#tldr: stancy did not come out of nowhere

[sherlolly-siya]

steve was not ooc in season 4, stancy build up was not 'for nothing'. I'm sorry but I simply cannot accept a opinion that's formed 30 seconds after binge watching x seasons of a show. the whole beauty of story telling and character progression relies on audience giving themselves the time to absorb what happened in each episode, each season. Personally I find steve and Nancy perfectly in character throughout their journey.

Steve's moto in life had been "Conceal don't feel" his entire life until the point he met Nancy. He went as far as to tell Dustin that the trick is to pretend as if you don't care

But what did we see? Steve cared and he showed, I'm a firm believer that character progression does not limit to finding a love interest. But the right one? They make you be a better person. Nancy was that for Steve.

Season 1: Steve's initial reaction to barb's death was poor (I won't defend it, there's no excuse for that) but he came back, even when he got in trouble with his parents. Because Nancy was distraught, because he cared about Nancy. He came back for Nancy every single time. He didn't know how to respond in the situation, his solution to watch a movie was bad, but he tried. He cared enough to drag his friends who didn't give two shits about Nancy with him to check up on her. His reaction to Jonathan taking unsolicited pictures of his girlfriend was justified, his reaction to pick a fight with him after seeing nancy allowing Jonathan into her home was justified for a hurt teenager. But the moment he had the time to think over it, the moment he saw the consequences of his actions he went back to apologize to Jonathan. Where he happened to find Nancy, but he hadn't come for her. He had come because he was feeling shitty about himself, you might close your eyes at this point because he's not your favourite but steve was growing as an individual, apart from Nancy.

He went as far as to buy Jonathan a new camera and have nancy give it to him. Because he knew nancy had forgiven Jonathan, there was more important life threatening stuff going on (although, I believe Jonathan deserved to have absolutely no access to any form of technology since that day). Nancy defending him to Jonathan in the woods was not in vain, steve really was a good guy under the 'king steve' persona.

Season 2: this is the key, anyone that has watched this season would not have questioned the scene in S4 where apparently steve forced Nancy to birth his kids. Steve always had a dream about his future, that dream didn't involve a solid career plan for himself, but that dream always involved Nancy.

He despises his father, but he was willing to take the job because it had benefits, (now which highschooler thinks about health insurance and benefits if they're not having a long term plan in their head?) and because he could stay around Nancy for a little while longer.

But It was one step forward three steps back with Steve at this point, the way he said in season 4, he was crawling slowly. His reaction to a guilt ridden nancy was poor. Once again the time wasn't in their favour. Although they still loved each other, nancy was finding it difficult to express that because she kept associating her happy memories with steve to barbs death.

So she ran, that's Nancy's character trait, she ran to Jonathan because he was the one at the time willing to find answers (coincidentally it aligned with his need to save his brother will). Once again, steve realised it a little late, he was at her doorstep with an apology already forming. But when steve saw the two of them working together, that is where he got his proper thump. And he let go, he didn't force nancy to confront anything, he knew she's not good at it. So he let go of his question, he assumed she didn't love him anymore. Mind you, Nancy never said she didn't love him, just like she never said she loved Jonathan.

Season 3: We see Robin asking steve if he's still in love with Nancy, and he says he's not because he's found someone that suits him. The problem here is that he still believes he needs to have a girl by his side. So he's trying to aimlessly flirt with every girl that comes to scoops ahoy. He tries to move on and is met with disappointment. But there's this another girl he's just met, that he works with, spends most of his day with and she challenges him. The same way Nancy did. She doesn't fall for his charm and he thinks she's the one. But she's not. Robin is not nancy, she's not falling for it because steve is not where her interest lies. Throughout the season we see steve and nancy maintaining the distance, for being in the same town, for running in the same circles, not once did they cross paths. (Once again, they're growing as individuals apart from the other.) Except for the very end, where Nancy and others are in danger and steve leaps in without a second thought, he's still looking out for Nancy, but he's also looking out for the kids because he promised someone he would.

Meanwhile nancy is learning the tough lesson: shared trauma doesn't last forever. Life happens beyond it, and as it turns out, her and Jonathan are not compatible for that. They're arguing over a silly story that Nancy thinks could lead to upside down and the monster. While Jonathan got his resolution, he got his will back, nancy didn't get barb. Nancy might not address it but it's there still at the back of her mind. She wants to chase the lead, she's facing sexism at work but jonathan tells her to deal with it, to drop it because he's worried about his job and his family (sadly he doesn't consider her a part of his family, even though Joyce knows they're dating, he's still hiding Nancy). So Nancy goes alone, she's learning she doesn't need someone to rely on to solve her problems, she's learning to face them alone.

Season 4: Steve is still trying to move on, after being rejected by another girl who he thought could be Nancy, he's doing the same thing, he's dating aimlessly.

Robin is wrong though, steve knows what he wants. He wants a relationship that means something. He's been in love before, he knows what that feels like, and he wants to feel it again. He's grown as a person, as a friend as a mentor, from the boy who told Dustin that the key is not care even if you do, he's telling Robin to stop pretending to be someone else.

