The fan-made Cloverfield book is finally finished! The author confirms it on Tumblr and For those wondering how deep the rabbit hole goes—this story is a massive crossover that directly loops into R.J. Palacio’s Wonder universe and it has one stranger things character #Cloverfield, #Wattpad, #Fanfiction, and #Wonder #Aliens #survival #kids #NYC
Am I the only one annoyed by the lack of Lumax scenes in S3. The other couples ( Mileven,Jopper, and Jancy) received a lot of focus, but Lumax is just in the background. They barely have any scenes together, all because of the Mileven breakup, which led to them having to separate and basically be their relationship counselors. Even after Possessed Billy attacked them/died in the end, we didn’t even get a scene of Lucas talking to Max about how she’s feeling.
Day 26: S4 E2 – "Vecna's Curse" and E3 "The Monster and the Superhero"
Rate both here: https://forms.gle/sSgq9LmUuNhmwqzZ7
Please only vote if you’ve seen the episodes, and please try to vote once!
Results so far:
1x01 – 8.72 ⭐ (60 votes)
1x02 – 8.23 ⭐ (65 votes)
1x03 – 8.97 ⭐ (58 votes)
1x04 – 9.08 ⭐ (54 votes)
1x05 – 8.60 ⭐ (55 votes)
1x06 – 8.93 ⭐ (55 votes)
1x07 – 9.20 ⭐ (60 votes)
1x08 – 9.42 ⭐ (50 votes)
Season 1 average – 8.89 ⭐
2x01 – 8.12 ⭐ (57 votes)
2x02 – 8.26 ⭐ (50 votes)
2x03 – 8.48 ⭐ (52 votes)
2x04 – 8.68 ⭐ (60 votes)
2x05 – 8.90 ⭐ (55 votes)
2x06 – 9.26 ⭐ (54 votes)
2x07 – 5.26 ⭐ (76 votes)
2x08 – 9.48 ⭐ (56 votes)
2x09 – 9.58 ⭐ (62 votes)
Season 2 average – 8.45 ⭐
3x01 – 7.86 ⭐ (53 votes)
3x02 – 7.98 ⭐ (49 votes)
3x03 – 8.24 ⭐ (47 votes)
3x04 - 8.10 ⭐ (10 votes)
3x05 - 7.30 ⭐ (10 votes)
3x06 - 8.00 ⭐ (11 votes)
3x07 - 8.55 ⭐ (11 votes)
3x08 - 9.14 ⭐ (21 votes)
Season 3 average – 8.14 ⭐
4x01 - 8.27 ⭐ (22 votes)
Previous Rating Forms (3x04 onwards):
S4 Ep1: https://forms.gle/LLPvC9Y3oDaVfRvG7
S3 Ep8: https://forms.gle/821CmzaxQSsY52CF8
S3 Ep6-7: https://forms.gle/z9UnAjCfYmhgtCZn8
S3 Ep 4-5: https://forms.gle/Qqx1rcJm4Axf4tnK9
Personally I Headcannon Dustin and Will as being asexual (I know Will is gay but he could be homoromantic and asexual). Also, Byler...
In my opinion, the claim that 'Mike stopped being the leader after S2' is very ignorant and exaggerated. What did change was the type of leader he's become and the group he's leading.
In S1-2 and S5 Vol1, his leadership is unquestioned. In S3-4 and S5 Vol2, the leadership is shared and distributed, because the cast expands ridiculously.
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I think because season 3 was where the expanding of the cast had started and was huge, people think he isn't leader anymore.
Steve and Dustin have a very different heroic storyline, where Dustin leads. Hopper had his own storyline, and same with Nancy and Jonathan.
Because the narrative was spilt, Mike isn't dominating every major event or decision like he did in S1-2. The leadership was distributed.
But still, he lead the party under pressure. He's proved he's still a leader.
Most of the season, he spends his time focused on El. But focusing on someone who's your top priority doesn't mean your leadership or personality is lost.
In the theatre, he's the one to notice something is wrong with Will, even when Will hadn't expressed anything much.
He's among the first to believe El after she spies on Billy. He pushes the group to treat Billy as a threat rather than dismissing the possibility.
And then, he came up with the Sauna trap. He immediately understood something's wrong with Will and warns Max, saving her.
He was the only one to react immediately and protected Eleven.
