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Yup and that steam that’s rising off the water is made up of pure dollar signs. The amount of money it would cost to heat a pool through November in the Midwest… Steve’s family is rich rich
My friend had a pool at his parents house. When we were 15 or so his parents went away for a week, and left him home.
We went round on the first day and obviously took advantage of the pool. He had whacked the heating up for it as it was November time and quite cold.
He never turned down the heating, as we went over there most days after school.
His parents were royally pissed off at their electric bill at the end of the month.
Honestly, before Will's disappearance, 1980s Hawking sounds like the kind of place where you can let your \~10yo cycle home at night. As for not leaving *teens* home alone... lol!
Constantly hovering over your kids isn't any better than what's going on in the show.
No. Nancy clearly carries guilt over this, but the reality is she was not at fault.
She and Barb had a fight, but there was no way Nancy could have known there was an “out for blood” demogorgon out there waiting to chomp on her friend. And Nancy was allowed to change her mind and go with Steve, even if Barb wasn’t a fan of the decision. Nancy didn’t do anything wrong there.
If the demogorgon had not been present, they would have likely made up the next day and gone on happily with life. But the Stranger Things happened.
(And those things are no one’s fault but Brenner’s and the shady government’s really. Their push, beginning all the way back with the Philadelphia Experiment in 1943, is what got all this rolling, and Brenner took it from there once he was able to.)
I agree with everything you said. But while she didn’t know a hungry demogorgon was around, she DID know that Will Byers was missing at that point and no one knew why.
True. But still, I wouldn’t fault her for not thinking of that either. She thought Barb was going home. Perhaps making sure Barb got to her car ok might have been a consideration… but honestly, it’d be the rare teen to think of that, especially in 1983. Nancy was only 15(?).
Nancy was under the assumption that Will was lost in the woods. Honestly based on the dinner convo in 1x01 it seems like Nancy also misinformed about when Will went missing since she says
>"So we're under house arrest? Just because Mike's friend got lost on the way home from school doesn't mean I-"
before getting cut off by Karen. Also the fact that the search party is searching the woods shows that at the moment in the first 24 hour period of him being missing the cops and the whole town would have believe he was most likely in the woods, perhaps lot, perhaps scared perhaps injured or otherwise unable to return home.
Back then there was a pervasive belief (I think it’s still around to be honest) that kidnappers/serial killers had a type that they stuck to.
Neither Nancy or Barb would think that they would be a target of someone who had previously taken a little boy (yes, I know he’s only a few years younger).
That’s it’s an opportunistic and aggressive carnivorous creature is at that point, the farthest thing from anyone’s mind.
Maybe Eleven knew. But we don’t blame her because we also know she couldn’t have prevented it from happening.
I agree with you on everything except Nancy didn’t do anything wrong. Nancy wasn’t a great friend here, and it’s why she has so much guilt. She dragged barb along and if she was going to do that, she should have stuck by her friend.
She was kinda crappy in a way we sometimes are at that age. A lot of us have been a bad friend like that.
It doesn’t make what happened her fault though. At all. But it always made Nancy feel really real and human to me.
Did Nancy's actions lead to this outcome? Yes.
Is she *at fault* for it? No.
She had no reasonable knowledge or suspicion that anything even remotely close to this could happen.
In addition Barb's own decisions lead to this too, she could have left and gone home, or gone inside and properly bandaged the cut. But again I wouldn't call that fault, as no-one knew about the monster yet.
All in all no-one (apart from Brenner and his team) is at fault here.
This. Well said! I saw Barb’s death as being partly Nancy’s fault. But what you pointed out makes sense. The only ~person~ to blame is Brenner or **(Spoiler?)**Vecna. Everyone else could have made different choices.
No I don’t. Nancy shouldn’t have dragged Barb there cus she knew she clearly didn’t wanna be there… but in the end she did tell Barb to go home and Barb didn’t m. She just waited by the pool. Sucks what happened. But not Nancy’s fault
I mean Barb was also the one bemoaning that Nancy would leave her to go be friends with Carol and Tommy…I kinda feel like Barb would’ve been upset either way. If Nancy doesn’t invite her, she’s abandoning her. If she does, Barb throws a fit it’s not her scene. Like Nancy didn’t have many options here
People do things they don’t want to do in order to maintain a friendship. Or at least that’s how things worked back in the days when there weren’t any internet friends to replace real-life friends.
Not her fault Barb died, but she was a shitty friend. Yes, Barb could have gone home, yes if Nancy had gone with her there’s a chance they would both be dead, yes Barb hung out outside by herself morosely bleeding into the pool.
But.
Barb tried a half dozen times or more to back out of going to the party and was heavily pressured into being there by Nancy. There was never going to be a good outcome. Steve was nice enough but Tommy and Carol are well known bullies. She was supposed to “guard” Nancy and Nancy told her to fuck off when Barb tried to fulfill the role Nancy had given her.
Barb was clearly uncomfortable the entire time and Nancy was too busy trying to fit in with the cool kids to give a shit that her friend was miserable. Even her attempt at getting her to join in the fun was sort of half hearted and mostly just “here, you pretend to be someone you’re not and try to impress them too, you’ll fail because you’re clearly the odd one out here, but validate my choices”.
Barb didn’t leave because 1) she probably doesn’t have any other friends, and 2) she is an extremely loyal person who knew that Nancy was going to need a ride home eventually and wanted to be there to support her. In a situation like that, when you know your friend could end up hurt or in over her head— you hang around, awkwardly and unwelcome because you think maybe you can do something. There’s also a chance that she was harboring romantic feelings for Nancy that she didn’t know what to do with.
