rest of my family think we’re crazy lol! Me and my mom have a five dollar bet on Byler so I’m crossing my finger that I win!!
At this point it doesn't matter what they do in the last season, I have an entire story in my head of Mike and Will's love story lmaoo
Honestly real 😂😂❤
It's real in our hearts 🐥
REALLLL😭🙏🏻
REALLL😭🙏🏻🙏🏻
this is the realest thing ive ever read
I'm SO gonna watch this once I get home, it's hilarious to me how we got a LAWYER on our side😭😭🙏
literally
and that said lawyer is an active member of byler tumblr
Almost three hours of Byler talk?? This is amazing
:0 it's you!! Love your vids ❤
Omgggg💘
Ok. You’ve convinced me.
Wakeup babe new byler evidence dropped
IM UP
UPPO
2:38:27 the way you couldn't hold the tears back... It made me cry even more.
X2 :((
To be completely sincere, I'm one of those people who started to hate Mike Wheeler after season 3. I got so mad that Eleven decided to go back to a relationship with him, and during the rain scene, where I noticed that Will also likes him romantically, I was like: 'You both deserve better!' But then season 4 came out, and, girl… My point was proven, yes, but I started to think: 'Why would they make the love interest of the hero such an ass and make everyone who likes him cry?' Then, the airport scene, the van scene, and even the confession Mike makes to Eleven when she's fighting Vecna made me start to think: 'Do they want us to hate Mike for the way he is acting? But WHY THE HELL IS HE ACTING LIKE THAT?' Then I realized that he probably likes Will, hates that, and starts acting weird with both Eleven and Will. If he isn’t being mean and distant because he’s fighting this feeling for his best friend and stays with Eleven, even when everything points out that they don’t match in a relationship, then the writing is trash. People are BEGGING for Mike Wheeler's development and Byler is the only way!!!
I cried, my friend cried. I feel like creators like you, people who are with two feet on earth are the ones who make the strongest impact.
I love this video and I love the way you expressed it all. Thanks for making this.
Thank you!! I'm glad it was impactful!
I've been a Byler shipper for a while and I'm always down to watch analysis videos. I've seen people say that "Byler can't happen" or that "they wouldn't buildup Mike and El for 4 seasons just to break them up," but those don't really feel like actual arguments. Mike and Eleven got together at the end of S1. Then spent most of S2 apart. Then broke up for most of S3. And spent most of S4 fighting. One of the most jaw dropping moments for me was El telling Mike that he never says he loves her. And Mike's only response is to shift the blame and say that she's being ridiculous. This is supposed to be the "endgame" couple and all they do is lie to each other and fight constantly.
Mike and Will are constantly shown to have a special relationship. We focus on Mike's reaction to Will's "body" in S1. Will doesn't like lying to Mike about even small things like dice rolls. Mike notices that something is off about Will while Lucas thinks he's just being his normal self in S2. Mike spends the rest of the season attached to Will's hip and tells him becoming friends with him was the best thing he's ever done. In S3 Mike suddenly changes and distances himself from Will and says it's because he wants to grow up and move away from childish things like D&D. But then in S4 Mike suddenly decides to join a D&D club so clearly it wasn't the childish aspect that Mike was trying to escape. So what was Mike trying to run away from? In S4 we see that El says she thinks Will has a crush on someone because he's been acting weird. But then we see Will acting completely normal and Mike is the one who starts acting strangely around Will. He pays close attention to what Will is doing but also doesn't openly say that like he would in Hawkins. He says Will being sad sabotaged the whole day(2 seconds after he sees his girlfriend being bullied). Mike mistakenly thinking Will is talking about the two of them being in a relationship when Will just was asking about them being friends. In S1 Dustin and Mike talk about how the party all consider each orher to be best friends. But in S4 Mike specifically tells Will that the others are great but that home isn't home if Will isn't there. He's saying Will is special to him. Mike nodding when Will talks about how it's scary to open up to people because they might not like the truth(if Mike loves El, what truth would she not like?). The van scene where Mike smiles after getting Will's painting that El told him was for someone he liked. The show constantly is going out of its way to show how much Mike and Will mean to each other. I can't wait to see how their storyline ends. Especially because Mike and Will are seemingly attached at the hip again and Will has been confirmed to have a huge role in S5