He warned everyone that El is exhausting herself. And the season ultimately validated his concern.
I think people often overlook this scene as he's just being overprotective because he's obsessed with her. They miss the depth of his concern which shows he always thinks beyond what's in front.
He does it because it natural for his personality to think more rationally. Once again proving he hasn't lost his core personality traits.
He is definitely the party's tactical leader in S3.
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Many viewers remember Mike mostly as 'Eleven's boyfriend' but if you watch the California storyline closely, he repeatedly takes commands.
In Hawkins, Dustin and Nancy constantly lead the group, discovered things and made plans. Steve and Eddie got heroic action scenes while Lucas carried Max's storyline.
People think Mike has lost his leadership quality because he isn't in Hawkins leading or didn't have any heroic moment. But that's really dismissive.
His leadership quality isn't lost, he's just leading a DIFFERENT group.
Mike took charge immediately after the attack on Byers house
I don't think Will or Jonathan could ever find El by themselves if it wasn't for Mike. Because Will was emotionally overwhelmed, Jonathan distracted and Argyle doesn't know what is even going on. Mike kept them focused and devised their next step.
It was sure a collective effort from all four, and Mike couldn't have done it all alone. Leadership doesn't mean doing things alone, it's coordinating things and devising the next move, which Mike did.
And if they hadn't rescued El in time and got her to the the pizza dough freezer, the Hawkins group would have failed terribly with all of them being dead
And then, his monologue is dismissed as just 'romantic' or 'cheesy confession'. On the surface, it's a romantic declaration.
At a deeper level, it's the culmination of Mike's role throughout the series, in my opinion. And I can definitely back my opinion.
El's real fight isn't with Vecna, it's with herself. Her belief that her worth is confined in her powers. Vecna wins by convincing people that they deserve to lose. His attacks are more psychological than simply physical.
What Mike did, couldn't be done by anyone else. Not Will. Not Jonathan. Not even Max or Hopper.
And I'm not saying this because I ship or not ship Mileven. It has more meaning than romance.
Because the point isn't simply encouragement. Mike knows the exact fear Eleven has hidden since Season 1, because she clearly expressed it during their argument in El's bedroom.
In simple words, her biggest fear is 'If I stop being useful, will anyone still love me?' because, especially in that moment, she had lost the belief in herself that she could beat Vecna and protect Max.
Mike, through his monologue, symbolically says 'Yes' And that answer destroys the foundation of Vecna's manipulation.
His monologue's core message is 'You're worthy of love even when you're powerless.' and 'You are you.' These messages come in disguise as his love confession.
Vecna says your trauma defines you. Mike says your humanity defines you. Those are opposite philosophies and they work cuz the battle is more of ideological.
Ig for fans who think of leadership as just strategy and heroic moments, this monologue can feel underwhelming.
But Stranger Things repeatedly argues that emotional connection is itself a source of strength. Love isn't presented as a side plot, it's portrayed as the opposite of Vecna's worldview.
Just like music anchored Max's strength and escape from her fears, this monologue anchored El's strength.
And I guess the problem isn't the message, the problem is that Mike is giving that encouragement. If anyone other than Mike gave such a monologue (platonic ofc) the view of people would have been different.
Because people constantly dismiss Mike's importance for El as just a romantic love interest and think El shouldn't have an emotional connection to him because he's her boyfriend.
But in S5, it's clearly Lucas's love that anchored Max's second escape, not even her favourite music, she herself says it. But suddenly its different and appreciated.
Anyways, I don't wanna delve deeper into this hypocrisy.
But if it's not leadership and being the 'heart', then I don't know what is. Do people often forget that Eleven is also supposed to be a member of the party?
So yes, I still stick with my opinion that it wasn't just the culmination of Mike's character arc in S4, but the culmination of all his role throughout four seasons, because he didn't just confess his love to his girlfriend, he highlighted that he is indeed the heart.
Man people disliked or felt bored by his character's storyline or initial actions in S4, so they project this on the character's core importance and goodness, completely dismissing it. It's just really unfair.
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Mike Wheeler carried Vol 1 alone imo. And Vol 1 was concluded by Will.
The real problem is with Volume 2.
It's not that JUST him who didn't do anything, basically no one did anything meaningful in Vol 2 except Will saving Max, Lucas protecting Max and Karen blowing off three demos.
It was all about them finding eachother, coming together, explaining everything to each other and devising a plan.
