Netflix’s Stranger Things may be an homage to ’80s horror, but it also encapsulates a genuine belief in love and friendship. This spirit bonds its charming main characters. So it’s shocking that creators the Duffer Brothers forgot a crucial day no friend would forget — Will Byers’ birthday.
“It’s too sad!” Matt Duffer told Variety in an interview published at the end of last week. “And it doesn’t make any narrative sense. But we were talking about it yesterday, and I think we’re going to George Lucas that.”
Diehard fans know that Will Byers’ (Noah Schnapp) birthday is March 22, 1971, as stated by his mother Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) when a possessed Will is tied up in episode 8, season 2. Yet in the second episode of the fourth season, during the scene when Will, Eleven and Mike are at the Rink-O-Mania roller rink, a timestamp on the recording camera held by one of Eleven’s bullies reads March 22, 1986. Aka Will’s birthday.
No one mentions it. After the first two seasons, Will’s storyline has been pushed further and further into the background, so this is just another insult.
At least the Duffer Brothers are looking at fixing the error, similar to how Star Wars creator George Lucas frequently altered his movies after their release. Mostly, this involved improving special effects.
So what will they make Will’s new birthday? Matt Duffer suggested going back to that season 2 episode and changing it to May 22, “because ‘May’ can fit in Winona’s mouth.” He continued, “So that would be us George Lucas-ing the situation.”
Here’s what the Duffers said about the slight in an earlier interview with Variety.
“The honest response is, clearly like the characters in the show, we also forgot about Will’s birthday,” said Matt Duffer. “So the debate now is whether we adjust Will’s birthday or we just let it be really sad.”
“Oh, my God… I almost don’t want you to write this, because you’re going to get us in trouble with the fans for forgetting his birthday. It was six years ago that I wrote that date!” Ross Duffer said.
“You know how George R.R. Martin has somebody — I mean, his story is more vast — and Stephen King has someone who just keeps track of this stuff? We need that. We don’t have that. So Ross and I, and my memory’s not great, but we love Will, and I don’t want people to think we don’t love Will because we forgot — we do! But now we mentioned Dustin’s birthday this season, so we’re being very careful for people not to forget, in case the timelines…” said Matt Duffer.
Stranger Things, season 4, vol.1 hit Netflix on May 27. Vol. 2 is scheduled to be released July 1.
