Summary
Stranger Thingsis chock-full of meaningful relationships, be they platonic, romantic, or a heartwarming parent-child duo. There are also a lot of powerful sibling bonds on the show, namely Mike and Nancy, Lucas and Erica, and Jonathan and Will. However,Season 4 ofStranger Thingsleft Jonathan and Will high and dryafter the brothers have a heart-to-heart at Surfer Boy Pizza.
InStranger ThingsSeason 4, Episode 8: Papa, Will gives Mike a long speech in the back of Argyle’s van about how Eleven feels like an outcast, but that she loves Mike and always will. He shows Mike a painting he had been working on, which portrays Mike as the ‘heart’ of their party (Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas) as they charge into battle against a Dzalmus dragon (or a three-headed dragon,for non-D&Dplayers). Although Mike never picks up on the fact that Will’s speech is about himself, not Eleven, Jonathan is the perceptive older brother who senses Will’s discomfort and understands exactly what he’s trying to say.
Will essentially confesses his unrequited love for Mike, but only Jonathan reads the subtext in the monologue. Later, the gang arrive at Surfer Boy Pizza and Jonathan and Will are put in charge of crafting Eleven’s makeshift sensory deprivation tank, as they had done in Season 1 with the kiddie pool. During that time, Jonathan brings up a funny story from their past to break the ice.He then tells Will that he misses talking to him, and they need each other now more than ever. As a subtle way of letting Will know that he accepts him, Jonathan says that nothing will ever change the fact that he loves him.Noah Schnapp teasedStranger ThingsSeason 5 as the “best season yet,“so let’s hope that means Will gets some sort of closure with Jonathan, Mike, Joyce, and maybe even other members of the Hawkins gang.
Jonathan Knows Something About Will That No One Else Knows
While Season 4 promised Jonathan and Will fixing their brotherly bond,Stranger ThingsSeason 5 needs to fully explore and eventually close that chapter in their story. Jonathan was MIA for most of Season 4 while he was out getting stoned with Argyle. At that time,Will had felt more isolated from his friendship groupas his feelings for Mike grew stronger over time. Although Jonathan has pledged to mend their strained relationship,this is an important dynamic to address in Season 5, not just for the integrity of the show as a whole, but also for fans of Will and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Right now,Jonathan is essentially the only person who knows that Will is gay. Joyce might have her suspicions as his mother, as would Mike, Lucas, and Dustin, supposedly. However, Jonathan spent more time with Will growing up, so naturally, he knows his little brother better than anyone. He figured it out for himself during the exchange in Argyle’s van, but it’s an unspoken truth that’s never really directly discussed.If Jonathan truly feels that his love for Will is unshakable, then it might be time to prove it in Season 5.Fans have been begging for Will Byers to get a happy endingever since the first episode ofStranger ThingsSeason 1.
Jonathan Could Be the Key to Will’s Happily Ever After
Will has been through a lot duringStranger Things' run, definitely more than any other character. Despite this, Will still hasn’t received much closure for his childhood disturbances and now his struggles as a closeted gay man in the ’80s. The word through the grapevine suggests that Will might have an important role to play in Season 5, especially considering his unique connection to the Upside Down. It looks likeWill’s story might be coming full-circleat last, butJonathan has a part to play in Will’s rehabilitationonce everything is said and done. Fun fact: the scene with Jonathan and Will at Surfer Boy Pizza wasn’t originally part of the script. It was added in after the fact at the discretion of Noah Schnapp and Charlie Heaton.
That means Schnapp and Heaton felt it was important for Jonathan and Will’s sibling relationship to get more screen time and more exposure. Ever sinceNoah Schnapp came out as gay himself, he’s found an even deeper connection to Will than he first realized. In fact, that’s probably why he campaigned so hard to include a scene in Season 4 that showed Will, a gay man, showered with support from a member of his family. It sends the right message to LGBTQ+ youth, but it alsoadds a whole other layer to Jonathan and Will’s dynamic that wasn’t there in previous seasons. There had been certain snippets of dialogue to suggest Will is gay, such as when Mike said, “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls,” but it’s never been a topic of discussion beyond that.
Jonathan and Will were incredibly close in Season 2, especially as Jonathan helps Will conquerhis trauma from his time in the Upside Down. They play games together, listen to music together, and Jonathan provides a comfort to Will that even someone like Joyce never could.Jonathan being closer to Will’s age only solidifies their bond even further. This bond, if it does get explored inStranger ThingsSeason 5, could be the key to Will’s happy endingafter almost a decade of nothing but bad times.