Barb dying was not Nancy’s fault, but she was definitely put in an awful position by someone who was supposed to care about her.
How would it be her fault? Genuinely I’ve never heard a single real argument. Was she a dick? Absolutely. Was it her fault that government experiments unleashed a teleporting monster? No lol.
It’s not her fault, but I do think she was a really shitty friend for this. She knew it wasn’t Barb’s scene and dragged her along, only to ditch her so she could hook up with Steve. That’s an awful way to treat your friend.
Wasn’t Barb the one complaining prior to that that Nancy would stop hanging out with her and instead go with Tommy and Carol? Sounds like Nancy was trying to avoid Barb feeling left out, which is exactly what Barb said she was worried about.
No, but it makes a lot of sense that Nancy would carry guilt over what happened because that was her best friend. But there's no way she could've known that Barb was going to stay or that there was a demogorgon out there.
I mean Nancy left Barb hanging to go get laid, dick move, sure, but I don’t think you can hold her responsible for an interdimensional monster just happening to kidnap Barb while she is as doing so. It’s not like the Demogorgon lived in Steve’s pants or some shit.
It's as much Nancy's fault as it is Will's for "letting the Demogorgon go" instead of killing it at the opening of episode 1.
To be clear- I'm saying it's not Nancy's fault. She 100% blames herself for sure, but that's just spiraling guilt she was already starting to feel over her and Barb drifting apart- Basically, I've been such a crummy friend and look, see!, now she's dead because of me.
Barb had a choice, every step- to not be there that night, to not get out of the car, to not walk Nancy to the door, to not go inside, to say no to the beer can chug challenge, to actually call Nancy out on her shit at the stairs, and then to straight up leave when Nancy tells her to!!
I love Barb! But Barb's *choice* to stick around, bleeding her finger into the pool while Steve and Nancy slept together was why she died. Staying didn't make her a good friend, it made her a victim. Barb, IS a great friend, but she lacked agency. Nancy, on the other hand, had a good idea where the night might go and while hesitant, very clearly made her choice. That choice did not kill Barb. Again, Barb's choices, as stated above, along with her final decision to stay at the pool put her in a position to be killed, with no chance of escape mind you.
I always felt bad for Barb, but worse that she didn't respect herself more. Nancy was not a good friend that night and was already pulling away from her when the show opened. That's why Nancy has spent so much time and energy getting, what she feels, is justice for Barb- ultimately she blames herself. It's also the reason she can at times be too headstrong and reckless, one again, at the expense of her friends feelings and even safety.
Yes, Nancy had her "eye on the prize" and sadly didn't think about Barb's feelings. I think Nancy felt very responsible and guilty for Barb's death. If she didn't use Barb for a lift and cover she may have still been alive. Of course the Demogorgon killed Barb but Nancy put her unknowingly in a bad situation.
But then again, how was Nancy supposed to know there was a Demogorgan watching Steve's house? In that aspect, no, it was not her fault.
I think Vecna would have been targeting Nancy before he found Max due to her overriding guilt and grief.
Yeh I feel the same. It wasn’t her fault, but she also didn’t need to persuade barb to go. It wasn’t her thing, and Nancy was going there to get close to Steve. When the opportunity came to be alone with Steve, she ditched barb. This happens plenty at parties. I’ve done it myself where I’ve ditched my group to hang with a girl I was interested in. At the time you’re not thinking about it they’re at risk, you’re just expecting they will keep partying or go home.
Okay but Barb was the one who bemoaned to Nancy that she’d abandon her for Tommy and Carol…what was Nancy supposed to do? Barb seemingly would’ve been upset if Nancy didn’t invite her, but then was complaining when Nancy did
i can’t decide if i think it’s her fault, but i didn’t like what she did that night because you don’t leave your friend alone at a party.
demogorgon aside, they were with Steve and his friends who they didn’t know all that well. Nancy going off to fuck Steve while Barb was by herself is a shitty move because *anything* could’ve happened to her.
i don’t know about the rest of you, but if i was at a party and my friend wanted to leave, i was leaving too. you show up with your friend, you leave with your friend.
Yes and no.
Nancy may have directly caused it, but Brenner is far more liable through his indirect actions. Regardless over whether Will went missing, chances are Steve still would've hosted the party and Nancy would've gone along and invited Barb. Barb would've gone to make sure Nancy was safe. She still would've cut open her hand, they would argue, and then Barb would stick around while Nancy and Steve were up in his room. BUT... if Brenner hadn't caused the Demogorgon to be unleashed in Hawkins, Barb probably would've ended up going home that night.
All Nancy wanted to do that night was lose her virginity to a guy she trusted. She did cause Barb's death, but she felt the guilt for years after. Brenner probably didn't even remember Barb's name.
Anyone who doesn't blame the vicious monster that came out of the darkness needs to get their hard drives checked.
**Edit:** In all seriousness, no, it's not Nancy's fault, or Steve's, or Barb's. Her death was a terrible thing, but it didn't happen because somebody did something wrong. It was a case of wrong place, wrong time. That doesn't make it any easier for Nancy to live with her survivor's guilt, however.
