Through Stranger Things Season 5Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) and Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) become competitive whenever they are around Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer). It's a classic love triangle dynamic, putting Nancy in the position of choosing between her current boyfriend and an ex who has grown a lot as a character since the first season. Writer Kate Trefry and the Duffer Brothers tackle this issue head-on in episode six, “Escape from Camazotz,” in a deeply satisfying way, transcending clichés to give each character what they need.
[Ed. note: The following contains major spoilers for Stranger Things season 5, episode 6.]
Episode 5 ends on a cliffhanger: Nancy impulsively shoots the “shield generator” that Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) says will destroy the walls around the Upside Down, even though Dustin desperately tried to warn her to stop. She is actually removing the exotic matter, and the impact melts the walls, ceiling, and floor of an inverted version of Hawkins Lab.
While Dustin and Steve try to rescue them, Nancy and Jonathan first try to escape the room they were locked in and then seek higher ground to buy enough time for help to arrive. But as the goo accumulates around them, they accept that these may be their last moments and begin to simply try to do right by each other. This includes a series of funny confessions about the music and books they supposedly like, but also more emotional confrontations about their material problems.
They finally return to the tension in their relationship that has been present since Nancy went to college in season four. They recognize that their relationship is built on a shared trauma that binds them together, but is also an oppressive burden that they both wanted to get rid of. Nancy admits that she needs space from Jonathan, but assures him that she doesn't want to be with Steve either.
Jonathan then makes one last big, tearful confession, pulling out the wedding ring he's been carrying around all season. I was afraid of how this prop might be used. Perhaps at that point he would propose, Nancy would say yes, and she would spend the rest of her possibly very short life with him. Perhaps he will be injured and the ring will fall out of his pocket, spoiling the surprise and adding to the urgency of the situation, showing that his dreams for the future are at stake. Perhaps he or Steve will die heroically, and the entire love triangle will be called into question, and Nancy will find solace in the arms of another man.
Instead, Jonathan admits that the proposal would be an attempt to mend a broken relationship, and that he doesn't want her to marry him at all. They love each other, but it's a love wrapped up in a tearful hug and a chaste kiss on the head, not a passionate kiss. When the crisis passes, they endure another traumatic experience together, stronger because they chose their happiness over the easy path of clinging to the security of a relationship that was suffocating them.
Many coming-of-age stories assume their young protagonists will find the love of their lives as teenagers, and this trope is especially unfair to women, whose happy endings often have more to do with starting a family than saving the world. Epilogue Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows It doesn't even mention what Hermione, the most brilliant wizard of her generation, did with her adult life, besides marrying Ron and having two children. After teasing fans about a possible Katara and Zuko pairing. Avatar: The Last AirbenderKatara ends up with Aang, and her most important contribution to the world is to make sure that he is not, in fact, the last of his kind.
Nancy admits that she doesn't even know what she wants – although she knows that not having Steve's six children is very reasonable for a teenager! She doesn't have to marry the guy she dated in high school. And for fans who really love a big young love story, Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) realizes that Lucas has as strong an emotional connection as Kate Bush and escapes her mental prison to be with him. They may also have to deal with their shared trauma at some point, but for now, they deserve a happy reunion.
Steve also gets his big emotional catharsis, and it comes from the person who happens to be the most important to him: his best friend Dustin. Like Jonathan and Nancy, Steve and Dustin have many unresolved issues from season four. Although Steve blamed Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) for his death playing the hero last season, he is just as reckless when he tries to save Jonathan and Nancy.
After saving Steve's life, Dustin cries as he admits he can't handle losing another friend. When Dustin breaks down the barriers he built after Eddie's death, it reaffirms how much Steve means to him. Their heartfelt embrace strengthens the bond that has been one of the show's mainstays since they became unlikely friends in season two.
Bye Stranger Things Season 5 have significantly increased the stakes and action, the Duffers understand that characters are truly the heart of their show. The care they took in resolving the relationship dynamics in “Escape from Camazotz” made this episode the strongest of the season's second volume. Whatever happened to the characters in the finale, at least they were honest with each other and themselves about what a happy ending looked like for each of them.
First seven episodes Stranger Things Season five is available to stream now on Netflix, with the finale airing on New Year's Eve.
