'Stranger Things' season 3 trailer sees Dustin at a distance from the gang. What could be the reason?

For all we know, there might be an underlying subplot for the coming season that will show his friends distancing from him to protect him. OR is there something else?

As we gear up for the summer - especially the one in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana - there's no denying that this fourth of July will be extra celebratory indeed. Season 3 of 'Stranger Things' is premiering on the delightful day, and even though the trailer shows all of our favorite teens enjoying amidst carnivals and fireworks, one can't help but notice that a certain Dustin Henderson is not always in the mix with the rest of his gang. And that makes us worried about him. A lot.

Played by the absolutely adorable Gaten Matarazzo, Dustin is one of the four teenage boys from Hawkins, who are able to unravel the mysterious horrors of the town, alongside their gifted new friend, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown.) But as the boys grow from regular pre-teens to official teenagers, the suspense thriller from Netflix also shows them as they come-of-age, discover romantic feelings for girls, and face the inevitable heartbreak.



 

We have seen Eleven's friendship evolve to the sweetest ever kiss between her and Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), and his slightly older sister Nancy (Natalia Dyer) went from dating the most popular boy at school to dating a social recluse - thus exploring the various dynamics of young, teenage romance. Sadly, when it comes to Dustin, there wasn't a happy ending. Season 2 showed us a love triangle between Dustin, Max (Sadie Sink), and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin). 

As Lucas and Max kicked off their bond and ended up getting closer, there was no denying how dejected Dustin felt in season 2 - something that made him bond with Steve Harrington (Joe Keery), the older guy from school who was recovering from the heartbreak of Nancy dumping him. This sparked off a bromance which gained a massive fan following all over the internet because of the father-son dynamics between the duo, and by the looks of the trailer for season 3, they are still going to be tight as ever.

Steve and Dustin are going to be just as tight in season 3. Source: Netflix

But while Dustin has been able to find a comforting friend in Steve, the trailer also shows him away from the rest of his gang for the most part. For instance, there's a scene from the fourth of July celebrations in the upcoming season, where the kids are at a carnival, and as all the boys run off towards something presumably exciting, along with their 'girls', Dustin is the one that gets left behind, feeling quite dejected.

Dustin is significantly missing from the rest of his gang at Hawkins, Indiana. Source: Netflix

As if that look of sadness in the cute little boy's mind wasn't enough, the fact that this feeling of dejection is associated with Dustin not having a girlfriend makes it even more heartbreaking for his ardent fans. Other clips from the trailer show him engaging in Steve and their shenanigans as a duo most of the time, leading us to believe that his friends are quite possibly busy in other, more romantic pursuits.

All of this is speculation though, and for all we know, there might be an underlying subplot for the coming season that will show his friends distancing from him to protect him - because you never really know it with 'Stranger Things'. But the only way this whole making Dustin friendless situation can be salvaged is by giving Dustin a shot at love in the upcoming season, so here's keeping our fingers crossed to see our little friend with the brightest smile and the crazy curls finally find love in season 3.

'Stranger Things' season 3 premieres on July 4, only on Netflix. 

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