Dustin's "good job, Steven" was such a funny line and it upset me when I saw so many people of the ga complaining about his behavior and just dismissing him. People seem to not realize that he is still speaking the same way it's just that his demeanor is a little different. It's more attitude than just funny sarcasm but people seem to forget that that is his character. Dustin IS and has been a snarky little shit. Will is gentle and kind and caring whereas Dustin is loud and feisty and a little bit rude sometimes. He's clever and witty but he doesn't have loads of patience to sit and carefully spoon feed everyone all the info. He can be very kind and empathic when he wants to and he's very realistic and fair in situations but he's also (mostly) sarcastic and brash and very direct. It's just when he usually does it in prior seasons it's towards characters like Ted in s2 when he said, "Son of a bitch! You know you're really know help at all", which people found funny and endearing. Now it's not so much of a laughing matter because he's upset and depressed over Eddie. He's careless and reckless and it shows but he's still like a little brother to Steve and that line felt like it right down to his unenthusiastic clapping. I loved it. Gaten is doing such a good job with Dustin this season.
Dustin has always had sass; we see that in season one with how he talks to Lucas and Mike, but he really grows into it in season two, with the Ted comment and Lucas and Steve. Steve brings out the most of this sarcastic humor; they have a very brotherly relationship. I think the biggest difference in people's reactions to it now, is that usually it's buffered by affection, whether spoken or unspoken ("You put up a good fight but he kicked your ass" vs. "Do you have to be told everything? You're not a child"), however, in this season, it is only sarcasm. The only time we see any real outward affection is in the woods after the crawl announcement, when he plays around a bit with Mike and Lucas before noticing Will is having an episode. (though you could also argue there was a bit of affection in the drilling-a-hole-in-Steve's-car scene, but I think that was more personal satisfaction than anything else). Dustin is grieving right now, and it's overtaking him. Gaten put it really well in an interview, saying that sometimes when you're grieving someone, letting yourself be happy feels like it's disrespectful to the one you're grieving, like if you aren't constantly sad, it's a dishonor to their memory. Dustin is also angry because Eddie is still being unfairly blamed when he was a hero. He's currently pushing everyone away on purpose, including Steve, and baiting these bullies. It's an indirect form of self-harm; it's why he signed hellfire on the locker, because he wanted Andy to know it was him and come after him. Steve sees this best because even though Lucas, Mike, and Will are his best friends, Steve is a mentor brother figure; he can see past his bullshit (though I think Lucas can too, and just has a different approach than outward confrontation). For some reason, a lot of people aren't liking Steve and Dustin's dynamic this season, but I love it. I think Steve has been trying for over a year to get his little-brother-friend to open up to him, only to be continuously pushed away. I doubt this is the first time Andy has made things physical, just the most severe, so Steve has watched Dustin in pain mentally and physically, for 18 months, just for Dustin to lie to his face about it. It's frustrating. Steve cares so much, but too much is too much, and all he wants is Dustin to open up. Dustin feels like he can't, though, because he knows it might make him feel better, and he doesn't want to feel better; he wants Eddie -- back, alive and well, not slandered. I think both Gaten and Joe are doing amazing jobs, and I'm very excited for the volume two payoff of this emotional tension.
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