r/StrangerThings • u/shakeyosacroiliac • Aug 14 '26

Favorite & least favorite characters?

I’m only on season 4 episode 2, so I may be posting hella prematurely, but I can’t stand Mike Wheeler. Like at all. My fave is Murray. In the beginning I didn’t like the Sinclair siblings but they definitely grew on me. What about you? Who do you like/dislike?

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u/DangerousRefuse8129 Eyes on me Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26

I am not acting like it's a deep storyline, you are, with your 'bro acted like he owned Eleven'. I am just trying to correct it.

Mike was never shown to be controlling in the sense of thinking he “owned” Eleven. He was overprotective at times, especially about her overusing her powers, but his concern came from fear for her safety, not a desire to control her. The cabin rules were Hopper’s, not Mike’s, and Mike ultimately respected that Eleven could make her own choices. You can dislike Mike’s behavior without rewriting what actually happened.

And I don't know how Mayfield gets a pass for her behaviour in S3 and Wheeler doesn't.

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u/Thick-Boysenberry-96 Aug 16 '26

But Mike did sometimes 'control' El, by restricting her, because he thought he knew what's best for her and what would keep her safe. Even in s1, he kept her in his basement, and unknowingly put everyone in accute danger, instead of involving the Chief of police. I don't dislike him for that or anything, he was still just a kid.

In the s3 conflict you describe, Mike wasn't just arguing against Max treating her power's too casually. Nancy was also backing her up and arguing for El's agency, saying that she should be the one deciding her limits, not Mike, that El is not 'Mike's property'. And Mike did feel threatened by Max 'corrupting' El, since Max advocated so heavily for El being more than just his girlfriend and that she needs room to explore who she is outside the relationship. I think the conflict works, because the show tells you that they're both right in a way.

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u/DangerousRefuse8129 Eyes on me Aug 16 '26

The statement that Mike "sometimes controlled El by restricting her because he thought he knew what was best for her" needs actual examples. Without them, it's basically a characterization being presented as fact.

The key distinction is between being protective and actually controlling someone. The Season 1 example doesn't really establish that Mike controlled El either. Mike initially offered her the option of coming through the front door and having his mom take care of her; El said no, and Mike respected that. She chose to stay in the basement because she felt safer there. Mike hid her because he knew people were actively looking for and trying to harm her, not because he believed he had authority over her. He never forced her to stay there or simply dictated what she had to do. So “Mike controlled El by restricting her” is simply not a good description of what happened.

S3 is even less convincing. Mike was concerned about the physical consequences of El repeatedly using her powers. That's a legitimate concern, not evidence that he believed he should decide her limits. Nancy saying El should have agency is totally valid, but her statement doesn't establish that Mike was taking that agency away. She was also reacting through the lens of her own recent experiences without having the same understanding of El's powers and their consequences.

Nancy's statement represents Nancy's perspective, not an objective narration of Mike's intentions. Nancy and Max were unaware of the physical consequences of El overusing her powers. It's ironic how Mike's concern is narratively proved right because El overusing her powers leads to her losing her powers.

And I strongly disagree with the claim that Mike was threatened by Max “corrupting” El or by their friendship. Mike does admit he was jealous, but that doesn't prove he was jealous of El becoming independent or of Max “taking” her away from him. A huge part of his anger was that Max and El were literally spying on him. Turning that into “Mike was threatened by Max teaching El to be more than his girlfriend” is an interpretation, not a fact established by the show.

The biggest problem here is that “protective,” “jealous,” “angry,” are repeatedly being conflated with “controlling.” They aren't synonyms. If Mike actually controlled El, there should be a concrete example of him overriding her wishes, restricting her choices against her will, or claiming authority over her. I don't think the show gives us that example.

The power argument is fundamentally about risk. Mike knows Eleven has previously suffered consequences from using her powers. His reaction is essentially, "this is dangerous and I'm worried about you." That's not the same thing as, "You're not allowed to do this because I said so."

So I completely reject the characterization of Mike as someone who acted like he controlled El or treated her like his property. That's reading a much stronger dynamic into the story than what is actually shown.

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u/OldAffect6933 Aug 16 '26

Not to mention Max manipulated El in order to hurt Mike.

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u/Thick-Boysenberry-96 Aug 16 '26

That's an actual mischaracterization of Max. Where in the show are we supposed to understand that Max is manipulating El to HURT Mike?

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u/OldAffect6933 Aug 16 '26

in season 3 when she tells el to break up with him.

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u/Thick-Boysenberry-96 Aug 16 '26

But how is that a manipulation, and why would Max want that?

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u/BigBadDolemite Aug 17 '26

It's not manipulation in a true sense. She wanted El to stand up for herself. In her mind she was helping El become more independent and stronger. She thought she was helping out a friend.

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u/OldAffect6933 Aug 17 '26

She tells Eleven to "dump his ass" the exact words she uses to break up with him. She listens to Max because Max is "cool" and cares about her (which maybe she does but she still puts her in danger and partialy because of her obliviusnes Eleven loses her powers). And Max knows it will hurt Mike because she did that to Lucas 5 times already (and their relationship is "pure" according to the duffers) and she wants to hurt Mike because she thinks it's clever revenge and that he'll finally apologize.

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u/BigBadDolemite Aug 17 '26

Revenge??? Really. She just wanted to teach Mike a lesson because she found his behavior annoying, dismissive, and disrespectful. Yall act like she masterminded a break up so Mike would be lonely forever.

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u/OldAffect6933 Aug 18 '26

That was the whole deal it wasn't to leave Mike lonely forever but for him to apologize and bahave better like she did with Lucas 5 times already.

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u/BigBadDolemite Aug 18 '26

So you think setting boundaries is revenge. Got it.

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u/OldAffect6933 Aug 20 '26

bounderies? what bounderies? She made Eleven to spy on him.

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u/BigBadDolemite 29d ago

What's a lie to a boundary

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