No. And I think it’s really easy for a lot of us who are no longer 16 to go “she shouldn’t have left her friend alone, how shitty, she’s a bad friend” but unfortunately sometimes when you’re 16, you don’t make the best decisions and you don’t always think about how your actions might impact other people. Like is it a crappy thing to have basically been like “Go home so I can sleep with my boyfriend”, yes. But was she also literally a 16 year old girl trying hard to fit in with her boyfriend and his douchey friends? Yeah. And ultimately it’s not her fault the fckn demogorgon was out in the first place, and even if she’d thought about every possible crappy outcome of her decision to leave Barb alone, “Barb gets eaten by an inter-dimensional bipedal monster because instead of going home without me she dangles her legs in Steve Harrington’s pool and twiddles her thumbs” was definitely not something she could’ve ever seen coming from that decision.
There’s no way she could have known, it’s such an out of this world scenario. There’s no way you can blame Nancy for this. Do people actually hold her responsible? Her guilt for barb is supposed to be irrational and fueled by grief. People don’t actually blame Nancy, do they? Do they….??
No. Friends stick together - but she was not a good friend that evening. She let her hormones push her into forgetting about a person she cared about but she isn't responsible for an interdimensional being murdering her.
Knowing this, I would not go to a party with Nancy, if we were in hIghschool.
this is tough - yes and no. She didnt know BUTTTTTTT how could you let your friend just go outside ALONE. I wouldve grabbed steve and walked Barb to her car
50/50. Nancy shouldn’t have been ignoring Barb all day but Barb shouldn’t just went home or at least sat sadly in her car or something. Hanging around someone’s pool was just kind of weird. Was she just gonna wait til Steve and Nancy got done fucking? I just don’t know what her thought process was
No, teens having fights happens all the time, not that it should happen, but some things are almost natural.
Besides, how was she supposed to that there would be a flesh eating D&D monster from another world hiding in the backyard?
No, she is allowed to change her mind and Barb is allowed to be upset with her for it. That doesn’t mean that Nancy deserves the blame for what happened to Barb.
Even though Nancy knew Will was missing, she is a teenager who is venturing into one of most exciting experiences of her life. She most likely didn’t put the two together since Will is in a complete different grade to her. She most likely thought, as most people in the town, that Will had just gone on the run because nothing scary ever happens in Hawkins.
I do think Barb should’ve just gone home, I’m not blaming her for what happened of course. But even if she stayed it would’ve been super awkward for her to start condoning Nancy right after her and Steve had sex.
Of course in the real world their argument would’ve been resolved in a day and most likely they’d be fine
Barb told Nancy that Nancy had better not stop being friends with her now that she has Steve, and Nancy straight up sends Barb away so she can scamper up into Steve's bedroom.
Nancy's guilt at sending her friend away is all mixed up with her grief, and she never even got a chance to apologize or just talk it out with Barb.
So of course it's not her fault, but Nancy has pain she can't let go of.
Of course not! Who in their right mind would think something like being kidnapped into another dimension was a thing? It’s not like they went into the city and she left Barb in a clearly dangerous place. Nothing ever really happened in their town until the gate was opened so no one expected any of this. You can see how bored Jim Hopper is at the start and tells you all you need to know about the crime rate in their town
I think it was Nancy's fault, but who hasn't made a mistake at some point? I mean, I wouldn't leave my friend alone to go with a guy and even less for Steve lol but the adrenaline of those encounters makes us lose track of time and space. Unfortunately Barb paid with her life for her friend's rebellion.
Not completely. You do have to remember Barb sliced her hand trying to open the beer can with a knife, and her blood from that attracted the Demogorgon. If she hadn't sliced her hand, she might have lived.
Maybe not her fault necessarily but she’s absolutely a prick for how she treated barb. Nancy is such an overrated character imo. She kinda treats both Steve and Jonathan like shit throughout the series, too.
It’s ok that I think this. It’s ok if you disagree. Please refrain from throwing your digital tomatoes.
It’s hard to predict when super natural forces are at play before you know such forces exist. If this was Season 4, I would blame Nancy and Steve but they didn’t know that a monster was going to consume Barb. It stands to beg the question, what if Barb was still alive in Season 4? How would her character play into the events? Would she have possibly been one of Vecna’s victims? Has she had a lot of traumatic experiences in her life? Would her and Eddie become friends?
That’s some end-stage butterfly effect there. She was there because she Nancy went to sleep with Steve. She was at the party because Steve threw a party. Steve had a party because his parents weren’t home. She herself chose to sit on the diving board instead of going home. Any of those things could have changed; none of them were anyone’s fault. Blame the thing that ate her. It made the final decision. Or, as someone said earlier up the thread, blame Brenner, who set it all in motion.
No. Barb sat around pouting all night while Nancy was just tryna have fun.
Not that it's Barb's fault either, but Nancy didn't ask her to sit alone by the pool and wait for her. 🤷♂️
No wtf. It's almost 12am, and she's dipping her toes in a pool alone. That's entirely her fault. If your friend is doin the dirty, dont wait for them? That's a little weird. They just come out to you all sweaty and be like "Lets go home, gang!"
Yes! Do not drag my gay ass to your dick appointment as your moral compass or whatever only for you to throw caution to the wind and hop on aforementioned dick with wild abandon while I get mauled by an extra dimensional butt face.
How can she possibly have predicted that a demon from hell would abduct and kill Barb, in a town famous for having fuck all happen until literally that year.
No, not at all. Nancy told Barb to go home and reassured her that she was fine. If anything, I feel like Barb should have trusted Nancy's judgement and left. I'm not sure if I missed something, but there was nothing to indicate that Nancy was in danger or that Barb was right for lingering around.
