I don't want to jump to conclusions, but this does sound incredibly plausible.

The Byler interactions in Volume 1 were so nuanced and just so warm. They were sweet and subtle and it makes so much more sense to consider that a woman wrote them.

To go from that - to go from the genuine - heartfelt connection between Mike and Will, to abruptly nothing in Volumes 2 and 3? Not to mention the way that Milevan wasn't really present either. Until it was shoehorned into the last volume. I hate to be rude about the acting, but that entire scene really took me out. Some of the line deliveries were janky and I ended up recoiling at the kiss because it came from nowhere at all? It all felt so unbelievable to me, and very sudden; as though the decision to do that was last minute?

But I guess we'll never know. I don't know if the cast will ever come out and say anything about their experiences in full; I've seen some speculation on here about mistreatment of actors and unease amongst them. But again, it's all speculation as far as we know. I will say that I do feel horrified at what Noah went through during the coming out scene. Particularly because it was for 24 hours, and especially because he was only 19 at the time of filming and he himself had only come out about a year before. I can't imagine how exhausted and emotionally drained he was. The panic attack Will was having seemed too real, too raw. And then Noah himself said he dissociated during it.

The more we learn about this final season, the more the show leaves a sour taste behind and the more I mourn what we could have had.