Stranger Things fans have been left confused by a scene in the new episodes – so much so that the show’s creators have had to clarify what actually happened.
The fifth and final season’s penultimate volume was released on 26 December, and the three new instalments set things up for a bumper finale set to be released on Netflix on New Year’s Eve (31 December).
One scene, though, left fans scratching their heads. It saw Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, played by real-life couple Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton, break up after a candid conversation while their fates hang in the balance.
At the end of the scene, Jonathan reveals he’s been carrying around an engagement ring and, after the pair confess to everything they find annoying about each other, he says: “I figure that I have screwed up enough with you that it'd be nice to get something right for once, in the end. Nancy Wheeler, will you not marry me?'
Nancy accepts, tells him she loves him and kisses him – just before they discover an escape. Fans were left confused by the resolution of the scene, and series creators the Duffer brothers have since confirmed this was supposed to indicate the end of their relationship.
“That's a breakup,' they told People, stating: “They have broken up.”
“It's hard to recall when exactly that idea came, but I think us – and the writers – all felt that Nancy needed to end up on her own and be independent and have an opportunity to find herself,” they added.
Fans are complaining that the scene needed to be clearer, arguing that it wasn’t obvious that the scene was meant to be a breakup.
”This did not feel like a breakup scene,” one person wrote on X/Twitter, with another adding: “I didn't even realise this was what they were aiming for.” An additional fan wrote: ”absolutely everyone that watched this scene had no idea this was even what happened…”
Since the Netflix series started in 2016, none of the main ensemble have left the show, with all of the cast members making it to the forthcoming season five final.
This has led to criticism that the show’s scary events are consequently less impactful – but the Duffer brothers say the decision stemmed from a desire to avoid shock value.
“We could kill anyone off at any point very easily – it’s not difficult,” they told The Independent. “It’s more about the repercussions that would have for all of our other characters.
“We just always want to think ahead and not just do it to shock people or because people have a bloodlust, which they seem to have.”
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