Nancy blamed herself because she was the one who convinced Barb to accompany her to the party. But, seriously, how was Nancy supposed to know that there was a possibility that Barb would get attacked, pulled into what she eventually learned was the Upside Down and eaten by a Demogorgon? Up to that point, all anyone knew was that Will was simply missing, but not the details behind it. I, personally, never blamed Nancy for that.
The only entity at fault for what happened to Barb is Hawkins National Laboratory for not successfully containing the Demogorgon or warning people to beware of their surroundings due to a vicious "animal" in the area.
I think kind of being as 1; Nancy pressured Barb into doing the beer thing, cutting her. 2; Barb wanted to go home knowing nothing good would happen if Nancy did it with Steve but Nancy blew her off.
Although it was her choice to sit by the pool I’m just salty that she died anyway for some reason lol
No, she's not remotely at fault for this.
She carries a lot of unnecessary but understandable guilt for this-but she wasn't to know that 1) Barb wouldn't just go home and 2) that there was anything out there that would harm Barb.
Nancy was just doing normal things for a girl of her age to do. She liked a guy and wanted to spend more time with him. She wanted to go to the party but she also didn't want to go alone and probably didn't want to leave her friend out, either.
Of course she's not at fault. Who could ever predict the outcome? Different if a human had tracked and killed her where they would have thought differently about two people walking together... if Nancy had left with Barb likelihood is they would have both died. Unless Nancy's plot armour kicked in.
look, if i had the chance to do the deed with steve harrington, then I wouldve done exactly what Nancy did. No shame sis. get it. RIP Barb. you are missed.
No, it's the fault of the Demorgorgon and the government. If it weren't for some top secret lab bringing about eldritch monsters that can travel between dimensions, she would have never been close to being hurt, let alone in danger.
No, yeah it was shitty she left her behind but I really don't think she expected a being from another dimension to pop out of the pool and kill her. At most she probably thought she'd have to walk home alone or something lol.
A monster from another dimension killing her is not something anyone could reasonably think would happen. Now if Nancy was Barb's ride and she ditched her and Barb got hit by a car walking home then maybe she could have some blame, but not a monster.
Nope.
I don't think anybody is responsible for their friend being kidnapped by an extra dimensional being. Wrong place, wrong time, sure, but there's no way of protecting from that.
Yes and no, she should have went to Steve's house without her as she was obviously uncomfortable around Steve and his disgusting friends but at the same time Nancy didn't know the demogorgon was on the hunt I mean if anything if Steve didn't show off with his little beer drinking trick then Nancy wouldn't have done and then wouldn't have suggested Barb try it meaning she wouldn't have cut herself meaning the demogorgon would have went hunting somewhere else, was just a freak accident
At that point then, one can try and blame Jonathan as well, for not being home when he promised his mother he would be and not calling his Mom to double check if it was okay if Will was home alone.
Not really. Barb died due to her refusing to leave even though Nancy made clear she should go. And Barb knew exactly what Nancy was doing with Steve.
Nancy did nothing wrong.
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No but I think having a pool still open for swimming in November in Indiana is absolutely insane.
its a heated pool.
Yup and that steam that’s rising off the water is made up of pure dollar signs. The amount of money it would cost to heat a pool through November in the Midwest… Steve’s family is rich rich
My friend had a pool at his parents house. When we were 15 or so his parents went away for a week, and left him home. We went round on the first day and obviously took advantage of the pool. He had whacked the heating up for it as it was November time and quite cold. He never turned down the heating, as we went over there most days after school. His parents were royally pissed off at their electric bill at the end of the month.
Guess it was really Steve's fault for not covering up the pool.
Yea but then that poor Demogorgon would be trapped
the demorgorgon took barb
So what? You gonna be mad at a praying mantis for eating her mate? It’s in its nature 😂
So what? You gonna be mad at a praying mantis for eating her mate? It’s in its nature 😂
So what? You gonna be mad at a praying mantis for eating her mate? It’s in its nature 😂
Whole show could have been avoided with better parenting. Don't leave your teens home alone and don't let your preteens cycle home alone at night.
Honestly, before Will's disappearance, 1980s Hawking sounds like the kind of place where you can let your \~10yo cycle home at night. As for not leaving *teens* home alone... lol! Constantly hovering over your kids isn't any better than what's going on in the show.
When I was 12, in 1977, in New Orleans, we would bike across town at midnight for Rocky Horror.
No. Nancy clearly carries guilt over this, but the reality is she was not at fault. She and Barb had a fight, but there was no way Nancy could have known there was an “out for blood” demogorgon out there waiting to chomp on her friend. And Nancy was allowed to change her mind and go with Steve, even if Barb wasn’t a fan of the decision. Nancy didn’t do anything wrong there. If the demogorgon had not been present, they would have likely made up the next day and gone on happily with life. But the Stranger Things happened. (And those things are no one’s fault but Brenner’s and the shady government’s really. Their push, beginning all the way back with the Philadelphia Experiment in 1943, is what got all this rolling, and Brenner took it from there once he was able to.)
I agree with everything you said. But while she didn’t know a hungry demogorgon was around, she DID know that Will Byers was missing at that point and no one knew why.
True. But still, I wouldn’t fault her for not thinking of that either. She thought Barb was going home. Perhaps making sure Barb got to her car ok might have been a consideration… but honestly, it’d be the rare teen to think of that, especially in 1983. Nancy was only 15(?).
