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Stranger Things Season 5 is headed towards its much-anticipated finale.
Volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 5 was released on December 25, and it has left fans debating over Will Byers' arc, especially his "rushed" coming out sequence.
For context, in Season 5, after El rescues Will from Vecna's mindscape and Team Hawkins finally start to prepare for the final battle, Will decides to come out to his friends and family. Throughout the episode, we see him fidgeting with his thoughts (especially after Vecna tried to scare him about the consequences of coming out to his friends and family).
In the closing moments of Episode 7, Will gathers everyone in the room and delivers an emotional monologue. Yes, you read that right, everyone (including Kali lurking in the background, who just met Will). What could have been a more personal and character-defining moment seemed as if it were a filler. A rushed plot that they needed to address before the final battle.
Fans have been waiting for this particular moment of Will addressing his identity, but it didn't land as expected. To some, it appeared unrealistic, to others it felt forced, and many agreed that this could have been a more character-centric moment.
Will Byer's arc in Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 sparks backlash and debate
Fans have taken to social media to express their disappointment about Will's coming-out sequence in Episode 7 of Stranger Things Season 5. The issue is how the makers chose to handle it. Fans blamed the Duffer brothers for making the moment abrupt and criticized the lack of emotional grounding. When Will was about to confess to his mother, Mike interrupted. If the conversation had been between the three, it would have been a different scenario, one that feels more natural.
To add to this, coming out in the 1980s was rarely public, safe, or casual. By staging the moment, without any consequences or any resistance from a single person in the room, the sequence felt unrealistic and oddly sanitized. Fans took to X to express their opinions.
"Acting like a group hug would be the common reaction to Will coming out in a small hick town in indiana during the 1980s is the funniest thing they did this season," noted @swageshia.
"Coming out to your ENTIRE circle in Indiana in the 1980s is crazy actually," commented @nightphanges.
The makers/writers have also been accused of queerbaiting. Several fans revealed that they were led to believe that, finally, Will's feelings, particularly towards Mike, would lead to something, but downplaying it seemed insensitive to the core. A fan took to X and expressed their disappointment,
"Hurts more than normal queerbait because this season was actually focused so much on Will's sexuality. Like Byler genuinely seemed plausible…," commented @Byersicecream.
"The duffers just didn’t wanna deal with byler so they wanted to get rid of Wills feelings and called it a day. That’s lazy writing and makes no sense since Will’s had these feelings for so long." wrote @q_imav.
Keeping aside the shipping debate, Will, who's been one of the most pivotal characters of the series, deserved better writing. His final arc seems to lack resolution and growth. Of course, his newly acquired powers were great to watch, but what about his emotional closure/character development?
The Duffer Brothers on Will's coming out scene
In a candid chat with Gayety, the Duffer brothers have shared their thoughts on Will Byers' coming-out scene in Stranger Things Season 5. They revealed that it was initially planned for Season 4, but they dropped the idea since they felt it was not the right time. They thought it would be best to include it in Season 5, which majorly focuses on Will's growth and his finally standing up to his fears. They said:
"Ultimately, to defeat or overcome this evil, he has to get over that. And to get over that, he needs to come out to not just his mom, but his friends. And so that's why we put it right at the end because that sort of so important in terms of their battle and what lies ahead."
Stream Season 5 on Netflix.
Also Read: Did Netflix cut important scenes from Stranger Things Season 5?
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