So using Vol 2 to sabotage him and his personality isn't cool when he's done more than any character in volume 1. It's just so forced hatred and idk what, double standards?
People say he's lobotomised. But that's MASSIVELY exaggerated.
I think some people use this sentence as a short hand for saying 'he suddenly lost the intelligence and strategic instincts he'd shown for four seasons.'
And I would definitely believe that claim if he made an irrational decision like Nancy shooting the exotic matter for no reason, or failed to understand things his earlier self would have grasped. But there are no evidence in the series' season 5 that he'd done so.
In my view, he consciously chooses optimism.
That's remarkably consistent for his character. Mike has always been the character who refuses to give up on people, even when logic suggests he should. It's clearly visible across seasons.
This optimism can sometimes look naive because the stakes in S5 are so much larger than before. But optimism isn't the same as stupidity.
That doesn't mean writing choice lands perfectly.
Personally I wanted Mike to have more strategic scenes or more direct influence over the final battle. Many people think that way and that's a fair criticism of the storytelling.
But that's different from saying his personality was erased.
In fact, optimism is Mike's defining leadership trait. His leadership isn't primarily being the smartest person in the room, that's often Dustin.
It has come from convincing people that it's worthy to keep going on and believe. He calmed down Karen in the hospital in the way I don't think anyone could in that moment.
If Mike also became the cynical realist, the group would lose its emotional anchor. His function is to keep everyone moving forward when despair would be the easier choice.
One could say 'we don't find enough evidence to it'. Of course, the whole series isn't about this only so there aren't many moments, but still enough to support this.
That said, it's also fair to say the writers gave him fewer opportunities to demonstrate his strategic intelligence in the later seasons than they did in Seasons 1 and 2.
That can create the impression that he's less capable, even if his core characterization remains consistent.
We have to remember it's an ensemble cast where the smallest moments became the whole personality of some characters.
They did something just twice or thrice during the entire series and suddenly they are famous for it and nobody can beat them in it.
But Mike has constantly proved his leadership throughout series. And suddenly, when the focus shifts from him even for the slightest, people say he lost personality. That's utterly hilarious.
Double standards peaked imo.
"Lobotomized" suggests Mike stopped thinking. "Optimistic" suggests Mike kept believing. The latter fits his characterization across all five seasons much better.
And then in the finale, his arc was ended with being the heart. The party's friendship had gone through a lot in the previous 6 years, many ups and downs. But they all came together at last and that moment did highlight Mike's journey of years as being the heart.
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And finally, some people say Dustin is the real leader of the Party.
Five seasons of Stranger Things doesn't support this statement.
I would, anyone would, definitely agree he's the 'brain' of the party. But definitely not the heart or the leader when he's barely interacted with Will or El after S2 and Max in S5. Mike has interactions with every member in every season.
In Season 3, Dustin is not with the party and in season 5 also, he's struggling with his grief over Eddie, and constantly pushed his friends aside.
Season 4 makes it look like he's the leader. But let's recall the party members once again - Mike, Max, Dustin, El, Lucas and Will.
Three members were in California and three were in Hawkins. Mike led those who were in Cali and Dustin those who were in Hawkins.
So in true sense, nobody led the Party in season 4, instead they lead their respective groups.
In general, Dustin explains complicated ideas to both the audience and the characters. As a result, people remember Dustin explaining things and assume he's leading. But explaining isn't the same as directing.
Dustin is almost always the smartest person in the room. But intelligence doesn't automatically equal leadership.
Mike isn't necessarily the one discovering things, that's often Dustin or Will(through hive mind), but he's the one converting information into action.
Dustin cracks information. Mike decides what everyone does with that information.
Leaders coordinate. One of Mike's defining traits is delegation.
Many of the plans that succeed require both characteristic. Brain of the group figures out how something works, and leader figures out who should do what to turn that knowledge into a coordinated plan.
That's why, the two complement each other rather than replace one another.
Mike is the leader and heart and Dustin is the brain. Lucas is more of an executor while Will imo the emotional compass, especially in the first two and fifth season.
In S1, Mike's was undoubtedly carrying the group emotionally, even Dustin and Lucas. It just got subtler as the series advances.
Because after growing up, his friends are not always gonna rely on him emotionally. It's such a common sense.
Being heart doesn't mean that. Being the heart means always bringing everyone together, which he clearly did in S1 to S3 and S5.
