The fourth season of Stranger Things has found itself in the middle of queer fans’ rage.
Will Byers’ ‘coming out’ is seen as something akin to queer suffering spectacularisation, while the character of Mike Wheeler is considered a perfect example of queerbaiting.
But why all this rage and disappointment? Let’s take a deeper look.
In the past few years of hiatus between seasons there has been speculation regarding the sexual orientation of Will Byers’ character, portrayed by young actor Noah Schnapp.
After Season 4 was released on Netflix though, people had no more doubts: Will Byers is gay.
This statement was also recently confirmed by Noah Schnapp himself, in an exclusive interview with Variety. Still, there’s a looming accusation above the Duffer brothers, the creators of the show.
A lot of viewers, especially LGBTQ+ people and allies, have found some flaws regarding queer representation. And due to queer representation finally becoming more prevalent in mainstream media, for this same reason, it has also become a new tool for marketing campaigns.
Queerbaiting, an oft-used marketing technique in the film and entertainment industry, consists of portraying an apparently romantic relationship between same-sex characters but then not following through with it, and so the pair becomes literally a bait, aimed at LGBTQ+ people and allies.
Queerbaiting is also considered a practice close to performative activism, which is used only to increase one’s social capital, more than giving a real contribution to the cause.
In this case, Stranger Things has seen the bait of the character of Mike Wheeler (portrayed by Finn Wolfhard) and his relationship with Byers. But while Byers has been clearly stated as gay both on the set and outside it, Wheeler is a perfect example of baiting. The way the character of Wheeler interacts with Byers feels off to the audience, even to the least attentive and casual viewers (does the scene of the half-hug at the airport ring any bells?).
Still, there’s no one confirming or denying Mike Wheeler’s sexual orientation and if he could have feelings for Byers.
Another aspect which is dear to the queer community and its allies is the spectacularisation of queer suffering. The scene shot in the van, in which Byers pours his heart out to Wheeler, trying to confess his love, is heartbreaking. LGBTQ+ people surely can identify with this classic trope of falling in love with the straight best friend.
But is all this suffering necessary and functional to a fictional story? Not always. In fact, it seems this common view is a trawl of an old Hollywood guideline called The Hays Code.
The Hays Code was a production code which dictated moral guidelines for the film and entertainment industry in the United States, from the early Thirties to the Sixties. In particular, there was a specific point which prohibited portraying same-sex relationships and for which queer characters were to suffer for their sexual orientation or disturbingly become the comic relief.
In other TV series such as Supernatural and Killing Eve, this phenomenon was brought to the next level with a trope now known as “bury your gays.” The term is explicative: as soon as a queer character comes out or start a relationship with someone, they would immediately be cut off the show.
Fans have also called it out on the show Supernatural, in which the angel Castiel dies as soon as he confesses his love to another character.
As far as speculations go, both fans and casual viewers now just have to wait for the upcoming Stranger Things 5 to see if all finally becomes clear in the final season of the show.
For more on this topic, follow the Film & TV Observer.
