'Stranger Things': Nancy-Jonathan's engagement was actually a 'breakup'
What's the story
The fifth season of Stranger Things has been a rollercoaster ride for fans, especially with the fate of Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton). In Season 5 Volume 2, while trapped in Hawkins's lab, Jonathan makes an "un-proposal", saying, "Nancy Wheeler, will you not marry me?" However, co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer have now clarified that this wasn't an engagement but rather a "breakup."
Relationship status
Duffer brothers clarify the couple's fate
Matt Duffer told PEOPLE, "That's a breakup. They are broken up." He added that they had known for "a while" that a breakup was coming for one of the show's longest-running couples. "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," he said.
Relationship dynamics
Duffer brothers discuss Nancy and Jonathan's complicated relationship
Duffer further explained, "I mean, how many people wind up with their girlfriend or boyfriend that they met in high school?" He added that Nancy and Jonathan's relationship is more complicated than normal high school relationships. Ross Duffer described it as a "trauma bond." Despite their on-screen breakup, the actors remain in a long-term relationship off-screen.
Off-screen relationship
Heaton's insights on working with Dyer
Heaton and Dyer have been dating publicly since 2017 after meeting on the show. In a recent interview with Wonderland magazine, Heaton spoke about living and working with Dyer. "It's been a gift to work with my best friend," he said. "To be able to have a shared experience with your partner about the anxiety when you don't get a job - I know what that feels like, she knows what that feels like."