His storyline in S4 just didn't give him a chance to bring everyone together or directly influence all of the party, but still he emotionally anchored El's strength.
The series never provide any evidence that he's not the heart. His decisions and actions, whether right or wrong, always have an impact on most of them.
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So, the statement that 'Mike isn't the real leader of the Party after S2' is contradicted by the show itself.
I would rather say that his leadership evolved.
I understand that people had a lot of expectations from Mike in S4 that all went down due to narrative choice and Cali plot. But projecting this frustration on the character to demean him is wrong.
In my opinion three observations are the reasons of this claim that he's not the leader anymore. 1.He spends more time focused on Eleven. 2.The cast becomes much larger. 3.Steve and Nancy receive more action scenes.
These things make him appear less dominant because not everything happens according to his guide, like in S1 which had much smaller cast. Leadership becomes collaborative instead of centered on one person. But that doesn't mean he's not leading anymore as I explained above in this post
Just like other characters, Mike also had his own moments to shine but he can't have all screentime to prove he's worthy (as expected by many) because it's an ensemble cast where everyone needs screentime and moments to drive the plot.
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With all this being said, do I defend show's inconsistent shitty writing? No.
I do criticize writers for not giving Mike better storyline, better arc and action packed heroic moments.
I only defend Mike as a character from mischaracterizations.
I don't disagree that Mike as a character was heavily underutilised, especially in Season 4 and his arcs were only about his relationship with Eleven in S3 and S4.
Many people don't like his character. They think his storyline got boring or annoying to watch after S2. They criticize that his arc was only about Eleven in S3 and S4. And that's completely fine because everyone has their own opinion.
But it is wrong and senseless to demean his character and dismiss the core traits and goodness of his personality because of the narrative choice and storyline.
Saying that he became useless in Season 4 just because he wasn't the part of the Hawkins plot is completely false. Because whatever plot and less screentime he got, he did meaningful things and clearly displayed his strong personality.
He never lost his core personality traits or goodness and definitely his WHOLE personality wasn't reduced to Eleven, it was just his storyline was reduced to Eleven in S4. There's a difference.
Mike's character is HEAVILY objectified and treated as a trophy in ship wars post S4 by fans. And it's partially writing's fault.
Rather than treating him as a character and giving him an independent arc, writers treated him as plot device for El and Will's development. And the writing choice definitely deserves SEVERE criticism for it.
But he hasn't done ANYTHING for which he should be hated. All of his actions in S3 and S4 were clearly understandable by anyone who has even an ounce of media literacy.
Mike's dragged through mud for things that other characters also did and they got away with it.
When Mike does something wrong, nobody ever forgives it even when he corrects all of his mistakes. But when favourite characters do something wrong, people get triggered if someone even just points it out.
Criticism is fair, but criticism includes both good and bad aspects, especially considering the character's perspective. While all I see is people baselessly hating an emotionally oblivious teenager because he didn't get good storyline.
Trust me he doesn't even deserve a quarter of it. They casually go around throwing words like 'toxic', 'lobotomised' instead of reasonable criticism.
It's ridiculous that people expect him to be flawless and suppress all of his emotions and desires just because he is the leader and then proceed to deny the fact that he's the leader.
I wish people had more media literacy. And I also wish people don't treat him with the goddamn hypocrisy and double standards they have.
You're free to dislike and criticize Mike, especially in later seasons. But please stop pretending he has no personality and hating him baselessly.
Thanks for reading.
Day 25: S4 E1 – "The Hellfire Club"
Rate it here: https://forms.gle/LLPvC9Y3oDaVfRvG7
Please only vote if you’ve seen the episode, and please try to vote once!
Note: Since the past few episodes received a low number of votes, I've left the previous episodes' voting forms open (from S3 E4 onwards) in case anyone else is still interested in voting, and I'll update the ratings if they change! The links to those are at the bottom of this post.