Love how the entire Byler fandom reassembled for this video :,)
yes
the law and order sound effects KILLED ME
this is completely off topic lol but i just realized i LOVE that the connection that got El to break out of Vecna's hold was Max's friendship!! not a boy who's been a terrible boyfriend to her all season, but strong female friendship!! i love that!!! it feels rare and precious idk maybe i need to watch more shows,
You honestly said this better, I should have talked about the "female friendship/empowerment" theme that was there too
40:46 fun fact: the song playing in the background was played in a Lumax scene (on the bus) and in the script it says that they got interrupted by the doorbell ringing but in the scene they get interrupted by the sound of the tires, Byler has been parallleled to Lumax before and Lumax has been paralleled to Byler before, and Mike listed all his platonic friends but then he sad that they're not like Will and the word "team" was a Jopper parallel plus they called this scene an "intimate moment"
At this point, if mike isn’t secretly gay with internalized homophobia then it will be a case of bad character writing. If mike isn’t gay, that means he just said all that homophobic stuff to him in season 3 just because he knew it would hurt him. Not because it was him lashing out of insecurity. Same goes for will- if mike doesn’t have a crush on him, then it’s just a terrible plot line where will sacrifices HIS feelings just so the main heterosexual couple can be happy and in love
Absolutely.
How is it bad writing for things to not end the exact way you want them to? I don’t care much for any of the ships in this show but why would it be such an issue for the “main couple” to stay together in the end?
@@mr.o3062 hi!!! I totally understand what you mean, and I get why people want Mileven to be together. I’m just saying that if mike isn’t gay, the duffer brothers wrote his character in a really strange way. His character struggles to say I love you to his girlfriend, gets defensive about wills (implied) sexuality, and just generally is kind of a douchebag in s3 and s4. Mike having another layer of character development that the audience doesn’t see on a surface layer makes his character so much more interesting and makes his actions generally make sense
THANK GOD PEOPLE TOLD ME ABOUT YOU BECAUSE OMGGG DUDE HAVING A LAWYER ON OUR SIDE IS INSANE LMAO
I saw this on an instagram post and I was like "this has to be fake" but no. It isn't. And now I won't even study for that exam because of this.
Update: I got a 10/10 on that exam, it was byler that helped me I know it
So real. Our prof literally told us we were supposed to have a test today, but I watched this anyway.
YUPPP SO REAL CONGRATS
@@pennyglt thanks 😭
Spitting straight facts for 2 hours, 43 minutes, and 29 seconds straight 🔥
The facts werent very straight though
@@poorlyanimated9632LMAO
@@poorlyanimated9632THAT TOOK ME A SOLID MINUTE TO UNDERSTAND IM WHEEZING 😭😭😭
the way i was giggling and kicking my feet for 3 straight hours is insane💀
SAME sometimes I would move around like a possessed person because of my excitement lol
In 2019, when I was 11, I started watching Stranger Things. It was the same year I had a crush on my close female friend and realized I was a lesbian. I felt a sense of pain when I knew I was queer and also unrequited in my feelings. When i watched season 3 and 4 of Stranger Things, I saw apart of myself through Will and Robin and connected with them greatly, Will especially after season 4. The long hidden feelings between Mike and Will and the representation it holds feels so important for film/media today to stop 'queer-bating' characters and inevitably making people feeling hurt and lied to. Byler is so so personal to me in experience and the duffers including this quiet, complex love story would make the show's writing so so much greater for defeating 'queer-bating' and representation.
Thank you so much Ronald for this amazing in depth analysis on this relationship.
