History TearJerker / StrangerThings

* Jonathan confessing to Argyle that he got accepted into Lenora Community College, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing for others, except that in the first season it was pointed out that he'd had aspirations to attend NYU since he was six years old. He is only seen in a woodshop class in the previous episode. While carpentry is just as important of a job as one that requires a a university degree, his passion was photography, which he has since lost as evidenced by his tripod sitting in its box on the closet top shelf; additionally, taking woodshop was often stigmatized back then by the belief that only unintelligent people took such courses. He also doesn't have a job (however, nor did he seem to during the second season, but that could be due to him wanting to be there for Will), and his car is just sitting in the driveway broken down. Between Argyle and Joyce (the latter of whom works from home), or even if Lenora has reliable public transportation, he could get rides to and from work until he saves up enough to get it fixed or get another used one. This is sadly more evidence of how the past 2.5 years have taken their toll on him.
* Another point about Jonathan telling Argyle about Lenora is him explaining why he lied to Nancy. Jonathan needs to stay in California to support his family. This is something no doubt instilled by the fact that when Lonnie left Jonathan seemed to be forced to step up and be not only a brother to Will but also a dad and to work earlier than normal so that Joyce wouldn't be the only one providing. But beyond that when Jonathan walks through a hypothetical where he asks Nancy to come and live in California and she does he envisions that she would resent him for taking him away from her potential more successful life resentment would build on both sides and they would break up and hate each other like how Joyce and Lonnie do showing just how much his parents relationship has twisted his view on love. Especially with the fact that Jonathan thinks after this time that Nancy could hate him.

** When the boys are yelling for Eleven afterwards, Lucas's face can be clearly seen to be streaked with tears. After how hostile he was towards her throughout the season, it's a sign of how he truly did come to care for her.

** The fact that unlike with Will, almost no one besides Nancy was looking for or even seemed to care that she was gone. And unlike Joyce, Nancy had no way of knowing whether or not she was alive until Eleven confirms it.

* The ending of "Holly Jolly" where the kids see the police pulling out what is at first believed to be Will's body. Mike snaps at Eleven and rides his bike home, then cries in his mother's arms. Their tearful embrace is MatchCut to Jonathan and his mother finding each other in the middle of the road and doing the same. The whole thing is scored to Music/PeterGabriel's Heroes.

--> "If Chrissy was scared, if..if Chrissy wanted help, she would have come to me!"

"'Nancy:''' Yeah.\\
"'Jonathan:"' Are we okay?\\
"'Nancy:"' Yeah.\\
"'Jonathan:"' Yeah.\\
"'Nancy:"' Yeah totally. Yeah it's just it's hard.

-->'''Jonathan:\\
-->"'Nancy:''' Yeah.\\
-->"'Jonathan:"' Are we okay?\\
-->"'Nancy:"' Yeah.\\
-->"'Jonathan:"' Yeah.\\
-->"'Nancy:"' Yeah totally. Yeah it's just it's hard.

-->'''Jonathan:'''Max:'''Hey?\\
"'Nancy:''' Yeah.\\
"'Jonathan:"' Are we okay?\\
"'Nancy:"' Yeah.\\
"'Jonathan:"' Yeah.\\
"'Nancy:"' Yeah totally. Yeah it's just it's hard.

-->"'Jonathan:''' Hey?\\
"' Nancy:"' Yeah.\\

-->"Jonathan:" Hey?\\
" Nancy:" Yeah.\\
"Jonathan:" Are we okay?\\
"Nancy:" Yeah.\\
"Jonathan:" Yeah.\\
"Nancy:" Yeah totally. Yeah it's just it's hard.

** To the "normies" who don't know about Vecna and the Upside Down, the events of the entire two and a half years leading up to the earthquake (including the "mall fire" ''less than a year before'') have been a terrifying, depressing, and almost inexplicable TraumaCongaLine. As the TV news reporter said while filming the aftermath and rescue efforts, many must indeed have been asking, "[[WhyMe Why us]]? What have we done to deserve this?"

* When Joyce tells Eleven that she is a very brave girl and to know that Joyce will be with her every step of the way she goes into the [[spoiler:isolation tank]], we can see Eleven begin to tear up. This is the first time an adult has tried to take care of her and protect her, as adults are supposed to. All her life, she is used to being deployed on missions like she is a feelingless machine, so that she probably never realised that her fear was natural and not a weakness until Joyce told her so.

** Meta: Someone actually wrote that [[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/795870565373007354/ "This scene becomes more emotional when you realize Hopper probably hugged Mike tighter than Ted Wheeler ever has"]] which drives home how Ted's nonchalant and distant attitude really affects his family.

** Throughout the season, we've been able to see how much Jason truly loved Chrissy, he gets painted as a villain a lot, but he was doing all of this to avenge his girlfriend's death and seeing how heartbroken he is by it, and how much he believes that if Chrissy wanted help, he would've come to her, is very heartbreaking.

** Brenner slowly and gently (for the first time ever) telling El that he's proud of her and that he truly cares for her and the others who died because of One. He even [[AintTooProudToBeg pleads for her to understand]] that he does care and did everything for her, but it's clear El doesn't believe him after all he's done and does nothing but softly say goodbye to him. The last scene with him is just watching El and the others walk away, before dying all alone in the middle of the desert. It's well earned, but still pitiful to behold, highly reminiscent of [[Series/BreakingBad Walter White's final fate.]]

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** Brenner slowly and gently (for the first time ever) telling El that he's proud of her and that he truly cares for her and the others who died because of One. He even [[AintTooProudToBeg pleads for her to understand]] that he does care and did everything for her, but it's clear El doesn't believe him after all he's done and does nothing but softly say goodbye to him. The last scene with him is just watching El and the others walk away, before dying all alone. It's well earned, but still pitiful to behold.

** Brenner slowly and gently (for the first time ever) telling El that he's proud of her and that he truly cares for her and the others who died because of One. He even pleads for her to understand that he does care, but it's clear El can't be so sure if she can believe him after all he's done and does nothing than softly say goodbye to him. The last scene with him is just watching El and the others walk away, before dying all alone. It's well earned, but still pitiful to behold.

** Brenner slowly and gently (for the first time ever) telling El that he's proud of her and that he truly cares for her and the others who died because of One. He even pleads for her to understand that he does care, but it's clear El can't be so sure if she can believe him other than softly say goodbye to him. The last scene with him is just watching El and the others leave away, before dying.