Results so far:
1x01 – 8.72 ⭐ (60 votes)
1x02 – 8.23 ⭐ (65 votes)
1x03 – 8.97 ⭐ (58 votes)
1x04 – 9.08 ⭐ (54 votes)
1x05 – 8.60 ⭐ (55 votes)
1x06 – 8.93 ⭐ (55 votes)
1x07 – 9.20 ⭐ (60 votes)
1x08 – 9.42 ⭐ (50 votes)
Season 1 average – 8.89 ⭐
2x01 – 8.12 ⭐ (57 votes)
2x02 – 8.26 ⭐ (50 votes)
2x03 – 8.48 ⭐ (52 votes)
2x04 – 8.68 ⭐ (60 votes)
2x05 – 8.90 ⭐ (55 votes)
2x06 – 9.26 ⭐ (54 votes)
2x07 – 5.26 ⭐ (76 votes)
2x08 – 9.48 ⭐ (56 votes)
2x09 – 9.58 ⭐ (62 votes)
Season 2 average – 8.45 ⭐
3x01 – 7.86 ⭐ (53 votes)
3x02 – 7.98 ⭐ (49 votes)
3x03 – 8.24 ⭐ (47 votes)
3x04 - 8.63 ⭐ (8 votes)
3x05 - 7.63 ⭐ (8 votes)
3x06 - 8.50 ⭐ (8 votes)
3x07 - 9.13 ⭐ (8 votes)
3x08 - 9.39 ⭐ (18 votes)
Season 3 average – 8.42 ⭐
Previous Rating Forms:
S3 Ep 4-5: https://forms.gle/Qqx1rcJm4Axf4tnK9
S3 Ep6-7: https://forms.gle/z9UnAjCfYmhgtCZn8
S3 Ep8: https://forms.gle/821CmzaxQSsY52CF8
I thought the panels looked really off puttying, and then I saw this… the background is supper funky and will has spikes coming out of his arms
Did anyone else feel like Vecna became way more intimidating once it seemed like nobody was truly safe?
Ever since he showed Nancy that vision in Season 4 and basically promised what was coming, every scene with him had me thinking, “He’s actually going to do everything he said he would.”
When the danger reached Mike’s house, it really felt like nobody was off limits anymore. I honestly wish the writers had let Vecna follow through on more of the threats he made. It would’ve made him feel like the kind of villain where, once he says something is going to happen, you know it’s actually happening.
I think that’s what makes the best villains—they don’t just make threats, they keep their promises. So, Did anyone else feel like Vecna would’ve been even more terrifying if more of the things he foreshadowed had actually happened? or do you think the writers made the right call? Why?
Do you think after recovering from her concussion, she gets a scar or some sort of mark between her eyebrows and nose? And what do you think people will think of her now after the rink-o-mania incident? Be on her side, pity her and what happened to her? Or toss her aside like yesterday’s garbage and move on with their lives and find something (or someone) new and popular to look up to?
Day 24: S3 E8– "The Battle of Starcourt"
Rate it here: https://forms.gle/HsSgYMbPVo3bB8YJ6
Please only vote if you’ve seen the episode, and please vote once!
Tomorrow brings Season 4!!
Results so far:
1x01 – 8.72 ⭐ (60 votes)
1x02 – 8.23 ⭐ (65 votes)
1x03 – 8.97 ⭐ (58 votes)
1x04 – 9.08 ⭐ (54 votes)
1x05 – 8.60 ⭐ (55 votes)
1x06 – 8.93 ⭐ (55 votes)
1x07 – 9.20 ⭐ (60 votes)
1x08 – 9.42 ⭐ (50 votes)
Season 1 average – 8.89 ⭐
2x01 – 8.12 ⭐ (57 votes)
2x02 – 8.26 ⭐ (50 votes)
2x03 – 8.48 ⭐ (52 votes)
2x04 – 8.68 ⭐ (60 votes)
2x05 – 8.90 ⭐ (55 votes)
2x06 – 9.26 ⭐ (54 votes)
2x07 – 5.26 ⭐ (76 votes)
2x08 – 9.48 ⭐ (56 votes)
2x09 – 9.58 ⭐ (62 votes)
Season 2 average – 8.45 ⭐
3x01 – 7.86 ⭐ (53 votes)
3x02 – 7.98 ⭐ (49 votes)
3x03 – 8.24 ⭐ (47 votes)
3x04 - 8.63 ⭐ (8 votes)
3x05 - 7.63 ⭐ (8 votes)
3x06 - 8.50 ⭐ (8 votes)
3x07 - 9.13 ⭐ (8 votes)
hahaha i’m so sorry in advance, but this is going to be kinda long.