When I was like 15-16 I realized I liked one of my best friends (I’m a girl and she is too). And I also see so much of myself in Will, specially the fear of coming out and coming out to your friend you also have a crush on. The whole finding out you’re queer, do you confess to your friend in hopes for the best, thinking it might ruin your friendship. Will’s experience hits way too close to home and is a character I hold dearly to me. Makes me wish I could hug him and tell him everything will be okay in the end :( ❤️
It’s really hard being in love with a best that’s of the same sex- Will hits close to home and I feel the pain he goes through 💔
i also watched st at the same time and age as u, while i was figuring out my sexuality. i grew up with this ship and i will go insane when its endgame.
28:27 (starts before time stamp) THIS!! People always tell us to normalize men being close friends, but we don’t hear them telling people to normalize boys and girls being close friends…
yesuhh
I'm not even a Stranger Things fan, just a casual watcher, but I am thoroughly convinced.
Oh my gosh I love this comment
This man needs recognition ASAP truly one of the better video essays I've seen on yt recently. It's not just recounting events as proof but going into the culture of the fandom, the anatomy of the character writing, the pros and cons, and more. Very quickly has become my new favorite youtuber even with just 2 videos :)
people love to say they aren’t homophobic its so clear that they are 😭🙏
Fr like why are u so mad that 2 fictional boys have a good chance of getting together 😭
@mcgarryamais RIGHTTT
honestly idk why id even make byler videos anymore this is so good 😭
OMG IT’S YOU
HOLY SHIT WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE KING AHHHH
Omg Ollieeee, this was such a great video for sure, but we all love your content ❤
The more byler content, the better. We all love you 💙💙💛💛
OMG HI OLLIE
39:23 The stifling a laugh at the “best friends” and “the best thing he’s ever done” is killing me 😭
THE SHAKY VOICE GOT ME
same haha
ITS LEGIT 2AM AND I CACKLED IM SO COOKED
Sameee hahaha
byler fandom exploded after season 4 but i’ve been in it since season 3, so many noticed things in season 1 too. it gives me so much happiness to see how big the pairing grew and every theory we came up with after season 3 came true in season 4 😭
honestly it kinda wild bc ive been watching stranger things since season 1 and have always been vaguely aware of byler but not sought it out. yet to see it blossom in recent years has made my heart full as nothing represents a show about nerdy loser freaks more than nerdy loser queers like me. it just makes sense to have queer storylines in a show like this
@@j_fenrirsame here! i caught on to will and mike within the first two episodes of the show bc of what joyce told hopper and how karen talked to mike when el was in the closet, and was so shocked that no one else was talking about it 😂 i felt crazy in 2016, like “yall didnt see that? maybe im reading into it too much.”
I firmly believe Byler will be canon in Season 5 and hopefully it’ll weed out all the homophobic and toxic fans :)
i put off watching this for a whole week because, as an og byler (i’m talking 2016 tumblr, when it was still byeler) i got… weirdly nervous? a video this long felt like a culmination of the last 8 years of my fandom experience. but i finally watched today and i’m so grateful i did! it’s wonderful to see this stuff we’ve been talking about for years all compiled into one concise, well-formulated video, and even showing some new aspects i hadn’t thought of. i love the law structure, it came off as very confident in the best way. great job on the video!
Thank you! And thanks for being a pioneer!
sameee
I'm a gay man who, like many other gay men, fell in love with a straight best friend when I was a young teen. Anyone who has gone through this particular experience knows that it involves emotions and complications that aren't really in any other sort of relationship. In Season 2 of Stranger Things, it became obvious to me that Will was in love with Mike. The signs were everywhere, and due to some fantastic acting (and I assume directing), I just got the vibe. I didn't amass evidence, I didn't think back to particular moments---I just knew from the way Will talked about, thought about, and looked at Mike that he was going through the same thing I had. I have really only ever felt this way about fictional characters with Killua and Gon from Hunter x Hunter (where it is incredibly obvious to anyone who has ever fallen for a straight friend that Killua loves Gon).
