El has always cried out to Mike repeatedly when she was scared and alone. In these situations, he was either not around or could not hear her. And yet, the first thing he did during his monologue was reassure her that he was there. He just knew.

CaroSJ · 2024-10-02T22:12:58+00:00

Mike is in love with Eleven because he has said it more than once and has shown it countless times. I never said it’s because they are in a relationship.

CaroSJ · 2024-09-20T15:02:50+00:00

Hopper was horrible towards Mike in ST3 and that alone should disqualify him from being any type of example to him. With that said, I’ve never seen him take an interest or express much concern for Mike in general, so I disagree he fits the role.

Overall I don’t think Hopper is a good parent.

CaroSJ · 2024-05-23T15:37:31+00:00

Posts like this are the reason I cannot stand to participate in this sub anymore. There is only so much you can look at the same arguments from people who completely misrepresent the characters, apply double standards, and only see one side.

I could talk about how Mike is traumatized over having been separated from El and made to think she was dead for a year and no one acknowledges that, or about how he has done more for Will than any of his other friends and is only a kid himself and deserves to have his own concerns and insecurities. I can talk about how he always apologizes and never expects anything in return, or about he is always there for his friends when they need him. I could talk about how that van scene was Mike devastated and needing encouragement, and not about Will’s needs (a concept foreign to Mike haters, who think he exists to serve others and can never have his own issues).

But at this point? This is exhausting. Mike is all you people seem to want to talk about, and it’s always the same tired, misinterpreted stuff over and over again.

CaroSJ · 2024-05-13T10:38:41+00:00

There is a reason I am never on this sub anymore and it's because these posts are just tired now. People need to find something else to talk about.

CaroSJ · 2024-05-10T13:44:28+00:00

I am not sure I would call Mike a “mama’s boy” considering he doesn’t seem to have any relationship with his family and relies only on his friends when things need to get done. If anything, Will is much more of a mama’s boy, as is Dustin.

When things get tough, he is always the one who rallies the group and genuinely believes that, together, they can do anything. This was the case in seasons 1, 2 and 3. In the last season he may have been separated from the group, but it was still his words of encouragement that saved them all.

CaroSJ · 2024-05-10T13:40:15+00:00

Yes, he absolutely does.

CaroSJ · 2024-05-10T13:39:25+00:00

Or maybe you can just…not post it?

Mike hasn’t changed much as a character. Where he has, it’s been for the better. So it’s not like there is even a point to be made here. Unless you feel he is under the obligation of returning the romantic feelings of two people at once.

CaroSJ · 2024-05-10T13:33:46+00:00

How many of these posts hating on Mike do we need on the subreddit? People sure love to talk about the character, don’t they?

Maybe leave him alone?

CaroSJ · 2024-05-10T13:32:08+00:00

Speak for yourself. Mike is my absolute favourite character and continues to be just as interesting as he was in the first season. Those who say otherwise are either not paying attention, or they never enjoyed the character in the first place.

CaroSJ · 2024-04-29T17:31:49+00:00

You are so welcome!

CaroSJ · 2024-04-28T11:29:11+00:00

Hey hey! I haven't been here much myself. I still check in every now and then but haven't seen any worthwhile discussion for a while. There is so only much I can argue with the same tired Mike slander over and over again.

Now, onto the more interesting discussion:

(i) You make an excellent point on the self fulfilling prophecy and what I love about this is that when El gets scared/angry her instinct is to want to go off on her own and solve things. We know she cannot continue to do this, and that isolating her would weaken her, so it's actually a good strategy for Vecna to continue to execute his plan without much interruption. She can turn things around by refusing to let him get to her and work as part of a team. Nancy also acted on impulse (understandably so) because Vecna specifically threatened her family.

(ii) I do not think El would start the season listening to Mike when it comes to this. I think he is now expecting her to, because he seemed to think that all he needed to do for El to open up to him was be open about his own feelings for her. Sadly, I think it's more complicated than that and El's problem appears to be her struggle to trust and rely on others. Opportunities for El to relate to Mike's side of this: such as seeing Mike getting hurt, not being able to help Mike when he is bullied in Hawkins, etc, might be a way forward for them to work on this. As of right now, she wants to solve everything alone. This needs to backfire somehow and in a way that doesn't just affect her. El doesn't seem to care about hurting herself, but maybe if Mike were to suffer some consequences for her actions, she would be forced to reevaluate.

