Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2.Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers have been among the most significant couples in Stranger Thingsfor years, and season 5, Volume 2, finally did right by their relationship. Volume 2, comprising episodes 5, 6, and 7, was released on Christmas Day, and although many questions remain ahead of the Stranger Things finale, these episodes contained some major moments.
Among the biggest reveals in Volume 2 was a key scene between Nancy and Jonathan, in which they finally addressed many of the secrets they’d been keeping from one another, all while facing down (seemingly) certain death. Yet, this was so much more than just a turning point in their relationship.
Jonathan’s “Proposal” To Nancy In Stranger Things Season 5 Explained
While navigating Hawkins Lab in the Upside Down, Jonathan and Nancy become trapped in a room that quickly begins filling up with a mysterious goo. With the doorknob of the only door in the room broken off, the couple seems doomed to die, which spurs on a series of confessions between the two.
The admissions range from serious, such as Jonathan’s lie about having applied to Emerson College to be with Nancy, to innocent, like Nancy’s taste in music, but the back-and-forth ends with Jonathan pulling out the engagement ring he’d been concealing throughout season 5. Rather than proposing, though, Jonathan “un-proposes,” asking if Nancy will not marry him.
In a tearful exchange, Nancy agrees not to marry Jonathan (something that caused a bit of confusion with viewers), and then she realizes that the goo has suddenly stopped filling the room and hardened, allowing them a means to survive.
Stranger Things Made The Right Choice By Not Making Jonathan & Nancy An Engaged Couple
While Jonathan and Nancy are undoubtedly one of the most popular couples in Stranger Things (although plenty of people ‘ship’ Nancy and Steve as well), the show made the right call by opting not to have the two get engaged. In fact, it was a bit of a shock when Jonathan first pulled out that ring, based on their trajectory.
Season 4 revealed just how much Jonathan and Nancy had drifted apart, and while that may in part have been due to the Byers’ move to California, it felt increasingly like they just didn’t work anymore. The idea that Jonathan would suddenly want to marry Nancy therefore felt out of left field.
The conversation between Nancy and Jonathan also confirms why the two shouldn’t get married. As they are confessing to one another, both admit that their relationship is rooted in shared trauma, and while there’s comfort in that, there are also limitations because of it. Getting married wouldn’t have solved anything (and Jonathan says as much).
Are Jonathan & Nancy Still Together?
Of course, there are options in between breaking up and getting married. Nancy and Jonathan could have continued dating but recognized they weren’t ready to get married. However, Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers have confirmed that they are no longer together. That “un-proposal” was Jonathan and Nancy’s breakup.
This news was met with mixed reactions, especially because it turns out many viewers missed the fact that the couple called it quits during the confessional scene. Some hope remains that Jonathan and Nancy could reunite in the finale, although that seems unlikely; by the end of Volume 2, Nancy seems firmly planted on a path of independence.
This breakup will undoubtedly be disappointing to fans of Jonathan and Nancy’s relationship, but the truth is, this outcome was so much better than the couple getting engaged and/or married in Stranger Things.
- Release Date
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2016 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer
- Directors
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Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz
- Writers
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Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