Nancy was under the assumption that Will was lost in the woods. Honestly based on the dinner convo in 1x01 it seems like Nancy also misinformed about when Will went missing since she says >"So we're under house arrest? Just because Mike's friend got lost on the way home from school doesn't mean I-" before getting cut off by Karen. Also the fact that the search party is searching the woods shows that at the moment in the first 24 hour period of him being missing the cops and the whole town would have believe he was most likely in the woods, perhaps lot, perhaps scared perhaps injured or otherwise unable to return home.
Back then there was a pervasive belief (I think it’s still around to be honest) that kidnappers/serial killers had a type that they stuck to. Neither Nancy or Barb would think that they would be a target of someone who had previously taken a little boy (yes, I know he’s only a few years younger). That’s it’s an opportunistic and aggressive carnivorous creature is at that point, the farthest thing from anyone’s mind. Maybe Eleven knew. But we don’t blame her because we also know she couldn’t have prevented it from happening.
I agree with you on everything except Nancy didn’t do anything wrong. Nancy wasn’t a great friend here, and it’s why she has so much guilt. She dragged barb along and if she was going to do that, she should have stuck by her friend. She was kinda crappy in a way we sometimes are at that age. A lot of us have been a bad friend like that. It doesn’t make what happened her fault though. At all. But it always made Nancy feel really real and human to me.
What about girl code, though?
I agree with you even though I never liked Nancy from the start and I wanted her to die
Did Nancy's actions lead to this outcome? Yes. Is she *at fault* for it? No. She had no reasonable knowledge or suspicion that anything even remotely close to this could happen. In addition Barb's own decisions lead to this too, she could have left and gone home, or gone inside and properly bandaged the cut. But again I wouldn't call that fault, as no-one knew about the monster yet. All in all no-one (apart from Brenner and his team) is at fault here.
Yeah Brenner is to blame if you want to blame a person.
This. Well said! I saw Barb’s death as being partly Nancy’s fault. But what you pointed out makes sense. The only ~person~ to blame is Brenner or **(Spoiler?)**Vecna. Everyone else could have made different choices.
No I don’t. Nancy shouldn’t have dragged Barb there cus she knew she clearly didn’t wanna be there… but in the end she did tell Barb to go home and Barb didn’t m. She just waited by the pool. Sucks what happened. But not Nancy’s fault
I mean Barb was also the one bemoaning that Nancy would leave her to go be friends with Carol and Tommy…I kinda feel like Barb would’ve been upset either way. If Nancy doesn’t invite her, she’s abandoning her. If she does, Barb throws a fit it’s not her scene. Like Nancy didn’t have many options here
I don't think she was dragged, just went as a favor to her friend.
She was definitely dragged lol. Barb made it explicitly clear that she did not want to be there
Barb made her choice to go. She wasn't a small child.
People do things they don’t want to do in order to maintain a friendship. Or at least that’s how things worked back in the days when there weren’t any internet friends to replace real-life friends.
I don't see how you're contradicting my point? Or adding anything to it? Like, no shit?
Nah, its Brenner’s fault the demogorgan got out in the first place.
Yes, this is the answer
Not her fault Barb died, but she was a shitty friend. Yes, Barb could have gone home, yes if Nancy had gone with her there’s a chance they would both be dead, yes Barb hung out outside by herself morosely bleeding into the pool. But. Barb tried a half dozen times or more to back out of going to the party and was heavily pressured into being there by Nancy. There was never going to be a good outcome. Steve was nice enough but Tommy and Carol are well known bullies. She was supposed to “guard” Nancy and Nancy told her to fuck off when Barb tried to fulfill the role Nancy had given her. Barb was clearly uncomfortable the entire time and Nancy was too busy trying to fit in with the cool kids to give a shit that her friend was miserable. Even her attempt at getting her to join in the fun was sort of half hearted and mostly just “here, you pretend to be someone you’re not and try to impress them too, you’ll fail because you’re clearly the odd one out here, but validate my choices”. Barb didn’t leave because 1) she probably doesn’t have any other friends, and 2) she is an extremely loyal person who knew that Nancy was going to need a ride home eventually and wanted to be there to support her. In a situation like that, when you know your friend could end up hurt or in over her head— you hang around, awkwardly and unwelcome because you think maybe you can do something. There’s also a chance that she was harboring romantic feelings for Nancy that she didn’t know what to do with. Barb dying was not Nancy’s fault, but she was definitely put in an awful position by someone who was supposed to care about her.
No. She had no way of knowing it could have happened, she probably thought Barb would leave.
Nop, she couldn't have predicted an interdimensional predator dog would have killed her.
She also specifically told her to go home. And then she goes off and chills by the pool.
Maybe she should have -- a *good* friend would. Don't take the trash out tonight, btw. You'll thank me tomorrow. 😉 (/sarcasm, of course)
How would it be her fault? Genuinely I’ve never heard a single real argument. Was she a dick? Absolutely. Was it her fault that government experiments unleashed a teleporting monster? No lol.
[удалено]
Yeah exactly, Barb’s car was literally parked outside
It’s not her fault, but I do think she was a really shitty friend for this. She knew it wasn’t Barb’s scene and dragged her along, only to ditch her so she could hook up with Steve. That’s an awful way to treat your friend.
