natalia-wheeler

One of the more overlooked flaws in Stranger Things, is the casual way it handles infidelity, both emotional and physical. This pattern emerges most noticeably through characters like Nancy Wheeler and Karen Wheeler. Though often viewed as strong, admirable women within the narrative, their actions involving near or actual emotional betrayals raise important questions about character accountability and how relationships are portrayed in a genre show that often skirts the edges of realism. Furthermore, it is important for the cheating or character dying trope to be avoided for a ship like Byler to be canonized.

Nancy Wheeler is an undiscussed cheater. Yes, I said that.

Nancy Wheeler is a fan-favorite character and rightfully so in many ways. She’s intelligent, brave, and unafraid to stand up for what she believes in. But despite her strengths, her moral choices, especially in Season 2 — are often brushed aside or even romanticized by viewers and the writers alike.

Her relationship with Steve Harrington was far from perfect. Steve, at that point, was still maturing, often oblivious, and admittedly self-centered. But that doesn't change the fact that Nancy cheated on him emotionally and physically when she chose to kiss Jonathan while she was still dating Steve. I mean they did have a fight, but they hadn't broken up. Neither were they on a break. The show conveniently frames this moment as Nancy finally following her heart, but in truth, it reflects emotional dishonesty and a lack of closure.

The issue isn’t that Nancy and Jonathan ended up together, they clearly share a deeper compatibility. And I'm not against Jancy in the slightest, far from that, infact I want them to be together until the end. The problem is how easily the narrative excused Nancy's betrayal, failing to give Steve the respect of a clean breakup or even a meaningful confrontation. This omission perpetuates a dangerous message: that cheating is permissible or narratively justifiable if it leads to a “better” relationship. Nancy may have grown as a person, but that growth doesn’t erase the way she treated Steve and it's time fandom conversations held her accountable for her actions. I hardly see even the media literate fans, like Bylers, talk about her actions. And I get it, Nancy was immature at the time, but she'd grown later, so an apology was expected. But no. They didn't bring it up ever again.

Now Karen Wheeler’s case is a bit different. Her near-affair with Billy Hargrove presents another case of emotional unfaithfulness that gets surprisingly little criticism. It’s true that her marriage to Ted is emotionally barren. Ted is passive, disengaged, and clearly not a supportive partner. But that doesn’t make Karen's flirtation with Billy any more excusable, considering the age gap. Karen was a mother of three, and Billy, despite being 18, was a high school student.

The difference with Karen’s arc is that she ultimately chooses not to go through with it. That moment of restraint and recommitment to her family shows that she still has a moral compass, however flawed. Yet, her brief temptation with Billy felt like an unnecessary beat in her character arc — one that risked undermining her maturity and maternal grounding. But the fact that she made the right choice, really did uplift her character.

Given all this, the suggestion that Stancy (Steve and Nancy) should be endgame is problematic. Not just because Steve and Nancy were toxic together, but because Steve deserves a partner who genuinely chooses him, not someone who treated him like a placeholder while emotionally aligning herself with someone else. Steve's character has matured immensely. He’s become one of the show’s emotional centers, known for his loyalty, courage, and heart. Nancy, as capable and smart as she is, doesn’t seem like the right emotional fit for him anymore, and their history is too tangled in dishonesty to make a satisfying reconciliation feel earned. GA wants them together because they think they had ‘chemistry’ in Season 4. Like what...?

On that note, Stranger Things has a history of relying on certain emotional shortcuts to advance relationships — often through unnecessary tragedy or excessive delay. Bob Newby’s death in Season 2, while heroic, felt like a narrative device to remove an obstacle and eventually pave the way for Joyce and Hopper (Jopper) to reunite. While Bob didn’t die only to serve that ship, his loss undoubtedly made room for their future romance, which still took a season to materialize.

So when it comes to Byler, it’s essential that the writers avoid repeating the same mistakes they made with Nancy and Steve or Joyce and Bob.

Will deserves a love that is clear, honest, and reciprocated, and so does Eleven. The last thing viewers should witness is Mike ‘cheating’ on El by kissing Will while still in a messy relationship with her. That kind of betrayal, especially after the emotional turmoil all three characters have endured, would not only harm Mike's character but also damage the sincerity of the Byler arc.

Instead, if the show truly values the emotional growth of its characters, it must depict Mike and Eleven breaking up in a respectful and meaningful way before any romantic progression happens between Mike and Will. ElMike deserve a proper breakup before Byler happening, unlike the messy way Stancy parted. This would honor the integrity of both relationships and provide much-needed closure, especially for El, whose journey of self-discovery deserves just as much narrative care as anyone else’s.

And what happened with Jopper, the same pattern must not be repeated with Byler. Eleven should not have to die or be written off for Mike and Will to finally be together. Will’s queerness, his longing, and his love should not be treated as a “backup plan” that only becomes viable once El is gone. If Byler is to become canon, it should happen because Mike makes an honest, conscious choice, not because fate, death, or guilt pushes him there.

The tragic queer romance trope has been exhausted and queer characters deserve better than being sidelined or treated as emotional placeholders. Let Mike and Will’s love story be grounded in authenticity, agency, and emotional clarity, not loss. I have hope in Byler and I really hope it is executed in a unique way, not taking inspiration from shallow tropes.

So while Jancy and Jopper are extremely good and healthy ships, the way they start out (or are initially set up) is toxic. That shouldn't be the case with Byler.

STRANGER THINGS TEENS + TAROT

Sheltered girl with powers who was kidnapped as a baby and her kidnapper who took on the role of a parent:

Her prison:

Her love interest who she spends time with after leaving her ‘prison’:

She and her love interest have fun together and she learns new things:

Her love interest starts to fall for her:

Her love interest gazes at her while she’s not looking at him:

She and her love interest share a kiss:

Natalia Dyer as Coraline Jones.

Like he was picking out coffins at 16 for his little brother and shit has been downhill since. Of course he thinks he still has to protect his family. He's been parentified and He's traumatized. And honestly he probably still sees Will as 12 in his mind (not ok but understandable given the circumstances) But he clearly also wants to be with Nancy (and everything else that comes with that i.e. college) because you don't drive 2000 miles with the government tracking you to break up with someone???