Jonathan & Nancy's Breakup In Stranger Things Is Confusing Fans

Spoiler alert: This post discusses plot details from Stranger Things Season 5, Episode 6.

Some breakups are extremely clear-cut, and then there’s whatever the hell happened between Jonathan Byers and Nancy Wheeler in the Upside Down. As a near-death situation forced the Stranger Things couple to start spilling uncomfortable truths about their relationship, Jonathan pulled out an engagement ring and launched into one of the most confusing maybe-proposals ever.

“Nancy Wheeler, will you not marry me?” Jonathan asked. “Do you accept my un-proposal?” After Nancy confirmed, “I accept your un-proposal,” the two professed their love for one another and pulled each other in for a long, tearful embrace.

So, um — are they engaged? Or are they shutting down marriage but staying together? Or did they just break up? It wasn’t super clear, but showrunners the Duffer Brothers have since confirmed that this was indeed a Jancy breakup scene.

"That's a breakup," Matt Duffer said in a Dec. 25 People interview. "They are broken up."

This revelation caused a lot of confusion among the Stranger Things fandom, many of whom interpreted the “un-proposal” scene as Jonathan and Nancy finally confronting their problems and fixing their relationship, coming out as a stronger couple. But no, apparently, it was the complete opposite.

The Duffer Brothers revealed in the People interview that they’d known for a while this breakup had to happen. "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," Matt said.

In the scene, Nancy tells Jonathan that she is not leaving him for Steve, the third member of their love triangle, but rather to take some space to find herself.

"I mean, how many people wind up with their girlfriend or boyfriend that they met in high school?" Matt concluded.