I didn't notice that there was so much evidence for Mike's homosexuality. It never crossed my mind that the childhood bff straight crush could actually reciprocate lol. I didn't notice any of the admittedly obvious signs *because I was not looking for them or even aware of their possibility.* No straight man I have ever met has been open to the possibility that one party of a pair of guy friends might have feelings for the other. They see moments of particular flavors of intimacy, pain, jealousy, fear, and adoration and interpret them according to their experiences and the expectations founded therein (just as I do)---they conclude that they are just really close friends. But it is not as if their conclusion is as valid as any other. Rather, they are *blind* to the emotions and relations depicted. They mistake their blindness for the nonexistence of what they cannot see, as if the blind man doubted the existence of the sky.
Hitherto I was blind to the possibility that Mike was also gay. Thanks for your video. It definitely showed me what I had missed.
Thanks for your comment!
"That yes, this is love, this is beautiful and this is real." YES!!! THIS!!!
i watched this entire thing. thank you for putting this together. fingers crossed no more queerbaiting. if the duffer bros get this right, they are going down in the history books.
10:48 Mike is dressed up as Venkman and Venkman's love interest in the movie gets possessed just like Will in s2 and in "Stranger Things the first shadow" Henry gets possessed by the Mindflayer just like Will and Patty (Henry's gf) used the "power of love" to help him out just like Mike did with Will and the hand Mike held was the only part of Will which was not possessed so basically gay love saved Hawkins in s2
YESS ok and also another thing adding credibility to this is the fact that both mike AND Lucas dress up as Venkman and Lucas’s love interest (Max) also gets possessed (by vecna) in season 4 and it was thinking of her memories with him (could also be seen as the power of love) that saved max (well the first time), so this just adds another parallel of the same thing happening to byler and both of the non possessed people being dressed as venkman which just shows that it can’t be a coincidence.
"we have a human right to squee" is RIGHT on the money. People think it isn't homophobia but it is. If you are purposefully robbing queer people of joy, that IS malice.
In further addition to Exhibit G, Mike throwing away the letter: It was definitely not necessary for the military to find the letter that Mike throws it away. The writers of that scene could've chosen for Mike to just leave it on the bed or desk or that Mike loses it when the house gets attacked. The soldiers ransacked the whole house, they would've found the letter even if it wasn't in such an obvious place as the bin. But no, they deliberately chose for Mike to be dismissive and disrespectful to the last message he receives from El and showing it in 4k, zooming in and all that.
I'm a bisexual writer with a very good gaydar and I could tell when i watched the first episode when I was 16 that those two were likely gay for each other. I am going to flex this if they end up together 100%
Yeah, plus if they don’t end up together and Mike ends up being straight then the Duffers just did a whole lot of Queerbaiting 💀. Although I’m praying that’s not the case, love me some queer representation.
you’re insane i love you thank you
nothing like a 2 hour and 40 minute video from a lawyer to send me back into my 2022 Byler obsession
Do I know anything about Stranger Things? No. Will I watch a 2 hour and 45 minute video about a ship? Hell yes.
You should watch it it’s so good
An almost 3hr video essay on Byler BY A LAWYER was NOT on my 2024-2025 list BUT OMG THANK YOU 😭😭😭❤❤❤❤
😭😭😭😭✨
As someone with a crush on their same sex best childhood friend, who even met in a similar way to byler, I cling to this ship like it’s a lifeline. It’s so nice to see a relationship like this, with characters LIKE THIS. I hope they’re endgame (if neither die :[)
another thing in the airport scene: it's established that yellow is also WILL'S color and when he was talking about the flowers saying "there's too much yellow" instead of the purple (el's color) it could be implying that mike's feelings for will are interrupting his relationship with el. that one may be a bit of a reach but i just think it could be something to mention on top of all the other evidence in that scene.
oooh thats so smart
who is this underrated king on my youtube suggested
watched this in 3 sittings and this is so well made and extremely thorough
if you were presenting to a jury you would 100% win
ok ur such a good lawyer cus i just started the evidence section and u convinced me already 😭😭
another detail i found, at the end of season three el tells mike she loves him back. mike still doesn’t directly say “i love you” to her and the kiss they share seem to be a moment of realization for mike. she kisses him, and he doesn’t kiss her back, and his eyes are OPEN the whole time she’s kissing him.
