‘Stranger Things 4’ Directors Address Will Byers Plot Hole

Netflix’s Stranger Things may be an homage to ’80s horror, but it also encapsulates an unfettered 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.

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 have addressed the slight in an interview with Variety, published last week.

“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.