Netflix has confirmed that one of Stranger Things’ time gap, but, surprisingly, Netflix has only revealed that one couple has called it quits.
On Netflix’s Tudum website, the character descriptions reveal that Max and Lucas have broken up since the end of Stranger Things season 3. This isn’t too much of a surprise considering season 3 mentioned that Max and Lucas often break up and get back together, but this time around seems to have marked a major split. On the other hand, Stranger Things season 4 will see Mike and Eleven, Nancy and Jonathan, and Dustin and Suzie all defying the odds of long-distance relationships by still being together when the story picks back up.
While Max and Lucas breaking up isn’t a major twist, the couple that was long hinted to have broken up before Stranger Things season 4 was Nancy and Jonathan. Stranger Things season 4’s trailers continued to show Max and Lucas or Mike and Eleven together while keeping Nancy and Jonathan apart, which appeared to be teasing a breakup after the latter moved to California. Netflix has now revealed that while Mike was able to take the trip out to California for Spring Break, Nancy and Jonathan’s busy schedules couldn’t allow for a week-long vacation, which is why Nancy is back in Hawkins investigating Creel House while Jonathan is engaging in high-speed chases with the authorities in a pizza van.
Nancy and Jonathan made sense as a couple when they finally got together in season 2, but their weak Stranger Things season 3 newspaper subplot suggested the two couldn’t survive the series on their pairing alone. As such, it made complete sense to separate Nancy and Jonathan for season 4, thus giving them both much more substantial storylines without relying on their relationship with the other as a crutch. Before Stranger Things season 4, it didn’t seem like Nancy or Jonathan could blend with anyone in the group but each other and their younger brothers. While a break-up would have solved this by proving they could finally become integral of the larger character groups, it seems Stranger Things season 4 has found a loophole to this by simply keeping them on opposite sides of the country.
At the same time, Lucas and Max has supernatural experiences at Billy’s grave, it seems they’ll see be partners in the battle against Vecna even if they’re not boyfriend and girlfriend.