When “Stranger Things” first premiered in 2016, it quickly became a global sensation and is now one of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time. Three years after season four was released, the final season is finally making its way to Netflix in three installments, with the first volume releasing Nov. 26. With today being “Stranger Things” day, there’s no better time to discuss the highly speculated fan ship “Byler.”
Between seasons four and five, fans have speculated about how the show will end. For some fans, this speculation mainly revolves around the fate of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and his relationship with Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard).
While one of the most popular ships in the show is Mike and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), known as “Mileven,” there are a growing number of fans who see the potential for a romantic relationship between Mike and Will, their ship name being “Byler.” Their fate will ultimately be in the hands of the showrunners, Matt and Ross Duffer, and will be revealed in season five.
While I personally have no idea if the Duffer brothers will actually take the riskier route of making “Byler” canon, I think it’s important to consider the wider impact this decision would have.
The truth of the matter is that this is bigger than a ship war. Fans of shows have probably encountered “ship wars” before, where people fight over what ship should be endgame.
This specific ship war is bigger than a silly feud between fans on the internet because of the implications that come with “Byler” being endgame over “Mileven.” In general, it’s uncommon to see a queer couple become endgame over a heterosexual couple that is the main ship in a show. But what makes this an even bigger deal is the scale of “Stranger Things.”
It’s rare to have queer ships in mainstream shows at all, let alone one that involves the main characters in a show and not just random side characters thrown in for diversity points. So, “Byler” becoming canon, and neither of them dying tragically, is a storyline that, at least to my knowledge, would be unprecedented in scripted media.
If such a mainstream show like “Stranger Things” can include a storyline like this at the front and center of the show, I feel like it would greatly open the doors for other shows to follow in its footsteps, increasing queer representation in film and TV.
Additionally, it would also have a large impact on queer people in the real world.
When there is a queer character in a movie or TV show, they rarely end up happy. Either they get rejected by their love interest or killed off as soon as they finally get together with their romantic interest. Take Lexa from “The 100” or Castiel in “Supernatural” for example.
While this may not seem like a big deal, it is. It pushes the idea that queer people in real life don’t get happy endings or don’t deserve happiness at all. Diversity is typically considered a good thing, but when a show is considered “diverse” for having a queer character and doesn’t let this character be happy, it does more harm than good.
Ending Will’s arc with him getting rejected by Mike or dying would further this narrative that often gets pushed onto queer people in real life. However, if “Stranger Things” changed this trope, it would prove that queer characters, and thus queer people, deserve happy endings as well.
The show taking this leap would definitely be risky and would probably result in quite a bit of backlash; however, I believe if the storyline were handled in a delicate and considerate manner, fans could get on board.
Of course, there’s always going to be homophobic trolls that would hate on that ending, but quite frankly, this show isn’t for them, and it never was. The core of this show has always been that it stands up for the nerds, weirdos and freaks; terms that are so often used to label queer people and treat them as “other.” The queer experience is the very thing this show stands for, so if there was ever a mainstream show that would break the norm of queer baiting, it would be this one.
While accepting the SAG award for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2017, David Harbour made a passionate speech that beautifully encapsulates the heart of this show.
“Now, as we act in the continuing narrative of ‘Stranger Things,’ we 1983 Midwesterners will repel bullies,” Harbour said. “We will shelter freaks and outcasts, those who have no home. We will get past the lies.”
Take away the monsters and the supernatural, and this is what “Stranger Things” is actually about.
Harnessing this sentiment that runs so deeply through the show could inspire more series to take these risks and stand up for marginalized communities rather than catering to a wider audience.
Telling these diverse stories that are so often silenced contributes to creating a more empathetic and open-minded society, spreading love and acceptance where the world is so often filled with hate. Although it might just seem like a silly ship war, it genuinely could have an impact on society and the future of film and TV.
While we don’t know where the Duffer brothers have decided to take this storyline yet, I really hope they have chosen the riskier path, not only because I’m a “Byler” shipper, but because of the global impact this storyline could have on viewers and the industry.
