Warning: Spoilers ahead.
It’s clear from the first episode of Stranger Things‘ season two that all is not well between Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Steve (Joe Keery). They’re both still reeling from Barb’s death, and the guilt is putting a strain on their own relationship. Nancy can’t even help Steve with his college admissions essay without things turning sour.
Their relationship hits a low point at the Halloween party in episode two: Nancy gets incredibly drunk and essentially says everything between her and Steve is “bullshit.” She’s tired of them pretending like nothing’s wrong; they know Barb is dead—and she blames herself for it—but they haven’t said anything to anyone. Steve is heartbroken by Nancy’s speech; it makes him question her love for him, their relationship…everything. Their dynamic completely changes as a result.
And then there’s Jonathan (Charlie Heaton). He’s the one who ultimately drove Nancy home from that Halloween party. (Steve abruptly left after his fight with Nancy.) Jonathan and Nancy’s friendship has grown leaps and bounds since last season, and things start escalate once she and Steve are on the outs.
Naturally, this love triangle is one of the most talked-about subplots of the show—so we scored inside scoop about it straight from Dyer and Keery. The actors have some interesting thoughts about where Nancy and Steve are headed—and where Jonathan fits into the mix. Read on to learn more.
The best scenes in this season have nothing to do with the Upside Down and everything to do with the relationships among the characters. What about for you?
Natalia Dyer: “For me, this show is much more about the characters and the relationships. It’s always been such an ensemble show. That’s my favorite part. I find it’s very character-driven. The Duffers take these ’80s tropes and really flush them out and give the characters complexity. A lot of it comes from the writing. I love how everyone relates to each other, and it’s fun to see how they do it in different ways.”
So what’s your interpretation of where Steve and Nancy are by the end of the last episode?
Joe: “At the end of season one, we were kind of pretending that nothing happened. We were holding each other back in a certain way—but in order to move forward, we had to go to these separate places. It first seemed this season like she was hurting him, and he takes it as Nancy just hurting him, but they both have to progress forward. To do that they have be apart. They both have had to come to terms with that. They realize why they were attracted to each other in the first place, and that those things still exist. But I also don’t think they’re going to force each other to be together.”
Natalia: “They definitely care about each other and still love each other, but you’re totally spot on, Joe, in that they have to figure themselves out apart from each other. After the end of season one, their relationship was a bit of a safety blanket. For that to be healthy, you have to figure out what it is outside of that safety blanket.”
Joe: “And you never really forget your first love.”
Do you think they’re right for each other?
Joe: “I think about at that age, and who I was at least, the amount that I’ve changed…I’m such a different person, and I can only imagine that they’ll continue to change as well. It’s so hard to say if they’re destined to be together. Maybe it will work out, but I do know that he cares about her more than anyone he’s cared about in his life. He loves her and is worried about her, but he has to grow, too.”
What about their relationship works? And what are some reasons they aren’t great together?
Natalia: “I think there’s a good balance between them, and they are each other’s first love. That’s a very strong thing! They really, really do care about each other. They’ve gone through an experience that’s really bonding in a way, but they need to figure themselves out. I think, like any relationship, something’s going on. They may need to be away from each other and figure out their stuff and see where that puts both of them.”
Joe: “Oh man, there are things I learned about their relationship this year that are kind of telling. It makes me not so sure. In the first season, it’s this love sick thing—they’re both in the throes of beginning this relationship. Then when you catch up with them at the beginning of season two, you can see that there are some issues dealing with what happened. In season two, one of the big arcs for Steve is this transformation. It’s a growing-up story for Steve. He learns how to put people before himself, specifically Nancy and the people that he loves. That’s something he hasn’t had to do before.”
What does Charlie Heaton (Jonathan) think about Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan’s love triangle? Does he have an opinion?
Joe: “I don’t think we necessarily have like opinions, like, ‘Oh man…” But because we are playing the characters, we do have these ideas of what we think will happen or why the characters are kind of right for each other. I can’t really speak on behalf of Charlie, but what I can say is that Charlie does such unbelievable work this year. He’s one of the people on the show that I would love to work more with. I really think he’s such a talented guy. I learn so much from that dude being on set.”
Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but Steve takes Dustin to the dance and they have a sweet moment in the car where he gives him advice. Then, later on during the dance, Nancy has a moment with Dustin too. I felt like it was a way of uniting the characters even while they’re apart.
Joe: “He’s our son!” [Laughs]
Natalia: “I really have no idea where that’s going to go for them.”
Every episode of Stranger Things season two is streaming on Netflix now.
