Stranger Things season 3 failed Jonathan and Nancy, and the Netflix hit needs to fix the characters with the upcoming season 4. Beloved by critics and audiences alike, Netflix’s sci-fi horror meets coming-of-age dramedy Stranger Things is a unique genre fusion that succeeds thanks to its stellar cast, fast-paced storytelling, and fun '80s homages.
But Stranger Things isn’t without its problems, as proven by the divisive season 3. Across the first two seasons of Stranger Things, teen characters Jonathan and Nancy were embroiled in a classic slow-burn teen romance that worked well thanks to actors Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton’s real-life chemistry. But season 3 had no clue what to do with the pair and it showed, meaning the forthcoming season 4 now needs to fix their relationship.
At first, Jonathan and Nancy were a classic '80s teen romance - a nebbish geek from a dysfunctional family and a popular girl who takes a shine to him thanks to their shared (nearly lethal) adventure. Stranger Things season 1 may have had its problems, but their arc was a compelling misdirect which saw the pair almost hook up only for Nancy to return to Steve by the season’s close, leaving viewers to wait until near the end of Stranger Things season 2 for their romantic subplot to finally pay off. It’s a terrific bit of romance which does justice to its '80s movie inspiration, but unfortunately, Stranger Things undid this hard work with the chaotic, overstuffed season 3.
In Stranger Things season 3, Jonathan and Nancy are abruptly out of school and hard at work for a cartoonishly terrible local newspaper staff. However, in a sloppy bit of characterization Jonathan is too meek to help his girlfriend stand up to their bullying co-workers until they turn into literal monstrous body snatchers, despite the character facing down Demogorgons and government agents and risking his life to save his brother in earlier seasons. Jonathan can’t stand up to the mean-spirited staff as Nancy needs to take them on alone to give her character a theoretically empowering moment that, like her heart-to-heart with her mother (who has just narrowly avoided having an affair with the Mind Flayer), falls flat as it doesn’t ring true to the established characters.
Not only does the newspaper subplot divide Jonathan and Nancy for a lot of their screen time, but it also leaves viewers wondering what happened to them since season 2. Jonathan and Nancy are a tenacious team throughout the first two seasons, working together to take on Hawkins Lab and the Demogorgon alike. They work great as a team, and the co-worker bullying subplot fails to generate tension as it splits a couple who, until now, have been better together. Jonathan and Nancy should have their struggles, but going forward, anything dividing them should be more dramatic and impactful.
Throughout season 1, fans wanted answers for Stranger Things’ many mysteries and were slowly drip-fed clues instead, much like fans wanted to see Jonathan and Nancy end up together in a classic '80s movie fashion and instead got a near-kiss and an ambiguous ending. In Stranger Things season 2, the action and momentum ramped up considerably, just in time for Jonathan and Nancy to finally hook up, two developments which won critical and fan approval. But by season 3, the series was overstuffed with too many overlapping plot lines, and similarly, Jonathan and Nancy had gone, seemingly overnight, from unlikely sweethearts to a bickering, resentful duo who spent most of the season arguing.
Of course, the characters do need some conflict to keep their story engaging and there is no shortage of problems Jonathan and Nancy could face entering into Stranger Things season 4 (being a young professional couple in the mid-80s is a classic horror movie setup, as the denizens of Children of the Corn can attest). But much like Mike and El, the pair had very little time together as a couple before season 3 pulled them apart again, and viewers never got a chance to see them at ease before a nightmare job was ruining their relationship just as it began. As such, Stranger Things 4 would benefit from slowing down and telling a smaller-scale story, while letting Jonathan and Nancy’s relationship have a moment of peace in the process.
It’s fair to presume that Mike and El will get back together, but Stranger Things season 4 needs to keep the pair apart at least a while so as not to waste the poignant ending of season 3. Mike and El’s breakup was necessary for season 3’s dramatic climax, like the death of Hopper, and like Hopper’s death, most fans know it will be reversed in short order but is nonetheless a solid set up for the next installment - after all, if the characters were left happy and content, there would be no reason to keep watching next season. But with El and Mike apart Stranger Things only has a handful of romantic subplots for the series to follow (Dustin and Suzie notwithstanding), and Lucas and Max are too minor a pair of supporting characters to carry this element of the show’s comedy-drama appeal on their own.
Hopper and Joyce’s “romance”, meanwhile, was one of the most (understandably) divisive elements of season 3, with the ostensible hero pushing Will’s perpetually frazzled mom to get over Bob’s horrific season 2 death and date him, a queasy subplot Stranger Things would do well to avoid revisiting. Hopper’s gradually worsening character arc throughout season 3 was only exacerbated by his sudden and uncharacteristically entitled romantic attachment to Joyce, and Stranger Things could leave that misguided subplot in the past by making Jonathan and Nancy the lone stable couple of the series. As the only ones who didn’t break up, however briefly, in season 3, Jonathan and Nancy are already the show’s most consistent pairing and at their age, they’re also the only ones who could believably move in together to solidify their relationship. And maybe get a little space from their dramatic families, since after three years of Mind Flayers, government conspiracies, Demogorgons, and workplace sexism, they’ve earned a bit of peace and quiet.
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