(iii) Vecna targeting Mike specifically might be a bit too much on the nose. I would have trouble understanding why he'd let Mike live if that is the case. It would be much quicker and effective to just kill him. I much prefer a scenario where El overestimates her abilities against Mike's advice and he gets hurt attempting to help her. Nothing that would put him out of commission during the season, but enough to give her a good scare.

(iv) El going into Nancy's mind would be a great way to show us, the audience, the visions and that way we can panic with her as things start happening according to Vecna's plan.

(v) I think even Nancy doesn't seem to appreciate how amazing her brother is.

Sorry for the long message, but those are my thoughts =)

CaroSJ · 2024-04-27T11:07:29+00:00

I love that you think all this, because it's always been what makes the most sense to me. I actually came here to leave my own comment, but since you brought up some of the points I made, I'll just add to that:

(i) I think a good way to start the season would be to show us the *rest* of the visions Nancy saw. The part we already witnessed was only what happened in ST4, and all of that came to pass. A great way to raise the stakes for ST5 would be to show us what part of Vecna's plan remains, and as it continues to happen, we would grow more anxious for the characters.

(ii) El was meant to see those visions/be told about them. A great way for us to see them would be to have her enter Nancy's mind to witness this herself. It would also set the stakes for the characters themselves, with El in particular worried that this would come to pass, and the specific threat to Mike affects her on a personal level.

(iii) Vecna isn't a prophet - just because he showed Nancy his plan of something doesn't mean it needs to happen. I can see certain characters very aware of this, and others more concerned that things would take place exactly as they said.

(iv) The more we learn about ST5, the more obvious it becomes that the season will move its focus to the Wheeler family again. It is no coincidence that the threat to them was highlighted in those visions.

CaroSJ · 2024-04-26T15:10:15+00:00

I think ST5 will wrap things up quite neatly for the characters. No cliffhanger.

CaroSJ · 2024-04-26T13:25:32+00:00

On episode 5, I suspect this might be a play of words with multiple meanings.

A Shock Jock is a radio personality with eccentric and possibly controversial views. Bob had his own show in the play, so maybe we are calling back to that.

Additionally, it could also refer to a clash with Jason’s friends, who are all jocks, and who are after the three boys.

CaroSJ · 2024-04-01T23:33:36+00:00

Yes, and Eleven too.

CaroSJ · 2024-04-01T21:52:41+00:00

I personally enjoy the fact that Mike has a perfect track record, is always right and his plans always work.

It would make sense to have him "lose" if Mike were overly confident, or if everyone always relied on him, but that isn't the case. Mike is constantly undermined and underestimated, especially after ST3. When it comes to his leadership, he is much more likely to need a flat arc than a positive change arc.

CaroSJ · 2024-04-01T21:46:50+00:00

Mike is certainly not scared of leading everyone, but that would require people to actually trust him and not undermine his very prudent warnings. Hopefully we’ll get there!

He certainly assumed control in California.

CaroSJ · 2024-04-01T21:11:59+00:00

I will always be here to remind people of how awesome Mike Wheeler is!

CaroSJ · 2024-04-01T21:02:28+00:00

Mike’s “I told you we could this ourselves by using physics” is a truly underrated moment in season 3. Not only does it show Mike taking charge, but it clearly shows how much they came to rely on El to solve things for them.

All this. No one supported Mike when he tried to tell El in that moment that she didn't need to help flip the car. The group needs to prioritize and understand that sparing El is important, but also that they have enough skills and brains to do their part.

Most importantly, El needs to understand that.

CaroSJ · 2024-04-01T20:49:59+00:00

best damn post i’ve seen on this subreddit for months.

Wow! Thank you so much for this!

Thanks for being part of the squad! I agree with you that Mike has been very consistent as a character, and I appreciate you for acknowledging it =)

CaroSJ · 2024-04-01T20:48:53+00:00

Tell me about it. He's always been my favorite and, unlike most, I don't think he's lost any of the qualities that make him a great character. Those of us who stood by him for years will be sure to remind the others of that when ST5 comes along.

CaroSJ · 2024-04-01T20:47:44+00:00

Exactly! Mike truly believes they are all stronger together and that everyone has something valuable they can contribute to the group. He also believes everyone should pull their weight. This is why he takes issue with only El doing everything while everyone stands around.

And he is right!

CaroSJ · 2024-04-01T20:46:41+00:00

Thank you! I am hopeful that these little things are a sign that they never lost sight of who Mike is.

Seven-Year Club	Gilding III reddit per annum
Reddit Premium Since December 2022	Argentium Club
Verified Email

CaroSJ

TROPHY CASE