Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers have survived a lot since Season 2, from long stretches apart to everything the Upside Down has thrown at them. But after one very emotional scene in Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2, a lot of viewers finished the episode genuinely unsure where the couple now stands.
So, are Nancy and Jonathan still together, or was that near-death confession actually the end? Spoilers ahead.
What happens between Nancy and Jonathan in Volume 2?
In Volume 2, Nancy and Jonathan are trapped in the Upside Down’s Hawkins Lab as a paint-like substance floods the room. Believing they’re about to die, the two finally air out everything they’ve been avoiding.
They finally spill everything, from buried secrets to long-held lies, all sparked by Nancy’s blunt admission: “I hate The Clash.”
Jonathan admits he never applied to Emerson, something Nancy already suspected. He then pulls out an engagement ring he’s been carrying and makes what he calls an “un-proposal,” asking Nancy not to marry him. She accepts, they say they love each other, and share a final embrace.
Are Nancy and Jonathan actually broken up?
Yes. According to the Duffer brothers, that scene is a breakup.
Speaking to PEOPLE, creator Matt Duffer confirmed it plainly: “That’s a breakup,” he said. “They are broken up.” He added that the decision had been in place for a while and came from a feeling that Nancy needed to stand on her own heading into the end of the story.
Ross Duffer agreed and described Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship as a “trauma bond,” and suggested that surviving shared horror doesn’t always translate into a future together.
Despite how tender the scene is, Volume 2 positions Nancy as moving forward independently, not toward Jonathan or Steve.
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