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woobienation · 2 years

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Why I Fell in Love With Jonathan Byers (and Jancy)

I've just finished watching the first season of Stranger Things, and it's been years since I've felt this fanatical level of appreciation for a character and a ship. I don't quite know what to do with myself. I'm spinning around in circles because I'm torn between wanting to re-watch those first eight episodes (with an obsessive focus on the Jonathan Byers scenes) and being on tenterhooks, wanting to go 'full binge ahead' on seasons two through four.

I'm chill like Barb. They did you dirty, Barb!

I'm going to compromise and indulge my librarian heart (which loves things categorically, precisely, in bulleted lists) by trying to quickly put into words to why Jonathan Byers (and the sweet ship Jancy) have my heart caught in a vice grip. Or maybe a bear trap? Then I'll devour season two like the Upside Down devoured Barb. (I'm sorry, Barb. I felt such a strong awkward-friend-at-the-party kinship with you.)

Jonathan Byers stoically carries the weight of the world on his young, hunched shoulders.

When we first see Jonathan, he isn't plunking down Corn Flakes on the breakfast table like some average guy in high school. He's scrambling eggs, toasting toast, has already set out the orange juice; he's making a full, balanced breakfast. He knows where missing items are likely to turn up in the house (his Mom's keys in the couch, his brother's walkie talkie), and he spent the previous evening covering for a coworker because he "just thought we could use the extra cash." When his Mom scolds him for not being more responsible, his response each time is mild. Jonathan has accepted and is excelling at a parentified role within his own family, and if he ever falls short of being everything to his mother and his younger brother, he quietly accepts responsibility for that as well.

Now I'm on a roll. When his brother goes missing, he makes the "Have You Seen Me?" posters, he makes the photocopies, and he puts them up around town. (Geez, Nancy, forget about your chemistry test! Grab a handful of posters and offer to help the poor guy out!) He's the family photographer, chronicling his brother's childhood. He's the caretaker of his mother's anxiety, even in the midst of a family crisis ("We need to stay calm." "You can't get like this, okay?") He must do some of the holidays solo with Will because Joyce reminds her boss Donald (when asking for an advance): "I've worked Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving." I could go on, but it isn't exactly Jonathan's over-responsible behavior (psuedo-husband to Joyce, pseudo-father AND pseudo-mother to Will) that really hooked me. It's his apparent lack of resentment and the enormous tenderness he has toward these two people who depend upon him for so much (and, later on, toward Nancy). He's happiest when the (few) people he loves are happy, safe, and well-taken care of, and he doesn't seem to want acknowledgement, just genuine human connection.

An invaluable resource for Joyce and Karen's culinary masterpieces: https://70sparty.tumblr.com

On the sillier side, Jonathan also has some Todd-from-Wedding-Crashers energy, and I can't help but love it:

"The painting photo was a gift, Jonathan. I'm taking it with me."

Initially, the effort to raise his head and look Nancy in the eyes seems to be substantial, and not just because of his post-illicit-photoshoot humiliation. He doesn't seem to anticipate kindness from any corner outside of his small family, and, thanks to the Lonnies, Carols, and Tommy Hs of the world, Jonathan has the body language of a family dog that's been repeatedly hit on the nose by a newspaper: wary, watchful, prepared for petty cruelties and put-downs. And grateful and astonished when something better comes his way.

That exposed wrist during the bed-sharing scene, signifying his vulnerability, half-covered by his watchband, signifying his obligations and commitments.

(The 'something better that came his way' was bed-sharing with the girl of his dreams.) I love this show so much. It's given me so many fun tropes in a fresh way.

Last thought, because now I'm eager to get back to watching.

The eternal mystery of how Charlie Heaton/Jonathan Byers makes this haircut transfixingly hot.

"Take my hair, for instance. You shouldn't like it, but you do."

And apparently Jonathan's hair gets even more 'business in the front, party in the back' later on?

What can I say? The heart wants what it wants, and I want this sweet beta male to get the girl next door and carry on being the very best brother and son who has ever breathed.

Though I suspect season two will actually look more like this:

Wish me luck. I'm about to go even further down this rabbit hole. Like Barb. I'm so sorry, Barb.

"Naaaannnncyyy! Please kiss him, Naaannnnncccyyyy!"

#jonathan byers #jancy #nancy wheeler #stranger things #charlie heaton

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