Yeah it makes no sense for Mike to be afraid to tell El that he loves her. She literallt told him she loved him at the end of season 3 so he shouldnt be afraid of rejection.
when I was his age, I distinctly remember being afraid of saying things like "I love you," regardless if the other person made it clear they had feelings for me. it was just hard for me to show i had emotions, due to trauma in early childhood. I definitely think it can make sense.
Man, your final words really got me💔
I'm a girl who loves bl (boy love) shows and series. I dove deep into that when I was 14 and really felt magic of this kind of relationships. At that time I was coming to terms with my sexuality. I'm a lesbian and I can relate to the characters deeply. I like gl shows as well but there are unfortunately not many of them.
Stranger things being that popular gives me hope that Byler story can actually affect people. Many people that I know have watched the show including my parents. That would be wonderful if they could learn something from this. Be more accepting f.e.
I think in addition to this ship being cute and heartwarming this is the main reason I want Byler to be the endgame. 🤧❤️🔥
I’d like to add on and mention that the “rain fight” between Byler parallels a scene from “eyewitness 2016". Both scenes when put back to back look, and somewhat sound the exact same.
An example of this is during the rain fight Mike says “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls”, this is similar to when Lucas, the character that is paralleling Mike and is from eyewitness says “I’m not gay like you” to Philip who is also paralleling will in that moment.
if you watch eyewitness you know that Lucas, the character that is supposedly mirroring Mike is canonically gay in the end but has experiences with internalised homophobia throughout the whole series like how we suspect Mike might have, and also Philip the character who is mirroring will , is as I would describe “more comfortable with his sexuality” somewhat slightly like Will is more than Mike would be at least . This also adds up to Lucas being Philip’s love interest and also the other way round and they end up as a canon couple at the end of the series aswell.
I believe that this is not a coincidence at all because why out of anything would they pick that show to parallel it or that pair, this clearly would’ve had to have been thought out carefully and planned because it doesn’t make any logical sense otherwise you can easily say that this might be hinting at byler being real ,as philkas (the other ship name) became real aswell and gives hope towards byler
(I probably worded this so badly as I struggle a lot with wording things )
I also loved this vid sm bc I’ve watched like literally every analysis vid on byler and especially scince this was like 3 hours long dhbdxb
Omg another eyewitness watcherrr
@Dedicatedguidesguyfan YESSS:3
for me, the biggest byler proof is the fact that will is in love with mike. it makes no difference to the main plot, so why? sure, they needed to have will have a crush on a guy to show hes queer in the show, but why did they choose mike? they couldve picked any of the main four, even Steve would have made sense, but they chose mike, his childhood best friend and the person who has always been by his side. having it be unrequited makes zero sense to me. in a show about people who are 'weirdos' or abnormal, why wouldn't the queer character have a happy ending?
just my personal take
Did I know all these facts already? Yes. Did I still watch the entirety of this video rn? Yes. Did this give me hope for #bylerendgame? Yes. Thank you for this beast of a video 🫡💙💛 also, important note to all milevens who think we all hate El: we don't. We love El and want her to be happy, which she clearly is not being with Mike but being independent!
Sameeee😭
If this ends up being queerbaiting then it is just diabolical fr
No actually not really.. there is much worse queerbaiting out there, this isn't even classified 'bad'
This is the most complex analysis of Byler, I’ve ever seen! I enjoyed this SO MUCH. You are SOOO underrated and I will be following your journey and hope you get more recognition in the future!!
this truly deserves all the views, love, & appreciation👏👏 and to anyone who thinks that we're reading into moments, facial expressions, body language, line delivery--acting is a craft, and if a directors doesn't think the acting conveys the proper emotion, then they cut and direct the actor differently! They would've had so many takes to choose from and likely intentionally filmed different takes with different motivations so they had variety to choose from in the end. Analyzing media like this is giving the creators, actors, set & prop designers, and costume designers the respect and kudos they deserve.
