Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things are included in this article
Viewers are upset with the ‘evil’ twist from the creators of Stranger Things after a particularly intense scene left them puzzled.
The second-to-last episode of the fifth and concluding season debuted on Boxing Day (December 26). While Matt and Ross Duffer’s acclaimed series has earned 12 Primetime Emmy Awards, a scene featuring fan-favorite characters Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers, portrayed by real-life couple Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton, sparked outrage online.
The duo is trapped in the Upside Down’s Hawkins Lab, surrounded by a slowly engulfing, gooey substance. Convinced they are facing their end, they start to reveal secrets.
Nancy confesses her dislike for The Clash, Jonathan admits he doesn’t enjoy her journalism, and finally reveals he never applied to Emerson, a fact Nancy had already suspected.
Jonathan then surprises her with an engagement ring.
“I figure that I have screwed up enough with you that it’d be nice to get something right for once, in the end. Nancy Wheeler, will you not marry me?” he proposes.
Nancy agrees, expressing her love for him, but just as emotions reach their peak, the peculiar liquid solidifies, ensuring their survival.
Although it seemed to many that the couple had reconciled, the Duffer brothers later revealed that the scene was intended to depict a breakup.
“That’s a breakup,” Matt explained to PEOPLE. “They are broken up.”
He further stated: “We felt that Nancy needed to end up on her own and be independent, allowing her to discover herself.”
This revelation left fans enraged.
“Duffer brothers are f***ing evil for this…whole time jancy was breaking up while the fandom thought they were finally fixing their relationship .. F*** THAT,” one fan posted on X.
“One of the best scenes in stranger things just for it to be a breakup scene. i’m irritated as hell,” commented another fan.
A third user wrote: “Not sure now if it was bad direction or bad writing or a combination of both bt [but] istg [I swear to God] if it wasn’t fr [for] the article, I would have never known this was their freaking breakup scene.”
The scene sparked numerous discussions on social media, with many questioning: “How tf this is a breakup scene.”
However, not all viewers were confused by the writing.
“Breakup scene was so easy to understand, and yet people blame the Duffer Brothers saying ‘the script is so badly written.’ do you guys watch the show with the TV off? Not understanding that scene just shows your own stupidity. It was so EASY to understand,” one user criticized.
Another fan supported the Duffer Brothers: “I can’t believe people didn’t understand the Jonathan/Nancy break up scene in Stranger Things. It was all pretty clear if you listened to what they were saying. They didn’t need to say ‘hey, we are breaking up’.”
Someone else added: “They have broken up. I mean even after hearing words like ‘unproposal’ ‘no marry me’ in the scene if you still couldn’t figure out then….”
The series finale is scheduled for release on Netflix on New Year’s Eve (December 31).