Stranger Things showrunners explain confusing proposal scene in season five’s new Christmas drop

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Fans of Stranger Things got an unexpected Christmas present: several episodes from the second part of season five were released for streaming on Christmas Day.

In a recent episode release, viewers saw a dramatic and emotional scene between popular characters Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, where they faced a near-death experience and shared a tense moment.

In this scene, Charlie Heaton, playing Jonathan, proposes to Nancy, played by Natalia Dyer, with an engagement ring.

At first, it looked like a proposal, but the show’s creators quickly explained that the couple isn’t engaged and shared what they were trying to convey with that scene.

Interestingly, the actors who portray Nancy and Jonathan are still dating each other off-camera. However, their characters on the show went through a breakup, highlighted by a memorable ‘un-proposal’ scene, as the show’s creators have shared.

Nancy and Jonathan have been a couple since the second season of the show. When they find themselves in a life-or-death situation, believing it might be their last moments, they finally share their deepest feelings with each other.

Trapped in the Upside Down inside Hawkins Lab, the two of them find themselves in danger as a dangerous, melting substance starts dissolving everything around them.

Nancy then reveals she dislikes The Clash. Jonathan responds by admitting he doesn’t enjoy reading her articles and confesses he never actually applied to Emerson.

At that moment, he pulls out an engagement ring from his pocket and extends a proposal-like offer. 

I know I’ve messed things up with you a lot, and I’d really like to finally do something right. Nancy Wheeler, will you marry me?

She accepts his unconventional offer, then confesses her love, and they share a kiss. When they pull away, they discover a substance that had surrounded them has solidified, but thankfully, they’re both unharmed.

In a recent interview with People magazine, Ross and Matt Duffer—the creators of the show—shared what happens to the characters Nancy and Jonathan.

Matt explained to the media that the scene definitively showed the couple had broken up.

Matt explained that he and Ross had written the scene knowing the couple would split up soon.

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when the idea originated, but he believes both he and the writers agreed that Nancy needed to become self-sufficient, independent, and discover who she truly was.

Matt went on, ‘Honestly, how often do people actually end up with someone they dated in high school?’

He also pointed out that the couple’s relationship was more complex than most high school romances.

Ross explained that their relationship was ending due to a ‘trauma bond,’ meaning their shared difficult experiences had created an unhealthy connection.

In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, the Duffer brothers explained how a particularly suspenseful scene connects to key events in the latest season, and shared insights into writing the final episodes.

As a longtime fan, I understood from the creators that the latter half of the final season was really about giving each character a strong sense of self and making sure they all felt secure in who they were. It was about building them up individually before bringing everything to a close.

Ross explained that they aimed to help people resolve their personal fears and insecurities before facing the ultimate challenge.

This concept is complex, though we’ve been working towards it. Explaining it clearly in just five minutes is difficult. It’s more than a simple romantic storyline; it’s not just about relationships and who ends up with whom.

Ross explained that when you’re in a long-term relationship, you become incredibly close and share a lot of life experiences. This can lead to feeling like no one else could possibly understand you. However, he also wondered if that feeling of closeness could sometimes hold you back from growing as an individual.

He explained that, considering Nancy and Jonathan’s relationship, he felt Nancy needed to develop further.

Matt added, “And Jonathan, too – they were both feeling the same way, but neither of them knew how to show it. It’s often hard to understand or talk about feelings, especially when you’re young.”

I understood from what he said that they deliberately created an incredibly high-stakes scenario – a last chance for these individuals to come clean. It was about forcing a confession when everything was on the line, a real do-or-die moment.

Stranger Things’ season five, both volumes one and two, are now streaming on Netflix. 

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2025-12-26 09:04