Honestly, I Think A Huge Reason Why We Saw Mike Pull Away From His Core Self And Come Off As More Cold

Honestly, I think a huge reason why we saw Mike pull away from his core self and come off as more cold and aloof in seasons 3-4 is because when we see him tender and soft again, it’s going to hit 10x harder. Not only does this make perfect narrative sense for his character arc…it also creates this exciting ebb and flow with the audience where we’re almost led to believe Mike has forgotten the way things used to be, before his feelings got more real for him. I absolutely love the angst, the pulling away, the tension. Because what about “crazy together” and “it was a seven” and “what if all this is happening for a reason” and “I’m the only one who cares about Will” and “hey, are you okay?”

Mike hasn’t forgotten about any of this. He’s just tucked it away to not feel it, because he doesn’t think Will could ever feel the same way about him. And because of this, Will is probably left to feel Mike has forgotten how they used to be. When we get that crazy together callback in s5 I’m going to scream. Because OF COURSE Mike remembers. He remembers all of it, but it’s too painful when he thinks his feelings aren’t reciprocated. Imagine fully-developed and confessed feelings “crazy together” with a crooked smile and a kiss. I’m going feral over the byler kiss possibilities and all their precious moments from earlier seasons that would make for PERFECT “full circle” moments.