Stranger Things Season 3 just dropped its official trailer, and it has everything -- a new monster, new characters, crazy new hairdos, and great new team-ups. Not everything was new, though. There was also more bromance bonding between Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and his son/friend/protege Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). Steve was a jerk in Season 1 but became a fan favorite in Season 2. Now in Season 3, we see he has a new job at the ice cream shop at the mall. It also looks like he's attacked while in that work uniform, and injected with something. One trailer shot shows Steve in peril and pain, and fans responded with ALL-CAPS FURY, ready to riot if Netflix kills him off.
Stranger Things fans shared fears like that across social media. It's hard to imagine they really would kill off Steve Harrington, but it's tough to see the newly popular hero in trouble:
Here's another all-caps threat to fight someone if something happens to Steve:
It's almost like, if you DIDN'T post an all-caps threat, are you even a Steve fan?
In a happier scene, Steve and Dustin showcased their bonding at the very end of the trailer. Steve has a new job at Scoops Ahoy! in the Starcourt Mall, along with new character Robin, played by Maya Hawke. She drops a great line, asking Steve how many children he's friends with. Some fans pointed out that he's kind of their father, after the events of Season 2, and he has a lot of kids to take care of:
Steve's co-worker Robin was just one of the new characters showcased -- or at least quickly teased -- in the jam-packed trailer. We see Cary Elwes as Maylor Kline and Jake Busey as Hawkins Post reporter Bruce. Francesca Reale was also cast in the recurring role of Heather, a lifeguard at the Hawkins community pool. Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) is also apparently a lifeguard at the pool, and he's featured in the trailer too.
It's great to see Stranger Things pair up Eleven/El/Jane (Millie Bobby Brown) and Max (Sadie Sink) instead of continuing the jealousy storyline of Season 2. They have their respective pairings right now, and it's good to see these two young women can bond and be friends.
I'm sad for Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), in a new way this time. Poor Will can never catch a break, and he must feel so left out of the new pairings. They are not kids anymore, but he spent the past two seasons out of the loop, tortured by monsters. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) has Eleven, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) has Max, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) has Nancy (Natalia Dyer), and Dustin has Steve. Who does Will have? Just his mom Joyce (Winona Ryder)?
Stranger Things Season 3 picks up in the summer of 1985, about a year after the events of Season 2. The episode titles have been released, and are available for analysis. The whole season will premiere on Netflix on July 4, 2019, which fits perfectly with the Fourth of July theme in the trailer. (The rats still need to be explained, though, right?)
As you wait and worry once more for Steve, keep up with what else we know so far about Stranger Things Season 3.