So when he meets Nancy again, and she's off chasing the leads on the latest villain (did anyone notice how nancy said it was a shot in the dark and she didn't want to waste their time? She thought just like jonathan once did, steve would discourage her too). But he doesn't stop her, he tells her she shouldn't go alone and volunteers to go with her. But he keeps Robin with the kids, he's not leaving them helpless either.

In the beginning of S4 Nancy is still dreaming about the whirlwind romance she had with Jonathan. She expects him to visit her over the spring break, but her own ambitions are important enough to her that she doesn't want to leave her job at the school newspaper even for a little while (or its just an excuse to avoid the inevitable). Jonathan on the other hand, is lying to her, he has not applied to the college of her choice, because that's not his dream. He wants to stay with his family, which is fine on its own, but he doesn't consider the fact that Nancy would understand, he assumes (making her decision for her) that if she found out, she would sacrifice her dreams. He assumes they would end up in a loveless marriage filled with resentment. Here we see the cracks in their understanding of the other. Nancy is expecting the same Jonathan from S1 and S2 that showed up for her to show up now, Jonathan is assuming she'll run with him just like she did in S1 and S2. They're glossing over the events of S3 where they both wanted different things from life, their routes only collided when Nancy's lead connected to Jonathan's brother will.

Many fans have noted the similarities between Fred and Barbara, so when he died, nancy was surprised to find the last person she expected to stand by her side. Last she knew, they had said their goodbyes.

But this time around, steve was there with her all along, supporting her in every action she wanted to take. She was seeing the boy she left become a man who she can rely on if she ever grew tired. She was seeing him in the new light. She was seeing him being a brother/babysitter to those kids. She was seeing him jumping into the water because he was the only one who could do it. (Steve wasn't doing any of this to impress her like he did in S1, he was simply doing it because he could). When steve got dragged down, she jumped in after him. As Natalia said in a recent interview she could have jumped in for anyone, because that Nancy, she has always cared about other people. But the plot narrative was to show her jumping in after steve. Because the feelings never went away, and now something was hurting the one she loved. It's complicated with Nancy, while steve let go of her, found a way to accept that she cannot be with him and tried to move on, it wasn't the same for her. She was with Jonathan physically but her heart lied with steve, she was jealous of the next girl in his life (Robin) the moment she saw her in S3 , we see her jealous in S4 as well.

So it's not out of character for two people still in love to drift closer when people around them are telling them how they can see they're still in love, re: Robin and Eddie.

Steve is extremely cautious this time around, he's gotten his heart broken once and he's not prepared for that again. When he's telling nancy about the dream he once had, he's telling her a story from the past, there are no expectations, there's no pressure (contrary to popular belief, I've watched the scene multiple times but I did not find steve demanding nancy birth the kids right there). He's telling her, she's always been a part of his future, his family (something that Jonathan is grappling to come to terms with). Steve also tells her it was his fault they didn't work out the first time, may be they can now if they were meeting for the first as the people that they're today. May be he could have held on and made it work. But nowhere is he asking her of faulting her for their failed relationship. This is in stark contrast to how Jonathan views their future together, steve has a optimistic approach, he's willing to make it work, he's willing to put the effort. and she's seeing all of this.

She's seeing how far steve's come, she's admitted to Fred already that she can feel Jonathan pulling away. (Jonathan won't even contact her from another state when hopper contacted Joyce from another continent. Difference being, hopper considers Joyce his family.)

Nancy is still Nancy in a way, she saw barb in her vecna trance, but avoided talking about it. She chose the easy way out again and fell into Jonathan's arms. But they're both sensing the cracks. Jonathan or his family's life wasn't threatened at the time nancy asked him if his acceptance letter had come. But he chose to lie still. She's defending steve to jonathan again when he makes a snide comment about him, she's telling him she was glad he wasn't around, subtly proving him wrong that she might not leave her ambitions at the moments notice if they chose different paths, she can handle things on her own.

Throughout the 4 seasons (except last 10 mins), Steve and Nancy were written beautifully. It's a slow burn that's served at its usual pace. I'm sorry the writers room doesn't seem enthusiastic about Jonathan when it comes to something that's not related to will, I'm sorry they've made him the side character in his own relationship but that doesn't mean steve or nancy were in the wrong. Their stories are written how they're supposed to be.

Season 4 was open ended, there was a huge plot whole named "two days later" no one knows what happened there, how they got out, or what happened to Eddie or if stancy ever talked about the whole "you've always been there." thing. But we do know that Nancy is not opposed to it or bothered by it. She has still chosen to hang out with steve and robin. Before the Cali crew approached, she was set to go to HHS and fold baby clothes with steve :) so hold on to ur butts brochachos, we've still got S5, we've still got nancy finding out the truth.

#tldr: stancy did not come out of nowhere #steve is not ooc #nancy is not ooc #you need to watch the show at its pace and stop consuming media like water #i tried to make it pretty with pics #stancy #steve x Nancy #steve harrington #nancy Wheeler #jancy bones incoming