When we return to Hawkins this summer, and the townsfolk are gearing up for the July 4th celebrations, Steve Harrington will be kicking back with his friend – his brother from another mother – Dustin Henderson.
Their bond was arguably one of the more heartwarming subplots of Stranger Things season 2, in which Steve, as a character, grew from snarky asshole to the best big brother figure in all of Hawkins. Part of that transition can be traced back to Dustin, and fans of the Netflix phenom will be pleased to note that their bromance will only continue to develop and evolve throughout Stranger Things season 3.
Or so says Dustin himself, Gaten Matarazzo, who previewed July’s new installment – along with Steve and Dustin’s brotherly love – during a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly.
You definitely see more of that. That’s what I really like about [creators] Matt and Ross [Duffer]: They know what fans like and they roll with it.
Matarazzo also seems pretty confident when he says that Matt and Ross Duffer, the show’s creators and frequent directors, have their fingers on the pulse, and are able to tell exactly what the fans enjoy, and what they do not. Should that hold true, Stranger Things season 3 won’t contain any filler episodes located outside of Hawkins, as the one in which Eleven’s backstory is explored in great detail arguably brought season 2’s sense of pace and urgency grinding to a halt.
On a more general note, though, David Harbour (Chief Jim Hopper) hinted that season 3 is more Spielbergian in nature – even more so than the previous two installments, which are crammed full with nostalgia and callbacks to the 80s.
It’s bigger, and it’s more Spielbergian. I felt Season One was very Stephen King, Season Two was very Spielberg, and we get even more Spielbergian in our aesthetic. It’s got a lot of color to it this year, we really get into the ‘80s more; it’s ’85, Hopper has a whole new getup, he’s got a mustache — we’re leaning into it in a really fun, interesting way.
Stranger Things season 3 slithers onto Netflix on July 4th. It’ll likely mark the mid-point of this spooky supernatural saga, given the Duffer Brothers previously indicated that their original series will stretch for around four or five seasons before it’s ready to pull the curtain.