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Stranger Things creators reveal what 'white goo' in viral break-up scene actually was

Home> Entertainment> TV

Published 16:50 31 Dec 2025 GMT

Stranger Things creators reveal what 'white goo' in viral break-up scene actually was

The break-up scene between Jonathan and Nancy saw them surrounded by white goo that's not explained in the show

Michael Slavin

Michael Slavin

The creators of Stranger Things have revealed what that ‘white goo’ was in the viral break up scene between Jonathan and Nancy.

Stranger Things will come to a close tonight with its hotly anticipated finale episode, set to air on Netflix at 8pm ET and in cinemas across the US and Canada.

Despite there only being two hours and eight minutes of the show left to go, fans on social media have been left with numerous questions they feel hasn’t been answered in the series.

Amongst the unanswered questions were a number about the break-up scene between Jonathan and Nancy, a scene that numerous fans didn’t even know was a break-up until they saw an interview with The Duffer Brothers.

What is the white goo in Nancy and Jonathan break-up scene?

After Nancy shot exotic matter on top of Hawkins Lab in the Upside Down, they became knocked down and slowly surrounded by white goo, eventually falling through the roof when it melted through the floor.

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The scene has been explained by the Duffer Brothers (Netflix)
The scene has been explained by the Duffer Brothers (Netflix)

They then found themselves trapped in a room surrounded by it, with this slowly rising up to them on a table - this is when many us expected them to die.

Whilst they eventually survive, the show never explains what the goo actually was, however, the Duffer Brothers have now clarified in an interview with Variety.

When asked, they explain that the scene came from a need to place the pair in a situation where they almost die but don’t.

Ross Duffer explained that ‘the backstory is that when the exotic matter, or dark matter, is disturbed, it disrupts the environment around, in this case, the lab, causing it to melt’.

He went on to add: “At a certain point, it does harden. And in this case, we show how long it takes.”

Matt Duffer added that you should think of it ‘like the sun’, saying: “The exotic matter is circular, and then as it dies down over time, the melting slows and stops.”

What else have the Duffer Brothers said about the Nancy and Jonathan break-up scene?

The scene features Jonathan doing an ‘unproposal’, something Nancy accepts and the pair have one last kiss. Despite what many fans thought, this was a break-up scene.

Nancy and Jonathan broke up in the surprise scene in volume two (Netflix)
Nancy and Jonathan broke up in the surprise scene in volume two (Netflix)

Matt Duffer, however, clarified in an interview with PEOPLE that it was a break-up, adding: “I mean, how many people wind up with their girlfriend or boyfriend that they met in high school?”

Speaking to Variety he said: “Yeah, that was probably the scene we spent the second longest on. It’s quite a long scene; it’s complicated, what they’re going through.

“It’s very messy, because they do love each other very much, but we always felt that at the end of the day, they need to let each other go in order to grow as people and be independent.”

He was full of praise for Charlie Heaton and Natalia Dyer, who are dating in real life, saying: “But we’re really proud of that scene and, and specifically, how good Charlie and Natalia are.”

The pair are shown together briefly in the trailer for the season five finale, something that hints that there could be even more to come between the pair in the final episode.

The Stranger Things finale will release on Netflix at 8pm ET tonight, December 31.

Featured Image Credit: Netflix

Topics: Stranger Things, Netflix, TV, TV and Film

Michael Slavin
Michael Slavin

Michael Slavin is LADbible's dedicated specialist Film and TV writer. Following his completion of a Masters in International Journalism at Salford University, he began working for the Warrington Guardian as a reporter. Throughout this he did freelance work about Entertainment for publications such as DiscussingFilm, where he was the Film and TV editor. Now, he is LAD's go to voice on all things Netflix, True Crime, and UK TV, as well as interviewing huge global stars such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Daisy Ridley, and Ben Stiller.

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@michaelslavin98

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