I came here with my doubts about Byler but after watching this video till the very end, i felt a sense of relief. Not because it convinced me the byler will be endgame but because it makes me comfortable since i'm still a closeted gay boy in a small and war devastated country called myanmar. I'm not even sure if i'll be alive when Sranger Things Season 5 comes out. My one wish is to enjoy stranger things season 5 and come out to my family and friends(hoping they won't be homophobic). But, i still really hope Byler become an endgame❤.
the drought was so bad i NEEDED THIS thank you
te juro TT
omg i’ve seen u on tumblr before and this was awesome and well said. i love seeing people a little older be so passionate about mike and will’s relationship it rly just shows how much their story speaks to so many people. it’s actually insane that even after covering all this, there’s still another mountain of evidence i can list. i’m 100% certain it will happen and their romantic relationship will be absolutely vital for the ending of the show. they are both insanely well written and also my fav characters of all time individually :)
I wasn't as invested in Byler before today. I truly have started seeing Byler in a new light today after being a fan of Stranger Things since the very beginning. I'm so glad this video popped up on my timeline 😭 Thank you for this amazing video!!
*_THANK YOU_* for mentioning the disproportionate hate on the Stranger Things subreddit. Oh my god, it's so stifling to theorise about anything slightly "out of the norm" on there. There's this constant sentiment of "Great, more fangirls shoving their irrational gay ships in our faces" (because apparently anything women like is bad, and apparently only women like gay ships... sure, Reddit). Often, even the silliest theories are treated better than Byler, simply because they're not about a gay ship.
It's not delusional or irrational to think Byler is plausible, especially for a show that 1. Consistently hides small clues and foreshadowing for the audience to find, 2. Has repeatedly emphasised the problems with Mike and El's relationship, and 3. Wrote Will's crush on Mike to be clear and sympathetic for the audience in Season 4.
I'm really not a romance person, and even I'm a Byler fan. I'm so excited to see what could happen next in their story, fingers crossed.
the meme sub is better tbh
No this is so real, the subreddit is ridiculous. If you so much as mention byler in passing they will downvote you to hell, call you delusional and annoying, call the ship predatory and annoying...
We must protect this man at ALL costs
I think byler went over my head because of the fact. I don't wanna give myself hope gay characters gets a happy ending. Because we rarely do. If byler is canon I will cry so hard
2:10:00 OMG did you just put one of my edits in this? Both the UA-cam vid and the tumblr post, wow I feel honored! Thank you so much 🙏🏻
Your byers videos are so good, I re-watch them alot, I especially love the "Letter to Will" one 🥺♥️
Yes! Your videos actually are some of my favorite byler vids on youtube!
@@RonaldOffTheRecord omg thank you 🥹❤️
Thank you so much for this video. I hate that I watched these entire seasons with an open mind instead of an inclusive mind. As an 80's baby, I feel like our brains were conditioned with the nuclear family by our parents, and despite my willingness to push back and accept the many facets of love - I still find myself subconsciously viewing the world with these conditioned eyes. I was accepting of Will being gay without issue, but the romance between Mike and Will never crossed my mind as it would have if Will had been a female. I'm honestly elated at how this video cleansed my view of not only Stranger Things, but of this Strange World that we live in!
I can't explain to you how happy and joyful your perspective made my heart. And I cannot express my excitement and pro-shipping of Will and Mike's connection. It would only be the perfect ending to this series, WOULD IT NOT?!! It fits so much better than El and Mike ending up in this 'normal' thing - and is the much more profound, 'STRANGE', and beautiful storyline for all three of these exceptional characters!
