Stranger Things has become my favorite show ever. There was something about watching these kids grow up and go on adventures these past almost ten years. I was more the age of the actors in high school, but seemed to relate more to the core group of kids, especially Will. Just to say I feel like I have the most in common with Will, but not in a queer sense. The core group of kids are outcasts, and I was an outcast too during school. Stranger Things isn't a show that I thought I'd like as much as I have. The storytelling throughout the show, and having such a talented cast makes it hard not to love. The deepness of the show is something I really appreciate. Stranger Things is rarely ever surface level. It showcases deep trauma, but does it in a lighthearted/nostalgic way. The themes of supernatural entities, other dimensions, and monsters is not a show I thought I'd ever latch onto. I remember watching the first episode, which ends with the children finding Eleven.(a girl with a shaved head escaping from being experimented on.) It's pouring rain, and Will has just gone missing. When eleven first appears, you are not sure who she is, so I assumed maybe she was evil. A little girl with a shaved head in the middle of the night while its pouring rain just appears after your friend goes missing???? I was afraid it would play out like a horror movie. Stranger Things does have horror themes, but the core themes are about friendship, and love overcoming evil. Much like the IT series or even Harry Potter. (Most horror movies don't have happy endings, but this series is different.) Will goes through problems that the others can't understand, Will is more reserved, Will is very underestimated, and in turn doesn't fully believe in himself. Will is sensitive, resilient, and kind even after going through so many struggles. He uses these struggles to become stronger, and build wisdom. His DND character is known as "Will the Wise."
At the end of 2017 I remember watching Season 2 with my parents. I was rewatching the season over winter break from college with them, because they really liked the show as well. The end of 2017 was when my anxiety was at it's worst, and I experienced depression for the first time. The medication I had been on, had stopped working. Stranger Things was there when I had to wait the brutal six weeks for my new medication to start working. It was one of the only things I could focus on, and that brought me joy. In a world where I could barely move into another room without fear of causing a panic attack. One where I had to pep talk myself for 20 minutes to even get into the car. Things that should be so easy. Part of the reason Stranger Things brought me comfort, is how much I felt I related to Will in Stranger Things 2. I wasn't possessed by a demonic entity, or stolen by a monster, but I could relate to his level of anxiety. Will Byers was actually in danger, where I was in no danger at all.
In Season 1 the kids learn that other dimensions exists, and that that is where their friend Will was taken to. We first learn this through Eleven. Eleven is one of the children that was experimented on by the government in order to go into other dimensions. Eleven take's the boy's DND board flips it over, and puts the figure of the monster on it once it has been flipped. This is where she says Will is. A place that after it is discovered is coined the "Upside Down." The "Upside Down" is described as being stuck between two realities. When I am having a panic attack it feels like I'm stuck between the past, and the future, not in the present.
Season 2 of Stranger Things focuses on Will being back in the real world, and dealing with the trauma of having been taken to another dimension. In Season 2 Will has what the show refers to as episodes. During these episodes Will feels like he is back in the "Upside Down" at random times, even when he's hanging out with his friends. In these moments Will is overcome with sheer terror, which continues to happen throughout the seasons. Will's episodes it turns out are due to the fact he is being possessed by a demonic entity. However, they also do act as a picture of a typical trauma response. Will's episodes remind me a lot of how my panic attacks have felt. My body is overcome with pure terror, and I feel like I'm no longer in my body. While these episodes are happening Will expresses "I just want this to all be over." It is exhausting and terrifying to deal with consistent panic attacks. Those six weeks waiting for my medication to work felt like an eternity. I too, wanted the anxiety and depression to all be over with, but it was a slow process. I like how it shows in the show that even after Will has escaped being in the upside down, everything wasn't automatically better. We think as soon as we get out of a stressful situation that our problems will go away. However, the brain remembers. There's a whole disorder that comes after experiencing trauma. (Post traumatic Stress Disorder.) The brain fights to keep you "safe" from perceived danger. I'll probably make a whole other post about this but I highly value how much his mom is there for him in that season along with his best friend Mike. When Will is having his episodes his friend Mike is always to the first to get to him, and comfort him. He visits Will at his house, and in the hospital as he's going through this process. It's so important to have people in your life supporting you as you go through hard things. I'm so thankful for the friends who have come alongside me, and of course my mom as well. They might not know what to say, but sometimes just being there is enough. His mom and Mike are there to let him know he's not going crazy, or probably my favorite quote of the season, "If we're both going crazy, we'll go crazy together." (Mike and Will are highly underrated characters in the Stranger Things franchise, but carry so much in the series, even if it's more subtle.) You can gain a lot of comfort from others, but in the end you alone (with God) are fighting this battle.
Will is the most reserved in the friend group, but when he does speak it's powerful. I am more quiet and reserved so I can definitely relate to this a lot. People may not know what to do with your quietness, and mistake it for weakness. A lot of quiet people are misunderstood. Both introverts and extroverts are important. Introverts observe situations, they are there to really listen, and empathize with people. (Not saying that extroverts don't.) The monster took Will because he thought he was weak, but Will fought and survived alone in an alternate dimension with monsters for a week. In Season 5 Will really shines after being more of a background character for Season 3 and 4. Will fights back, and is able to do incredible things, once he finally believes in himself. After being misunderstood for so long you can become convinced that you can't do as great of things as the others can, but sometimes you can do even greater things. All this to say that for me God must be involved too. I can do incredible things because of God, but not in my own strength. Inner strength is not enough. It doesn't matter what other people think of me, because God sees me as a mighty warrior. A mighty warrior that has overcome so much in life. In flashbacks you also see Will as a carefree, happy child. Like Will my childhood was cut short due to fear.
For me the main villain of the series Vecna can be seen as the devil trying to twist your thoughts. Pointing out your fears, and how you don't measure up to other people. You have to come up against those lies, and fight. Will is quoted in the series saying "the bad guys are smart too." The devil isn't stupid, he's a master manipulator, and he will do everything in his power to pull you away from God. He knows your deepest fears, he knows your mean thoughts, your biggest regrets, etc. In Will's case this has to do with his sexuality, and being isolated from his friends.
Will isn't just the gay character in the show who cries a lot. His story goes far more deeper than that. Let me know your favorite character of the show and why? (Just to say too I think Noah Schnapp does an excellent job portraying Will so seamlessly. You really fall for the illusion that he really is Will. The amount of fear he's able to portray during his panic attacks, etc. A lot of people like to pick on his acting, but I think it's so brilliant.)
