Stranger Things fans notice a heartbreaking reason Will is so upset in Season 4 Volume 1

Aww Will! 😢

Stranger Things 4
Author: Anna Sky MagliolaPublished 1st Jun 2022

Following the release of Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1 on 27th May, fans have been binge-watching their way through the eagerly-awaited next instalment of the Netflix hit, with its fantastic 80s soundtrack.

WARNING THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT STRANGER THINGS SEASON 4 VOLUME 1

Some very attentive Stranger Things fans have noticed a small detail, which makes Will's sad mood in the series even more upsetting.

Season 4 Volume 1 is set one year after the events of Starcourt Mall, Will and Eleven have moved across the country to California with Joyce (Will's mum) and Jonathan (his older brother), so when Spring Break arrives, Mike, (Will's best friend and El's boyfriend), flies from Hawkins to visit.

In episode two, the three friends decide to go rollerskating, but Will's mood seems inexplicably low. In the episode Will and Mike clash when Will says he feels like a third wheel, and asks Mike when he hasn't heard from him. However, as we now know the reason for his low mood has a deeper reason.

Stranger Things 4 - Angela

El is the subject of bullying at the rink, by class bully Angela, and finds herself being dragged into the middle of the roller rink, where the classmates encircle her. As the bullying continues, another teen can be seen filming the unfolding events, when the viewers get to see what the camera sees, and the date captured is 22nd March 1986.

Now, for many that date might not be significant, however, for some of the biggest fans of the TV series, they've realised that 22nd March is actually Will's birthday, so no wonder he's so sad! His whole family and best friend have failed to acknowledge it!

The date of Will's birthday is revealed back in Season 2 of the series when Will is possessed by the Mindflayer, and Joyce is trying to get through to him.

With this revelation now coming to light, fans have been taking to social media to express how sad they feel for Will. One fan wrote: 'The way that literally everyone just forget about Will birthday:('.

Another wrote: 'IT WAS WILL'S BIRTHDAY AND THEY DIDNT EVEN MENTION. HE WAS JUST THIRD WHEELING MIKE AND ELEVEN THE WHOLE DAY. ON HIS BIRTHDAY. U CAN SEE IT SAID MARCH 22 ON THE VIDEO CAMERA. I THINK THE SHOW FORGOT.' (sic)

And, while there has been some speculation that the writers just forget Will's significant day, another tweet written two years ago by the Stranger Things Writers' Room has come to light, which reads: 'some friends forget to play dnd and some forget birthdays, it happens.' (sic) 🤔 So, could it be intentional? It looks like we'll just have to see what is revealed in Volume 2 due out in July.

Now take a look through some facts you probably didn't know about Stranger Things:

1)

To help sell the show, the Duffers edited a mock 'trailer' combining clips from over 25 feature films, including E.T., Nightmare on Elm Street, Super 8 and Halloween.

2)

The composers of the Stranger Things soundtrack (Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon) were two members of an Austin synth band called SURVIVE; their music was featured in the soundtrack of the film The Guest.

3)

Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon have written over 13 hours of music for the show.

4)

Winona Ryder wanted her hairstyle modeled after Meryl Streep's hair in Silkwood.

5)

The title sequence was inspired by the work of Richard Greenberg, who designed a number of classic 80s title sequences including Alien, Altered States, Superman and The Goonies - which starred a young Sean Astin, who later appeared in Stranger Things as Joyce's boyfriend Bob Newby.

6)

Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine (Dr. Martin Brenner) have appeared together once before, in the music video for Roy Orbison's 'A Love So Beautiful'.

7)

Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) have both acted on Broadway. Gaten played Gavroche in Les Miserables and Caleb played Young Simba in The Lion King. The two boys knew each other but they didn't become close friends until after working on Stranger Things.

8)

Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers) and Millie Brown (Eleven) are both from the UK. Charlie is from Bridlington, East Yorkshire, and Millie is from Bournemouth, Dorset.

9)

To help sell the show, the Duffers created a 'look book' which was designed in the style of a vintage Stephen King novel.

10)

Gaten's voice changed so much by the time production ended that the sound team were unable to use him for additional dialogue recording.

11)

Although the show was shot digitally on the RED Dragon, a layer of real film grain was applied to help achieve a more vintage look.

12)

It was Caleb's request to wear a camouflage bandana in the show; he wears it for the final three episodes.

13)

The monster was achieved through a combination of prosthetics, animatronics, performance and CG.

14)

The toddlers on set were very scared by the 'monster', but they were calmed when told that he was just like the monsters in Monsters Inc.

15)

Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler, is a film buff and wants to be a director when he grows up. He is a particular fan of Sam Raimi's early work.

16)

The gang really did create a salt bath, and Millie Bobby Brown actually floated - there were no effects used! To get Millie to float in a kiddie pool, twelve hundred pounds of epsom salt were dissolved into the water.

17)

Before starting the show, the writers all watched (or rewatched) a large list of films, including E.T., Stand By Me, The Goonies, The Thing and A Nightmare on Elm Street.

18)

Millie had to shave most of her hair off for the show and as can be expected of any 11­-year-old girl this was a terrifying prospect. The Duffers showed her how cool Charlize Theron looked in Mad Max: Fury Road after which Millie agreed to it.

19)

The Duffers had all the boys audition with scenes from Stand By Me.

20)

Hopper's trailer was purchased by the art department for $1.

21)

For some of the laboratory scenes, Millie (Eleven) was fully submerged in an underwater immersion tank. She was able to breathe by wearing a Sea Trek helmet, which weighs approximately 70 lbs above water; it weighs 15 lbs beneath the surface of the water. The helmet was designed for shallow 'underwater walking'.

22)

To direct Millie while she was underwater, the Duffers communicated with her through a small radio in her ear.

Now read:

Everything you need to know about the Stranger Things soundtrack

Stranger Things: A recap of the first three seasons

Stranger Things: Facts about the Netflix series

How to listen to Downtown Radio:

Tune into Northern Ireland's Home of Great Music, Downtown Radio on FM, AM, DAB Digital Radio, online, on our Rayo app and by asking your smart speaker to 'Play Downtown Radio'. Gary & Glen kick things off every weekday morning and Neal McClelland brings you home on Downtown Drive.