Thank you again for your perspective, your evidence, and this share.
Thank you! And very well said!
I find byler is so important to so many different people, byler has been my life support for 2 years, I've been struggling with mental health a lot and the possibility of them ending up togheter and me not seeing being able to enjoy it properly is one of the few things that has kept me going, obviously this applies to stranger things in general but more specifically, byler, if they aren't endgame I won't be mad but very, VERY disappointed in my role models (the duffers and the actors) I won't be able to see something that has made me happy for so long the same anymore and I believe any reminder would bring me pain, byler is more than just a ship to me and forever will be even if it's not endgame since it shaped me into who I am today and who I want to be
wanted to say this whole video was fantastic!! but on the topic of mike's monologue -- which i never really watched all the way through, because i was SO fed up with mileven in 2022 -- you pointing out that it was max being in danger, not mike's encouragement, that moved el to tears and helped her escape the vines actually changed me hello?? somehow in the past 2-and-some years i never noticed that at ALL. and the bit about mike/el's characters diverging, and mike looking for in el what he can easily find in will, is soooo UGH. no words. byler endgame and your analysis is spot-on!
im also pretty sure some people who dislike byler have said that it would cause discomfort with the actors which makes no sense???? Finn Wolfhard has been in multiple parts with romantic relationships with other male actors and Noah Schnapp is gay????
He literally kissed another boy for his part in the goldfinch and yeah Noah Schnapp is gay himself, I think the actors would be ok with it
CHAT WE HAVE A LAWYER ON OUR SIDE NO WAY WE LOOSE.
Bro, i havent even watched all the seasons and im convinced. From one laywer to another, amazing job!!
I am currently in my second year studying law and this is definitely who I want to be.
It's official. We have a legal team ready to defend us in the court of "Home essentiality"
I'm new-ish to the fandom and the ship, and even I picked up on the romantic undertones between will and mike in s2 (before knowing abt byler at all)! Also, looking at everything put into perspective like this, anyone familiar with romance plot lines in media should be able to see that the arc mike and el are getting is never how an endgame couple plays out. like... it just isn't. you don't have a couple get together so early on in the show just to fight and break up and have constant misunderstandings and one-sidedness like they do, and still end up happily ever after at the end. To me it's obvious that they've just been establishing they're not right together.
Amazing video by the way!! So well thought out and thorough!
I just found this video and I’m EVEN more glad that people actually understand my train of thought on this subject.
I’m tired of getting my ideas shot down, so this video is really a breath of fresh air for me! :)
I love when a new UA-cam creator comes and makes videos about things they’re extremely passionate about. This video was so well put together. I loved watching it, the video went further into detail about how Byler is at least definitely hinted at. I’ve watched a few videos about Byler but this is the most detailed one I’ve seen so far. Also definitely checking out the other videos you suggested to watch now as I haven’t seen most of them yet.
Also the story from that guy was so heartbreaking and bittersweet. I don’t cry often or easily but it very quickly got me teary eyed 😭.
That post at the end about the man who was gay in the 80s wow. Could not stop crying I hope he ended up finding happiness and peace ❤
2:32:49 A cool extra detail: when Heroes plays again in season 3, it CONVENIENTLY skips over the line "And we kissed as though nothing could fall. And the shame, the shame was on the other side." ...Coincidence? I think not!
This lyric likely signifies Mike's love for Will in season 1, after his body was found. And the "shame" refers to the stigma queer people face. The fact that they chose to skip over it in S3 when byler were at odds... I believe the ST creators could be saving the line for S5, for a romantic byler finale.
I recently started watching people talking about how byler was clear since the beginning. I didn't really see it when I saw it for the first time. Now, some years laters, it's like: huh, I was completely blind
real LMOO😭
dawggg we’re getting that endgame
Thank you tons for contributing to this fandom! This discussion has been going on for years, and it's seemingly going to go on until season 5 is finally released. I never get bored of more people joining in to talk about the same scenes we always go crazy about ❤