i've been thinking about conformity gate and while i don’t believe in it, i think the theory is compelling and interesting to think about. i've also been thinking about what an alternate version of s5 could’ve looked like if some of those theories were true so i wrote down some thoughts.
after vol 1, we go into vol 2 where will has powers and helps fight alongside the party to defeat vecna. vecna's curse, as we know from season 4, specifically preys on people carrying guilt, shame, trauma and/or secrets. he tormented max because of her guilt over billy, nancy because of barb, chrissy because of her shame of having an ED and el because she was powerful enough to stop him. will, as we know is another direct target because vecna continued exploiting the shame and fear he's carried for years about being different because he was gay but eventually he comes to terms with himself and his love for mike, allowing himself to harness his powers.
as we also know, vecna eventually goes after another wheeler, holly. she becomes one of the 12 vessels he needs as anchors to merge realities and reshape the world. however, holly has never really been a major character or a member of the original party. theoretically, it would've made much more narrative sense for mike to take her place. not only is mike connected to the original party but he's also emotionally connected to nearly EVERY character vecna has already targeted. if mike had become trapped by vecna, it would've affected the entire party as well as el, nancy and everyone else. the emotional stakes would have been significantly higher. i also think it would've paralleled max's storyline really well. max and mike could've both been trapped inside vecna's mind (or camazotz), helping each other survive and escape. max would ultimately need lucas to reach her (vice versa) while mike would need will. it would've completed both emotional arcs while bringing the two central relationships together, not to mention, we could’ve got more of max and mike’s (madwheeler) relationship.
throughout the series, there's an implied triangle between will, el and mike. mike obviously develops a close bond with el after meeting her and he genuinely cares about her. however, their relationship also begins because el helps him find will. at the same time, mike's relationship with will has always felt distinctly different from his relationships with the rest of the party. whether someone believes byler is canon or not, the show repeatedly frames their connection differently. if conformitygate were true, i think el could represent the path mike chooses because it fits the heteronormative life expected of him, allowing him to avoid confronting parts of himself he's afraid of.
there's another detail i keep thinking about. max explains there are three doors:
door 1: take your own life.
door 2: accept your fate.
door 3: escape.
i think this applies literally and symbolically.
if mike became cursed by vecna, door 2 could represent accepting the false reality he's created for himself and continuing to repress whatever his deepest truth is. door 3 would represent escaping, not just from vecna physically, but emotionally by finally confronting that truth. vecna's victims are forced to face the things they've buried and if mike's deepest fear or shame was something he'd spent years hiding, that would fit the way vecna's curse has always worked.
another thing that makes me wonder is mike's role as the storyteller. canonically, mike is both storyteller and the dungeon master. he's always been the one creating campaigns, naming monsters and imagining stories. because of that, i've wondered if the ending we got could theoretically be viewed as mike's imagined version of events or at least an alternate ending born from his perspective. in this version, mike never truly comes to terms with himself. instead, he creates a future he can emotionally survive in. he tells everyone what happens after the battle. el is still alive somewhere and her "death" was really an illusion to keep everyone safe. max and lucas finally get their happy ending. dustin goes off to university while remaining close with steve. will moves to new york, where he finally finds acceptance, love and happiness but when mike talks about himself, he says he'll keep telling stories and we ultimately see him alone in a college dorm (this is where we see a photo of el and the infamous painting.) if you view that symbolically (or literally) it almost feels like mike chose door 2. instead of escaping, he accepts a version of reality he can cope with. everyone else continues moving forward, while mike remains stuck in grief, repression and stories about what is or what could've been.
i'm not saying i believe this is what happened. i know it's speculative and a lot of it depends on accepting the idea that mike is repressing something in the first place but i do think it's an interesting way to look at the themes of the show. vecna has always forced his victims to confront hidden truths and mike has always been the storyteller. combining those two ideas creates a version of the story that, at least to me, feels emotionally consistent with everything season 4 was building toward. that's why i think conformity gate is such a fascinating theory. not necessarily because it could be true but because it creates a thematic storyline that connects vecna's curse, max's three doors, mike's role as the storyteller and the recurring idea throughout the series that escaping sometimes means confronting the parts of yourself you've spent the longest trying to hide. if this was something that was true, mike is the only one that can change the true ending.
Does Steve at any point in season 5 refer to him pulling up to Jonathan’s house and helping to fight the dmeogorgan in season 1?
I swear I remember this but I can't find where he said smth along those lines