Isn’t it funny how out of ALL the quotes they could’ve picked for Jonathan, they chose the one with him mockingly berating Nancy for her privilege and naïveté when she had the AUDACITY to try to prove that her blatantly misogynistic bosses were wrong about her—that she was capable of being more than just an intern/secretary/glorified maidservant after enduring so much of their degrading, demeaning, discriminatory treatment, simply for being a young woman with career aspirations in a male-dominated workplace ["They like that I'm a coffee delivery machine. They don't actually like me or respect me as a living, breathing human with a brain"]. The same bosses who gave Jonathan more leniency as an intern, free rein as an aspiring photographer, and a basic level of respect, regardless of his financial status, solely because of his male privilege ["They like you no matter what you do"]…while simultaneously humiliating and belittling Nancy on a daily basis with their micro-aggressions and targeted personal attacks ["But I think I've got something even spicier. It's about the missing mustard on my hamburger! You think you can follow the clues and solve the case of the missing condiment, Nancy Drew?" "Look out Phil! She might be after your job!" "Careful there, Nancy Drew! Careful. Pouring coffee's a tough gig, girl." "So, little rodents have gone cuckoo in their furry little minds, and they're running around the town of Hawkins, dining out on chemicals!" "I mean fellas, you've gotta admit, it's a hell of a headline, right? 'Hawkins Rodents Prefer Poison: Nutjob Tells All'." "I think this has got to be a book. 'The Mysterious Case of the Missing Fertilizer: A Nancy Drew Mystery'." "Next time a call comes in, do what you were hired for and let us know, yeah? We'll decide what's a real story and what's not." "Bye-bye, Nancy Drew." "Careful! It might have rabies!"]. The same sexist, dehumanizing treatment that he was very aware happened to her on MULTIPLE occasions, yet he still refrained from defending/standing up for her because 1) he didn’t truly have faith in her journalistic instincts and 2) he didn’t want to risk losing his job [“You just gotta be patient, okay? They’re set in their ways, but once they realize what a gifted writer you are, they’ll come around!” “They’re assholes, okay? I get it. But it’s just some stupid story.” “I told you over and over again to drop this story, that it was a bad idea. But you refused. And now I’m screwed.”]
Such a passive, 'don't-disrupt-the-status-quo-for-fear-of-the-personal-consequences' kind of attitude serves as a testament to one crucial thing about his character: though he was in a markedly better position to advocate for Nancy, Jonathan CHOSE not to do the inconvenient but moral thing (speaking out against a social injustice vs remaining complicit with his silence) because providing for his family will always come first to him—even at the expense of his own girlfriend’s emotional well-being. ["And he'll never back down from what's right, what's moral. No matter the pressure, no matter the personal cost..."]
Say what you will about his past mistakes and character flaws, but it is an indisputable fact that Steve-"Carol, for once in your life shut your damn mouth" “You shouldn’t have done that...you know what” “I should’ve put that spraypaint right down your throat” "You're both assholes, that's my problem" "You know, neither of you ever cared about her. You never even liked her because she's not miserable like you two. She actually cares about other people" "I TOLD YOU TO WATCH YOUR MOUTH" "What's going on? Did he do this to you???” “[She’s] not really [a priss]” “You need someone to…[support and protect you]”-Harrington would never have stood idly by and witnessed such a continuous, targeted personal assault on Nancy's dignity as an aspiring journalist/as a young woman/as a human being without making some kind of effort to defend and protect her.
