i never really cared much about romantic pairings in stranger things - i admit that steve and nancy always gave me good vibes, but when nancy got together with jonathan i didn't think they will revisit her relationship with steve ever again, and i was ready to let them go. however, when they started hinting at them again this season, of course i bit in, and i can honestly say that i don't undrestand the hate that they are getting for it because what is happening between them makes perfect sense to me. and, despite the "popular" opinion, i don't think that them getting back together will reverse or ruin their character development. there are many things that could do that - having an affar for example - however, them giving their relationship a second chance isn't one of them. them retaining their growth and reigniting their romantic relationship aren't mutually exclusive. actually, they might work better the second time around because of the development that both of their characters went through.
when they were together in beginning of the show, steve and nancy liked each other. they genuinly liked each other. however, all this crazy stuff started happening around them and they visibly weren't in the same place, emotionally or mentally, to have a healthy and stable relationship. they broke up and went their separate ways and they grew as people. and when people grow, sometimes they grow apart and sometimes their growth brings them back together. honestly, simply because steve said once or twice over the course of the previous season that he's over nancy doesn't mean that he's over nancy. he tried to date, he tried to find love, however, something was always missing. and maybe, this season, he's realised that what's been missing is nancy. maybe, just maybe, it wasn't about being in a relationship for him, maybe it was about being in a relationship with her. maybe it is real and true, and maybe it is inside of his head because she is the person he associates with love. who knows? no one. and we won't know until they try to figure it out or until he finds someone else and discovers that nancy was only a symbol of love for him. we can prefer one or the other, but that doesn't mean that one makes more sense than the other if the storytelling supports only one of the options. and imo the storytelling is (so far) obviously going in the direction of steve truly still having feelings for nancy, making his peace with them and admitting them out loud. you can dislike it, however, it doesn't reverse his character development because him growing as a person isn't in clash with his feelings for her - actually, the two seem to be very much interlinked. if nancy was a toxic, unhealthy choice for him and he was still persuading her, that would ruin his character development, but she's not - she motivated him to question his behavior and choices and after all the reflection he has had, he still found her at the end of the road. steve never needed to stop loving nancy to grow, he needed to accept and prove that he can grow on his own. he doesn't need her to be his one reedemable quality anymore, he wants her to be his partner.
as for nancy, she can obviously feel that there is something wrong with jonathan and that there is something missing from their relationship. and this probably scares her, because she loves him, so she keeps listing all the reasons why she loves him and why they are together in the first place. unfortunately, having things in common with another person, recognising and appreciating their qualities, and loving them sometimes isn't enough to sustain a relationship. in any case, nancy is a truth seeker, and she can sense that jonathan isn't telling her the full truth. maybe he is afraid of telling her the truth because he doesn't think she would accept it, or maybe he is afraid of telling her the truth because he doesn't think that their relationship can survive long distance. and while jonathan's reasons for not wanting to go to college are noble and justified, nancy doesn't owe it to him to change her plans or to continue their long distance relationship if it doesn't make her comfortable or if she sees no future in it. lies might tear them apart, distance might tear them apart, or whatever happens next season might bring them closer together despite everything else that has occured this season. who knows? no one. the story goes on, and we shall see how it unravels.
this being said, the lengths people are willing to go to villinise steve over his speech are ridiculous. the truth is, steve didn't do anything wrong. the only thing he did was admit his feelings for her to her after being encouraged by two other characters and, at times, her own behavior. when he said those words, he didn't say we need to have exactly six kids and take a trip across the country every single summer no matter what and you have no say in it, which is apparently what some people heard. no, what he said was hey, we might not survive this and i would like you to know that you have motivated me to change for the better by simply being you so now, when i close my eyes at night and imagine my future, you are in it. he didn't try to kiss her or nor did he demand an answer. when her boyfriend showed up, he retreated and went to do volunteer work. he had no expectations from her - what she does with his confession is up to her. and how does nancy feel about it? we don't know. did i expect her to break up with jonathan at the spot? no. do i think it makes sense she ran to him, hugged him, and kissed him? yes. she loves him, no one is denying that. do i think there's a huge dent in their relationship? yes. so nancy may choose jonathan despite everything, she may choose to give steve another shot, or she may choose to drop both of them and go to college by herself. i have my preferences, but that doesn't mean that other options will make any less sense if the storyline that leads to them making those chices makes sense.
simply because steve wasn't right for nancy back then, doesn't mean he isn't right for her now. and simply because jonathan was right for nancy back then, doesn't mean he will be right for her forever. saying that it makes no sense to tear nancy and jonathan apart simply because they have already put so much effort into building them up is not an argument - people put an immense amount of effort into their relationships and more than often it still doesn't work out. both of these scenarios are true and they can make an equal amount of sense if the storyline that leads to them makes sense. however, we still didn't see the full story. what i know now is that nancy likes to make plans and that she has thoughts and ideas of her future - steve told her he wants a future with her, and jonathan is uncertain how he fits into the future she wants for herself. things can go either way really. i prefer steve as a choice because i like their energy better and i think they make a better duo, however, if she picks jonathan and it makes sense and is true to her character, good for her. if she chooses to remain single, all the power to her. that's the thing though, the writers don't owe us our preferences, they owe us to stay true to the characters we love and to tell a story that suits the character.