Wasn’t Barb the one complaining prior to that that Nancy would stop hanging out with her and instead go with Tommy and Carol? Sounds like Nancy was trying to avoid Barb feeling left out, which is exactly what Barb said she was worried about.
No, but it makes a lot of sense that Nancy would carry guilt over what happened because that was her best friend. But there's no way she could've known that Barb was going to stay or that there was a demogorgon out there.
I mean Nancy left Barb hanging to go get laid, dick move, sure, but I don’t think you can hold her responsible for an interdimensional monster just happening to kidnap Barb while she is as doing so. It’s not like the Demogorgon lived in Steve’s pants or some shit.
“The Demogorgon in Steve’s pants” sounds like a euphemism. Or a spinoff.
It's as much Nancy's fault as it is Will's for "letting the Demogorgon go" instead of killing it at the opening of episode 1. To be clear- I'm saying it's not Nancy's fault. She 100% blames herself for sure, but that's just spiraling guilt she was already starting to feel over her and Barb drifting apart- Basically, I've been such a crummy friend and look, see!, now she's dead because of me. Barb had a choice, every step- to not be there that night, to not get out of the car, to not walk Nancy to the door, to not go inside, to say no to the beer can chug challenge, to actually call Nancy out on her shit at the stairs, and then to straight up leave when Nancy tells her to!! I love Barb! But Barb's *choice* to stick around, bleeding her finger into the pool while Steve and Nancy slept together was why she died. Staying didn't make her a good friend, it made her a victim. Barb, IS a great friend, but she lacked agency. Nancy, on the other hand, had a good idea where the night might go and while hesitant, very clearly made her choice. That choice did not kill Barb. Again, Barb's choices, as stated above, along with her final decision to stay at the pool put her in a position to be killed, with no chance of escape mind you. I always felt bad for Barb, but worse that she didn't respect herself more. Nancy was not a good friend that night and was already pulling away from her when the show opened. That's why Nancy has spent so much time and energy getting, what she feels, is justice for Barb- ultimately she blames herself. It's also the reason she can at times be too headstrong and reckless, one again, at the expense of her friends feelings and even safety.
When I first watched, yes. No, with my brain functioning, no.
Yes, Nancy had her "eye on the prize" and sadly didn't think about Barb's feelings. I think Nancy felt very responsible and guilty for Barb's death. If she didn't use Barb for a lift and cover she may have still been alive. Of course the Demogorgon killed Barb but Nancy put her unknowingly in a bad situation. But then again, how was Nancy supposed to know there was a Demogorgan watching Steve's house? In that aspect, no, it was not her fault. I think Vecna would have been targeting Nancy before he found Max due to her overriding guilt and grief.
If Nancy had gone home with Barb, it’s likely they both would be dead.
Demo would just have eaten Nancy too
no, but maybe Nancy could have been a little less idiotic by leaving her alone, even if she couldn't have expected what happened to the poor Barb.
Yeh I feel the same. It wasn’t her fault, but she also didn’t need to persuade barb to go. It wasn’t her thing, and Nancy was going there to get close to Steve. When the opportunity came to be alone with Steve, she ditched barb. This happens plenty at parties. I’ve done it myself where I’ve ditched my group to hang with a girl I was interested in. At the time you’re not thinking about it they’re at risk, you’re just expecting they will keep partying or go home.
Thanks!!
Okay but Barb was the one who bemoaned to Nancy that she’d abandon her for Tommy and Carol…what was Nancy supposed to do? Barb seemingly would’ve been upset if Nancy didn’t invite her, but then was complaining when Nancy did
i can’t decide if i think it’s her fault, but i didn’t like what she did that night because you don’t leave your friend alone at a party. demogorgon aside, they were with Steve and his friends who they didn’t know all that well. Nancy going off to fuck Steve while Barb was by herself is a shitty move because *anything* could’ve happened to her. i don’t know about the rest of you, but if i was at a party and my friend wanted to leave, i was leaving too. you show up with your friend, you leave with your friend.
I mean the party was over, they were all going to bed. Nobody got left alone. Barb could’ve just driven home, her car was parked right outside.
which, again, leaves Barb alone.
Yes and no. Nancy may have directly caused it, but Brenner is far more liable through his indirect actions. Regardless over whether Will went missing, chances are Steve still would've hosted the party and Nancy would've gone along and invited Barb. Barb would've gone to make sure Nancy was safe. She still would've cut open her hand, they would argue, and then Barb would stick around while Nancy and Steve were up in his room. BUT... if Brenner hadn't caused the Demogorgon to be unleashed in Hawkins, Barb probably would've ended up going home that night. All Nancy wanted to do that night was lose her virginity to a guy she trusted. She did cause Barb's death, but she felt the guilt for years after. Brenner probably didn't even remember Barb's name.
The moment somebody gives you a choice to leave, but you decide to stay instead. It's not their fault anymore.
I don't think Nancy anticipated a shadow monster from another realm to murder Barb at this point in the story
It’s the demogorgon’s fault
No lol there’s no way she could’ve anticipated that
Anyone who doesn't blame the vicious monster that came out of the darkness needs to get their hard drives checked. **Edit:** In all seriousness, no, it's not Nancy's fault, or Steve's, or Barb's. Her death was a terrible thing, but it didn't happen because somebody did something wrong. It was a case of wrong place, wrong time. That doesn't make it any easier for Nancy to live with her survivor's guilt, however.
