There are plenty of things to love about Fuller House: the nostalgia factor, watching John Stamos slip back into Uncle Jesse mode, and the joy that is adult Kimmy Gibler. One thing that’s not so great is the Steve/D.J./Matt love triangle, and it just won’t end. D.J and Matt were happily together in Season 2, but if you’re wondering if D.J. and Steve will reunite in Season 3, the answer to that question is maybe. And yes, it’s pretty annoying.
In an interview with TVLine, series creator Jeff Franklin teased that Steve and D.J.’s lingering feelings for one another will play a major role in both halves of Season 3 (Netflix is releasing the episodes in two batches, with the first set to arrive on Friday, Sept. 22). This news comes after Season 2 ended with Steve engaged to C.J., and D.J. revealing that she was going to choose Steve when she asked the guys for some time to work out her feelings. By the time she made her decision, Steve was already in a relationship with C.J., while Matt made his feelings for D.J. perfectly clear.
Now the childhood sweethearts are once again revisiting the past, and if Fuller House is wise, then it will lead to these characters finding some closure. Despite what Franklin may think, it’s clear that D.J. and Steve are not the star-crossed lovers Fuller House wants them to be. Their relationship was adorable when they were in high school, but as adults, they bring out the worst in one another.
Franklin’s discussion of their Season 3 arc highlights all the reasons why these two need to end their relationship. He told TVLine,
“We get back into Steve and D.J.’s feelings for each other this season. We wanted to throw some obstacles in their way, which we’ve done. We also told the audience at the end of Season 2 that D.J. was originally going to choose Steve over Matt, but circumstances didn’t allow that to happen. We know where D.J.’s heart is, but Steve doesn’t. And I don’t think D.J. is fully aware of how Steve may or may not be feeling. That big, messy situation will get resolved in the two halves of the season.”
If Steve and D.J. get back together at this point, they will be betraying two people who care about them. Matt and C.J. have both been upfront about their feelings, they’ve given their hearts to D.J. and Steve, respectively, and become part of their families. They deserve better than being someone’s second choice. There’s just no way Steve and D.J. looking longingly at each other all season will reflect well on them as characters when they’ve both committed themselves to other people.
Things will only get worse if Fuller House waits until C.J. and Steve’s wedding for D.J. to suddenly declare her true feelings. Franklin is promising everything will be resolved in an episode set in Japan, which is where the Season 3 trailer reveals the wedding is set to take place. None of that is OK — even if it’s standard sitcom fare. D.J. is allowed to have mixed feelings, and if she doesn’t love Matt then she should break up with him, no matter how great he is. She deserves happiness. But putting someone on the spot at their wedding is disrespectful, and frankly, beneath the D.J. Tanner-Fuller that fans know and love. This woman is a member of the She-Wolf Pack, after all.
Right now, rooting for D.J. and Steve also means rooting for broken hearts and infidelity. The situation would be a bit more gray if D.J. and Steve actually worked as an adult couple, but they don’t. Every romantic situation they’ve been in since Fuller House began has been a throwback to their high school days. Steve even went so far as to dress up in his old Letterman jacket and a wig in order to woo D.J. in Season 1. That’s not cute; it’s creepy.
D.J. and Steve are good friends, but they don’t bring out the best in each other. They also don’t seem to function well as an adult couple. That’s why the resolution Fuller House needs to offer up is an end to their romance, once and for all. Allow them one last moment of nostalgia, let them realize that what they once had is over, and then they can move forward as friends (and mature adults).
Fuller House is built on nostalgia, but D.J. and Steve’s romance is one area where looking back does the show no favors.
