Gaten Matarrazo has addressed his character Dustin’s on-screen tension with Steve (Joe Keery).
When the first episodes from the fifth and final season of Stranger Things dropped last month, fans couldn’t help but notice that the popular duo didn’t seem to have their usual best mate energy.
And on top of that, some viewers have been finding Dustin a little ‘annoying’ to watch as there’s a fair bit of hate going his way.
But hey, come on, while it might have felt like an absolute age for us, Eddie’s (Joseph Quinn) death at the end of last season is still a little fresh for the kid. Not to mention, traumatic.
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Either way though, seeing the duo taking jabs at each other so far in season five is disappointing to see after all these years - and considering Vecna's still looming, surely we should be focusing on that?
Dustin and Steve's relationship
Over the seasons of Stranger Things, the two characters have formed quite an unlikely bond, with Steve acting as a bit of a big bro to Dustin.
He’s been there with him through a lot, often helping him out in various situations and always having his back.
But in season five, Dustin won’t let Steve in on his problems and totally shuts him out. He’s facing some serious issues from the bullies at school, and after getting beaten up by them, he doesn’t let his pal help him – and is pretty cruel in the process.
Dustin makes some serious digs at Steve, getting snappy as he’s still struggling with the loss of Hellfire Club leader Eddie.
“I have shown nothing but concern for you since forever, and I have been repeatedly ignored, and now look what’s happened. We are totally and royally screwed,” Steve tells him.
What has Gaten Matarrazo said?
Well, while fans’ hearts are being broken as they see one of their favourite duos struggling, Matarrazo has issued a bit of a promise for the next batch of episodes.
He spoke to Deadline about how those who ‘suffer loss’ will often ‘push away from those who are trying their best to comfort them’ – just as Steve is doing.
“It almost feels like if he’s not miserable all the time, then he’s not doing it right,” Matarrazo said of Dustin. “And somebody who makes him happy, somebody who makes him feel comfortable, is Steve.”
While he says the ‘core group of kids’ are of course the character’s best mates, his bond with Steve makes him ‘probably the most important person in his life at that moment’.
“I don’t necessarily want to go into it because I think we do explore it later on,” Matarrazo continued. “I don’t necessarily want to talk about the details from what’s been seen in the first half of the season because it is something that’s tackled.
“I’m excited for people to see how that unfolds.”
Well, I guess we’ll just have to hold out for the drops of Volumes Two and Three (on December 26 and January 1) to see what goes down between Dustin and Steve.
Viewers divided over ‘annoying’ Dustin
There’s certainly been a bit of a division among fans because of Dustin’s behaviour in the first four episodes.
Some wrote that watching the arguments with him and Steve has ‘been so annoying’ as others simply were not happy with his behaviour towards his pals.
Many agreed that his provoking of the bullies is a ‘bit questionable’ as one suggested on Reddit: “I think people get irritated with him because he's so impulsive and always has been, while also being very confident in whatever impulsive idea pops into his head which is dangerous. And then he refuses to listen to anyone about anything and does whatever he wants.”
However, the defence for Dustin is overwhelming as he’s described as simply having a ‘normal’ trauma response following Eddie’s death.
“I'm actually a bit annoyed that so many fans are giving Dustin sh*t because I seriously think his arc this season is one of the most interesting we've seen so far,” one wrote.
As another agreed: “Watching Stranger Things 5 and my heart was broken for Dustin. he’s really struggling this season after Eddie, he doesn’t know how to process his emotions.”
Stranger Things 5, Volume One, is now streaming on Netflix.
Topics: Stranger Things, Netflix, TV, TV and Film
Jess Battison