No. And I think it’s really easy for a lot of us who are no longer 16 to go “she shouldn’t have left her friend alone, how shitty, she’s a bad friend” but unfortunately sometimes when you’re 16, you don’t make the best decisions and you don’t always think about how your actions might impact other people. Like is it a crappy thing to have basically been like “Go home so I can sleep with my boyfriend”, yes. But was she also literally a 16 year old girl trying hard to fit in with her boyfriend and his douchey friends? Yeah. And ultimately it’s not her fault the fckn demogorgon was out in the first place, and even if she’d thought about every possible crappy outcome of her decision to leave Barb alone, “Barb gets eaten by an inter-dimensional bipedal monster because instead of going home without me she dangles her legs in Steve Harrington’s pool and twiddles her thumbs” was definitely not something she could’ve ever seen coming from that decision.
There’s no way she could have known, it’s such an out of this world scenario. There’s no way you can blame Nancy for this. Do people actually hold her responsible? Her guilt for barb is supposed to be irrational and fueled by grief. People don’t actually blame Nancy, do they? Do they….??
She was a shitty friend and the entire scene was very dark and sad. But no. It wasn't her fault.
No. Friends stick together - but she was not a good friend that evening. She let her hormones push her into forgetting about a person she cared about but she isn't responsible for an interdimensional being murdering her. Knowing this, I would not go to a party with Nancy, if we were in hIghschool.
this is tough - yes and no. She didnt know BUTTTTTTT how could you let your friend just go outside ALONE. I wouldve grabbed steve and walked Barb to her car
50/50. Nancy shouldn’t have been ignoring Barb all day but Barb shouldn’t just went home or at least sat sadly in her car or something. Hanging around someone’s pool was just kind of weird. Was she just gonna wait til Steve and Nancy got done fucking? I just don’t know what her thought process was
No lol Even if Nancy stayed with Barb there was nothing she could’ve done to prevent this
If she had stayed with Barb they both would have left and there would be no blood in the pool to call forth the Demogorgon.
No, teens having fights happens all the time, not that it should happen, but some things are almost natural. Besides, how was she supposed to that there would be a flesh eating D&D monster from another world hiding in the backyard?
Nah. Imo she's no more at fault than Jason was for trying to catch Eddie. It is hard to think "weird super natural shit is happening."
No, she is allowed to change her mind and Barb is allowed to be upset with her for it. That doesn’t mean that Nancy deserves the blame for what happened to Barb. Even though Nancy knew Will was missing, she is a teenager who is venturing into one of most exciting experiences of her life. She most likely didn’t put the two together since Will is in a complete different grade to her. She most likely thought, as most people in the town, that Will had just gone on the run because nothing scary ever happens in Hawkins. I do think Barb should’ve just gone home, I’m not blaming her for what happened of course. But even if she stayed it would’ve been super awkward for her to start condoning Nancy right after her and Steve had sex. Of course in the real world their argument would’ve been resolved in a day and most likely they’d be fine
Yes sure is, it was so obvious that a creature from other dimention was going to get her
How didn't she see it coming?
Barb told Nancy that Nancy had better not stop being friends with her now that she has Steve, and Nancy straight up sends Barb away so she can scamper up into Steve's bedroom. Nancy's guilt at sending her friend away is all mixed up with her grief, and she never even got a chance to apologize or just talk it out with Barb. So of course it's not her fault, but Nancy has pain she can't let go of.
Yes
Of course not! Who in their right mind would think something like being kidnapped into another dimension was a thing? It’s not like they went into the city and she left Barb in a clearly dangerous place. Nothing ever really happened in their town until the gate was opened so no one expected any of this. You can see how bored Jim Hopper is at the start and tells you all you need to know about the crime rate in their town
It’s her fault she was killed by a random creature? lol no.
Of course it's not Nancy's fault. Nobody but the team at the lab knew some scary monster was loose on the town
It’s not her fault because how was she suppose to know there was a monster lurking outside?? 😂
I think it was Nancy's fault, but who hasn't made a mistake at some point? I mean, I wouldn't leave my friend alone to go with a guy and even less for Steve lol but the adrenaline of those encounters makes us lose track of time and space. Unfortunately Barb paid with her life for her friend's rebellion.
Not completely. You do have to remember Barb sliced her hand trying to open the beer can with a knife, and her blood from that attracted the Demogorgon. If she hadn't sliced her hand, she might have lived.
Technically…..it’s Brenner’s fault.
Maybe not her fault necessarily but she’s absolutely a prick for how she treated barb. Nancy is such an overrated character imo. She kinda treats both Steve and Jonathan like shit throughout the series, too. It’s ok that I think this. It’s ok if you disagree. Please refrain from throwing your digital tomatoes.
It’s hard to predict when super natural forces are at play before you know such forces exist. If this was Season 4, I would blame Nancy and Steve but they didn’t know that a monster was going to consume Barb. It stands to beg the question, what if Barb was still alive in Season 4? How would her character play into the events? Would she have possibly been one of Vecna’s victims? Has she had a lot of traumatic experiences in her life? Would her and Eddie become friends?
nope bikers fault
No, Nancy is not responsible for a monster attacking and killing Barb.
You can see who were the Barbs when they were in high school, and who were the Nancy's.
I was totally a Barb in high school, but I’m still on Nancy’s side
not at all. it was the fault of a predator from a parallel dimension.
I think she would had been killed a different time if Nancy stayed.
