'Stranger Things' Season 5's Tender Character Moment Was Actually A Big Missed Opportunity

Stranger Things Season 5's Tender Character Moment Was Actually A Big Missed Opportunity Volume 2 finally gave viewers what they wanted, but left a lot to be desired. Dais Johnston No matter how hard-boiled a show is, if it exists, there are shippers of it. Even Stranger Things , which followed a bunch of actual children, had fans wondering who would end up with who by the end. Now, it’s nine years and (almost) five seasons later , and these characters (and especially the actors) have grown into young adults. In Season 3, we watched Will be heartbroken when Mike says, “It’s not my fault that you don’t like girls,” and then Season 4 showed how moving away from Mike affected Will more than just a long-distance friendship. In the current day, it’s pretty obvious that Will isn’t straight, but in the 1980s, that’s a much bigger deal. Despite having all the elements for an emotional reveal in the show’s fifth and final season, the reality turned out to be an abrupt, strange moment that felt both out of nowhere and way too late. But just went wrong? There’s no one reason; instead, it’s the result of a number of terrible circumstances. Here’s everything that went wrong with this moment. Outed By Vecna When Will pauses the preparations for the final fight against Vecna to come out to all of his friends, it’s not because he’s ready. It’s because he knows Vecna can use his secrets against him. It’s not a typical situation at all, but it’s definitely not the healthiest of circumstances. While Will is coming out on his own terms, it’s not because he wants to; it’s because he feels like he has to, in order to take emotional ammunition away from Vecna. “Today, Vecna showed me what would happen if I did this, if I told you guys the truth,” he says. “And I know none of that has happened, and Vecna can’t see into the future. But he can see into our minds, and he knows things. And it just felt so real. It felt so real.” So Will didn’t come out because he was ready to know the truth; he did it to take a villainous It’s A Wonderful Life scenario away from Vecna, so there’s one fewer way to torture him. It’s a confession under duress. Will’s coming out is motivated by Vecna, but is that the best choice? The Tammy Problem In the line that was heard around the world for “Byler” shippers (that’s Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, in case you didn’t know), Will revealed he really did have a crush on Mike as we thought in Season 4. But he phrases it in a very particular way. “I had this... this crush on someone, even though I know... I know they’re not like me,” he says. “But... But then I realized he’s just my Tammy. And by Tammy, I mean it was never about him.” But why name-drop Tammy when Robin is the...

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