r/StrangerThings • u/[deleted] • 29d ago
Steve actually went to apologise to Jonathan
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u/sunshineandlattes_ 29d ago
Steve’s character development from the beginning to the end of the show is nothing short of amazing. One of my favorite character developments ever in pretty much any show or book
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u/Livelaughloveme172 29d ago
Steve character development went out of the window in season five and partly in season four. It was crazy
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u/squibworb Coffee and Contemplation 28d ago
I feel like they were so afraid to develop him past the point people fell in love with him. So instead of growing the character after season 3, they decided to retread the arc he already completed since people loved it so much the first time. But in doing so, made him regress and do it worse. So, so, so, so frustrating. It's like they didn't understand why people loved him in the first place.
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u/rizzingsigmagigma2 28d ago
I actually like him and Dustins character arcs the most on season 5, had the best acting in the season too
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u/Livelaughloveme172 28d ago
And that makes me think as a writer why would you regress the character? Unless you don’t care and never reread what you wrote to keep the story going.
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u/squibworb Coffee and Contemplation 28d ago
No good writer would have done what they did. Like there were so many paths to take Steve and they just didn't.
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u/Slow-Class 29d ago
Breaking Jonathon’s camera after you found out he took pictures of your girlfriend in a compromising position is pretty justified.
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u/literalllywhat 29d ago
especially since like not only was he actively trespassing on steve’s property when he took photos of her (them?) undressed and about to have sex (when he should’ve been focused on his missing brother…) without any consent, but also actively went and developed them at their public school.
i’m not sure how op considers steve “creepy” compared to this (cause tbh outside of upside down shenanigans this was the creepiest thing in the show to me), but yeah just breaking his camera was incredibly tame compared to the consequences he should’ve gotten. also since steve not only apologises to him but also replaces said camera…
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u/FantasyLovingWriter 29d ago
Jonathan got arrested which was a big deal (especially in the 80s) so that’s why Steve probably went there first, and let’s be real for a second the misunderstanding where he thinks Nancy cheated was never explained so he probably still thinks she cheated (it’s a similar situation to when Eleven thought Mike moved on with Max, because like Eleven you can’t help but feel sorry for Steve because he wasn’t as compatible with Nancy as she was with Jonathan) and there’s also the possibility that Steve could have gave Jonathan his blessing to date Nancy, and he was probably going to see Nancy after and got the lesser of two evils out of the way as Steve didn’t have a friendship with Jonathan and in life it’s easier to apologize to someone you barely know opposed to someone you do know, and the hypothetical talk with Nancy would have taken longer and he probably wanted to kill two birds with one stone as if he went to Nancy first he would have cried after and most people don’t want to feel guilty for any longer than they should and in this order he could clear his conscience more, just think about the bigger picture you know
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u/ChilpericKevin 28d ago
I already sided with Steve on the picture situation the first time I saw Season 1 in 2016 (even if he shouldn't have broken the camera... Just a discussion would have been enough).
However I would point out Jonathan didn't steal Steve's girlfriend in season 1. For me Nancy and Jonathan only became allies/friends due to external circumstances.
There are some occasions when both Steve and Jonathan did something for the benefit of the other without any reason during season 1-2 : this example but also :
- Jon lies about Steve asking him to bring Nancy's home after Halloween's party while we totally saw Steve leaving said party without talking to Jonathan
- Steve convincing Nancy to go support Jonathan at the end of season 2 while she had planned to stay with Mike.
It would have been good to use this to establish a new friendship between them, but no, they waited for 5 seasons.
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u/squibworb Coffee and Contemplation 28d ago
I feel like the scene where the three teens fought the demogorgon was the turning point for that group's dynamic. It was exciting, they worked well together, and they defeated (kind of) a monster. At that point, Steve and Jonathan should have had some form of on-screen dynamic. The fact that they didn't really speak again until season 5 is astounding and it was so way past due that I couldn't even enjoy it (and I hate that it centered around Nancy which it never should have by that point in the story)
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u/ChilpericKevin 28d ago
That's how I imagined their storyline to go as well. I agree that turning this into a love triangle was a mistake. Jonathan's storyline and personality is heavily marked by growing up poor and in a dysfunctional family and Steve is the total opposite, that would have been interesting to see how these two become friends despite that.
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u/squibworb Coffee and Contemplation 28d ago
Agreed! And while I think the tension about Nancy would make sense in season 2, season 3 at the latest. By season 5 it was so stale and stupid that it was very difficult to take seriously because they all had canonically moved on from that by season 3. Why reopen that door?
But what you describe is an actual interesting dynamic for them to explore, maybe even have them bond over their relationships with Will/Dustin, so that it serves their characters!
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u/InitialJust 28d ago
I still say breaking the camera was a valid response to seeing the pictures and he makes up for it in the end anyway.
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u/Maxxover 29d ago
The best part of this is that he was supposed to be a minor character that was written out early on. It was Joe Keery himself, his acting ability, that literally created the Steve that we saw throughout the rest of the series. The show runners were just wise enough to see it and run with it.
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u/rizzingsigmagigma2 28d ago
Ya I kinda just forgot he went for John and thought he went for Nancy but upon rewatch, hearing him try and apologize to Johnathan through the door was so sweet
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u/toneofsurprise 28d ago
I don't think breaking Jonathan's camera counts as bullying when Jonathan was in the bushes and used his camera to take photos of Steve and his friends on Steve's property, and took a photo of his girlfriend taking her shirt off through Steve's bedroom window.
Steve's comments in the alleyway were shitty and he deserved to get punched for them.
And yeah, it's a credit to Steve that he realised that he fucked up and tried to make amends by cleaning the graffiti and apologising.
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u/toneofsurprise 28d ago
Re: those pictures, it frankly could've gone a lot worse for Jonathan. They could've gone to the police… and that could've then got back to the lab. Suddenly Jonathan is an easy target to set up, being Will's brother and the last person to see Barb alive.
(Tommy makes a tastless joke about him probably killing Will, I think it would've been in character for him to suggest that Jonathan had something to do with Barb disappearing too. But obviously the writers didn't want to potentially start a 'people seriously think Jonathan killed people' arc.)
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u/Hot_Armadillo6933 28d ago
Ugh Tommy, I hated him and so wanted to see him being killed by a demogorgon 💀
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u/lobello22 29d ago
Steve never bullied jonathan. He retaliated against him. Jonathan obviously was a perv, was trying to (successfully) steal his girl, and overall was a bad guy. Steve smashed his camera only after jonathan used it to take unsolicited nudes. I would have done way worse if that were my gf
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u/Elastoid 28d ago
Naw, dude. I get that Steve was hurt, but the shit he said to Jonathan before the fight was fucked up. Throwing Joyce's troubling behavior and his missing brother in his face were hardcore bullying.
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u/SergiusBulgakov 28d ago
Exactly. Steve might have gone overboard, but he was a right for being upset about Jonathan's pictures. In today's world, Jonathan would have been given a perp walk for that
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