As someone whose favorite character has been Nancy Wheeler for several seasons, ever since I first saw Stranger Things in 2019, I was interested in where they might take her character in the final season.
I think it’s very important that they make her character, as a woman, very productive, ambitious, and independent, because she often becomes reduced to just a figure in the never-ending love triangle. A lot of people only discuss her relations with the male characters associated with her, and while she has so much more to offer, that’s also still an important part of the story.
Stancy vs. Jancy
In reality, Nancy’s options of either Steve Harrington or Jonathan Byers are brutally uninteresting, and she could be so much happier if she took time for herself. It seems like sometimes the writers agree with this angle, because the chemistry between Nancy and Jonathan has plummeted since Season 1.
At the same time, the writers won’t stop milking the love triangle drama until the end, and this has been tirelessly proven in Season 5. You wouldn’t believe the look on my face when I saw that Nancy and Steve brushing hands was made into a whole thing, when in Season 4 Nancy had explicitly chosen Jonathan. Nancy has chosen Jonathan in every season, so the possibility of “Stancy” (Steve and Nancy) coming back, well, it’s not looking good.
Jonathan Byers: Scandals and Development
Jonathan Byers has a lot going for him: he’s the charismatic older brother who offers some softness in the brisk and haunting world of Stranger Things. Throughout the first and second seasons, he brought Nancy a lot of comfort, not to mention the crazy early relationship tension! The matching scars on their hands symbolize their deep bond from the beginning.
Though Season 1 created controversy about Jonathan’s character, it remains uncomfortable and is often swept under the rug. Jonathan took photos of Nancy changing after Steve’s party, violating her privacy. This is still a debated topic within the Stranger Things community, with many viewers conflicted on whether or not to sympathize with Jonathan as a traumatized older brother, or judge him as a peeping tom.
Realistically, many people have pointed out that audiences don’t like Jonathan, and this is why they don’t like “Jancy” (Jonathan and Nancy). Jonathan’s character regression is concerning, and people who liked his comparative and supporting role in the earlier seasons became disquieted by his switch to becoming a useless, humorously boring plotline in Season 4.
The problem with Jonathan is that he’s always been the “loner” archetype. This sets him up for an interesting perspective, such as exploring concepts of depression and loneliness, but the utter neglect of his character in Season 5 is failing him.
Watchers did receive a hint at where Jonathan plans to take this relationship, escalating it with marriage, but it’s concerning because we haven’t seen these characters interact in a way that makes us root for them anymore.
Steve Harrington: The Fan-Favorite
If individual character bias reflected onto Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship at all, it’s multiplied by 10 when Nancy and Steve are on the screen. Steve Harrington has been praised for his awkward but lovable character traits, including bonding so well with the younger characters. His back-and-forth energy makes watching him on screen so captivating, stealing the hearts of many.
Steve’s relationship with Nancy has been a long ride, and from the beginning, people have made comments about one of the most pressing issues in their friendship and romantic relationship: Nancy’s independence vs. Steve’s codependence.
Steve’s relationships are defined by his attachment issues and his clinginess. One of the reasons Steve and Nancy broke up in the first place was because he was pressuring her into things she didn’t want.
Nancy is the story’s independent and fierce female character, bound to no one except her family. Her story is so much more interesting when she’s separated from the theories that claim she’s fawning over Steve or that she would throw everything away for a life as a housewife.
Recently, a clip of Season 4 has been circulating on the internet, highlighting Steve’s speech about wanting to have children with Nancy. A recent book release of Nancy’s perspective on this conversation depicts her as uncomfortable with Steve’s presence and the topic itself.
Many suggest that Steve’s idea of Nancy being his tradwife is obvious, and that’s why they would never get back together. Nancy and Steve are too different; just because you like their individual characters doesn’t mean they would be good for each other.
These are just some perspectives offered on Jonathan and Steve by the internet, but the fun of entertainment and TV shows is that you can perceive characters in a thousand different ways.
Each hint to a backstory fleshes out these characters even more, giving sympathetic features to Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan instead of being seen as just stereotypes. Ultimately, the writers hold the future of this disastrous love triangle, and we’ll have to wait to see what happens in Season 5.
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