Steve and Nancy were endgame

This past holiday season, I watched Stranger Things for the first time with my 12-year-old son. I’d heard rave reviews about the show over the years, but sci-fi/horror isn’t usually for me. I consume media squarely in the romance/fantasy realms. However, my oldest came home in November and asked if he could watch it (all of his friends were since it was in its last season). I’d seen a lot of online hype at that point, so the plan was to watch it together. Never did I think I would become downright obsessed with the show. The nostalgic vibe of the 80s, the ways these kids solved problems together, that friendship mattered above all else, plus conspiracies and monsters and other worlds and a kick ass soundtrack?! I was hooked. I found some seasons better executed than others—like all media, some plot lines are subjective (I didn’t love season 3’s Hopper and a Demogorgon in Russia, for instance)—however, I did enjoy the series finale. Yes, there were plot holes. Yes, not everyone was satisfied with the wrap-up. But after binge-watching such an intense show over a matter of weeks, I can say I loved the way it wrapped with an open-ended, believe-what-you-want tone. My only true gripe is: Steve and Nancy.

Here’s the thing: Steve and Nancy had the perfect potential for a second-chance romance. Hear me out…

Credit: Netflix

In season 1, they are a cute couple. Steve is the handsome jock, and Nancy is the studious, unpopular girl. They flirt, hook up, and real feelings are involved, then their relationship hits a rocky road when Nancy’s best friend, Barb, is abducted. She bonds with Jonathan over the shared trauma of looking for someone they love in the Upside Down. Rightfully so, Steve starts wondering why his girlfriend is hanging out with a guy she’s never connected with before, and who took peeping-tom photos of her from outside Steve’s house. And, while Steve turned into a bit of a jerk toward the middle of the season, he tried to make it right with Nancy when he realized he was being terrible. Then, Steve is thrown into a fight with a Demogorgon to defend Nancy and Jonathan, further proving his tenacity to protect his girl.

Credit: Netflix

Season 2 begins to show the cracks forming in Nancy’s relationship with Steve as they attempt to remain unaffected by Barb’s death and the covering up of all the paranormal events they’ve endured. Nancy is unhappy with Steve’s nonchalance and ends their relationship. Shortly after, she and Jonathan unite on a mission to reveal what actually happened to Barb. She and Jonathan share tension, trust, and the truth. Of course, they end up together. In the season’s final episode, Steve sees Nancy through the window at a school dance, staring at her while he talks about the one that got away.

Robin, a potential romantic interest for Steve, enters in season 3, though it is revealed that she’s gay, so she and Steve remain good friends. Nancy and Jonathan are still going strong.

Credit: Netflix

Finally, we get season 4: the perfect storm. Nancy’s boyfriend, Jonathan, is living in another state, and both are unwilling to visit one another over spring break, but guess who is still in town? Steve. A student is murdered, and while Nancy investigates it like the burgeoning reporter she is, Steve ensures the safety of his younger friends. He and Nancy are brought back together when they start investigating the multiple murders of fellow students at Hawkins High. Steve shows up for Nancy when her reporting partner is killed. Lingering looks are exchanged throughout their investigation together. Nancy seems jealous of Steve and Robin’s friendship until she learns there is nothing romantic about it. A shirtless Steve finds the gate to the Upside Down at the bottom of a lake, gets sucked into it, and Nancy doesn’t hesitate to jump in after him. After a fight with monsters, Nancy helps patch up Steve’s injuries. Her hands are on his naked torso, sparks are dancing between them, and the looks have gotten longer. Jonathan who?

Finally, at the end of the season, Jonathan (after being on his own adventure) arrives back in Hawkins, effectively dousing cold water on Steve and Nancy’s simmering desire. However, things between Nancy and Jonathan aren’t perfect. The viewer knows Jonathan lied to Nancy about applying to college, and Nancy seems generally unfulfilled by Jonathan’s new stoner persona.

Season 5 — the wheels fall off. I thought the series ended well. I will only offer that Steve and Nancy were a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY. All the tension built up from season 4, their past, their separate character development, Nancy and Jonathan’s realization that they shouldn’t be together, and subsequent breakup = the best groundwork for a Stancy reunion.

Now, I understand there was A LOT to pack into that final episode, but the last half was effectively a 55-minute epilogue. In one scene, Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, and Robin reminisce on a rooftop, promising to get together once per month since they miss one another. All the directors would have had to do was add one more lingering look between Steve and Nancy to imply that they missed one another as more than friends. Adding a line about them crossing paths in the future. Even a teasing joke between the two — something about how Steve was a jerk when they were younger and Nancy saying he wasn’t so bad — would have added a satisfying romantic conclusion. After all their trials and character growth, the groundwork was right there. They deserved this.

I know, I know. The point of the show wasn’t to pair up every character. In fact, the harsh lesson was that realities change, and happy endings aren’t for everyone. But, as a romance author, I hate the wasted potential of something so satisfying.

What were your thoughts on the Stancy finale?