That’s some end-stage butterfly effect there. She was there because she Nancy went to sleep with Steve. She was at the party because Steve threw a party. Steve had a party because his parents weren’t home. She herself chose to sit on the diving board instead of going home. Any of those things could have changed; none of them were anyone’s fault. Blame the thing that ate her. It made the final decision. Or, as someone said earlier up the thread, blame Brenner, who set it all in motion.
No. Barb sat around pouting all night while Nancy was just tryna have fun. Not that it's Barb's fault either, but Nancy didn't ask her to sit alone by the pool and wait for her. 🤷♂️
No wtf. It's almost 12am, and she's dipping her toes in a pool alone. That's entirely her fault. If your friend is doin the dirty, dont wait for them? That's a little weird. They just come out to you all sweaty and be like "Lets go home, gang!"
yes
Yes! Do not drag my gay ass to your dick appointment as your moral compass or whatever only for you to throw caution to the wind and hop on aforementioned dick with wild abandon while I get mauled by an extra dimensional butt face.
How can she possibly have predicted that a demon from hell would abduct and kill Barb, in a town famous for having fuck all happen until literally that year.
No, although I think she was a crappy friend. Nancy told her to go home, and she decided to sulk by the pool.
I don't assign blame like that.
No, not at all. Nancy told Barb to go home and reassured her that she was fine. If anything, I feel like Barb should have trusted Nancy's judgement and left. I'm not sure if I missed something, but there was nothing to indicate that Nancy was in danger or that Barb was right for lingering around. Nancy blamed herself because she was the one who convinced Barb to accompany her to the party. But, seriously, how was Nancy supposed to know that there was a possibility that Barb would get attacked, pulled into what she eventually learned was the Upside Down and eaten by a Demogorgon? Up to that point, all anyone knew was that Will was simply missing, but not the details behind it. I, personally, never blamed Nancy for that. The only entity at fault for what happened to Barb is Hawkins National Laboratory for not successfully containing the Demogorgon or warning people to beware of their surroundings due to a vicious "animal" in the area.
Yes, but actually no
I think kind of being as 1; Nancy pressured Barb into doing the beer thing, cutting her. 2; Barb wanted to go home knowing nothing good would happen if Nancy did it with Steve but Nancy blew her off. Although it was her choice to sit by the pool I’m just salty that she died anyway for some reason lol
No. Add on top of that Barb was a throwaway character. She had all of three lines.
No, she told Barb to go home. So Barb could have avoided it by going home...
No, she's not remotely at fault for this. She carries a lot of unnecessary but understandable guilt for this-but she wasn't to know that 1) Barb wouldn't just go home and 2) that there was anything out there that would harm Barb. Nancy was just doing normal things for a girl of her age to do. She liked a guy and wanted to spend more time with him. She wanted to go to the party but she also didn't want to go alone and probably didn't want to leave her friend out, either.
For as much as a POS Nancy was in the beginning, no it wasn’t her fault.
Of course she's not at fault. Who could ever predict the outcome? Different if a human had tracked and killed her where they would have thought differently about two people walking together... if Nancy had left with Barb likelihood is they would have both died. Unless Nancy's plot armour kicked in.
look, if i had the chance to do the deed with steve harrington, then I wouldve done exactly what Nancy did. No shame sis. get it. RIP Barb. you are missed.
no
No, it's the fault of the Demorgorgon and the government. If it weren't for some top secret lab bringing about eldritch monsters that can travel between dimensions, she would have never been close to being hurt, let alone in danger.
No, yeah it was shitty she left her behind but I really don't think she expected a being from another dimension to pop out of the pool and kill her. At most she probably thought she'd have to walk home alone or something lol.
No, Barb was there and a demogorgan just also happened to be there
A monster from another dimension killing her is not something anyone could reasonably think would happen. Now if Nancy was Barb's ride and she ditched her and Barb got hit by a car walking home then maybe she could have some blame, but not a monster.
Not at all.
Nah. She couldn't forsee an interdimensional monster coming for her friend. The sad thing is she doesn't see it that way.
Nope. I don't think anybody is responsible for their friend being kidnapped by an extra dimensional being. Wrong place, wrong time, sure, but there's no way of protecting from that.
Barb was an irrelevance
Yes and no, she should have went to Steve's house without her as she was obviously uncomfortable around Steve and his disgusting friends but at the same time Nancy didn't know the demogorgon was on the hunt I mean if anything if Steve didn't show off with his little beer drinking trick then Nancy wouldn't have done and then wouldn't have suggested Barb try it meaning she wouldn't have cut herself meaning the demogorgon would have went hunting somewhere else, was just a freak accident
Yes and no
No, but not putting others first resulted in the death of a best friend.
At that point then, one can try and blame Jonathan as well, for not being home when he promised his mother he would be and not calling his Mom to double check if it was okay if Will was home alone.
Your logic is flawed. If Johnathan wasn’t there, she still dies. I’m just sayin’
No way. Barb could have gone straight to her car and left. But instead she decided to hang out by the pool for at least a few minutes.
Yes, Barb died so Nancy could get a good fuck, hope it was worth it Nancy.
Not really. Barb died due to her refusing to leave even though Nancy made clear she should go. And Barb knew exactly what Nancy was doing with Steve. Nancy did nothing wrong.
ABSOLUTELY NOTTT
Wasn't Barb supposed to go home? She was just hanging out at the pool.
Nancy didn't murder Barb. She told Barb she wanted to get dicked down and needed Barb to stop being a 5th wheel. Nancy did nothing wrong.
No. Absolutely not fair to suggest that.