STRANGER THINGS SEASON 3: Strangely Familiar In All The Right Ways

It’s been almost two years since we’ve returned to Hawkins Indiana, and it was well worth the wait. My fourth of July consisted of a binge of the new eight episodes (like so many of you out there) and the only real problem was that it only mildly satisfied my Stranger Things void. That isn’t a negative; it’s a testament to the power of this nostalgia boosting hit. Duffer Brothers, you get me.

The kids we know have grown and changed, and Stranger Things embraces the coming of age element, turning this season into a character driven one while still remaining a science fiction infused good time.

What’s New? How Ya Been?

In the opening two episodes we’re reintegrated into the lives of these teenagers and the adults that care for them. Where have they been? What have they been up to?

Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) has been at summer camp, “Camp Know Where” for the last month, returning home regaling with news of a girlfriend that no one seems to believe is real. Steve (Joe Keery) works at an ice cream shop and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) are interning at the local paper. Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) are both couples, which changes the dynamic of the group, and no one is feeling it more than Will (Noah Schnapp), who still wants to just play games with his friends.

Jim Hopper (David Harbour) is anxiously keeping an eye on Mike and Eleven, discomforted by their frequent close proximity. He asks Joyce (Winona Ryder) for help speaking to them, and he finally takes steps toward the two dating. However, after the loss of Bob (Sean Austin) last season, she’s still not ready to move on. Billy (Dacre Montgomery), is working as a lifeguard at the local community pool, where the mothers of Hawkins gawk, especially Mrs Wheeler (Cara Buono), who nearly acts on her impulses.

Mostly, things seem to be going well this summer for the gang- which means that (much like Will when he gets his tingly sense) something is going to give.

Times They Are A Changin

As always, the Duffer Brother’s do a terrific job of paying homage to the 80’s and the change of culture in a variety of ways. From something small like the introduction (and limited life-span) of “new” coke to the growth of malls wiping out smaller mom and pop stores, there’s a texture to the show that transports you to ’85. Jazzercise anyone? Hopper is also looking continuously more like Magnum PI here, and there are some great nods to Miami Vice and Cheers. 

The mall, in fact, plays a huge role this season. Steve’s new job, where he meets newcomer Robin (Maya Hawke) is within the mall, but it’s also a frequent meeting place for the group and the setting for Eleven’s rebellious teenager girl day with Max. Another element I’ll circle back on. But, most of all, it’s the conduit for the nefarious activity that you know is bound to incur. I love the setting choice, and it’s a believable turn of the times, as things are shifting once more and malls are becoming obsolete.

Other aspects that tie into the times (and unfortunately still exist now) include women in the workplace and the lack of respect they garner. Nancy is basically a glorified lunch delivery girl, despite her aspirations to be a writer and her clear fortitude and persistence. She’s consistently laughed at by the male writers, Bruce (Jake Busey) and Tom (Michael Park), but it doesn’t deter her. I love Nancy’s direction over the three seasons, and I think she’s consistently growing more independent and fierce.

School’s out,  it’s summer, so that means there are also fairs and ice cream, and of course – swimming. The feel is a little different (the last was Halloween) but it adds an extra burst of youth and innocence. Who doesn’t love summer? Especially as a kid. Which makes it even more polarizing when you know just how bad things are going to get. The stakes this season are higher, the details darker, and nothing is going to come easy for them.

These are teenagers, and with that comes hormones. Especially when there are couples within a group of friends, things are bound to change. I thought the first couple episodes did a great job of introducing us to their world now and making us love these characters all over again.

The Bad Guys

In true fashion of the era, the Russians are the bad guys, or at the very least, those fishing around in dangerous and experimental scientific research, much like our government had done in seasons past. They’re opening a gate to the upside down, and by doing so – it reconnects us to the villain seen before, the Mind Flayer. The remainder of this “entity” that was left on our side after it was expunged from Will last season was revived when the gate was open, and this time it is building an army.

One particularly tough guy, Grigori (Andrey Ivchenko) who feels like he’s plucked straight from Terminator, another nod to 80’s pop culture, is especially a thorn in Hopper’s side. Another addition is the scientist who has created the machine responsible, Dr. Alexei (Alec Utgoff), who is captured by Hopper and Joyce and taken to Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman) for translation and clarification.

You may remember Nancy and Jonathan’s eye-opening trip to him last year, and in the same vein, he’s quick to point out Hopper and Joyce’s repressed feelings. It also provides some welcomed and hilarious commentary and riffs between him, Alexei and Hopper.

There’s never a lack of levity in the series, and it’s never unnecessarily added, usually timely in its placement. When you’re dealing with literal nightmares and people shifting into some goopy bloody matter (reminiscent to The Blob), it’s probably a good idea to throw in a comedic reference to The Neverending Story (for example). This is among the reasons why this show makes us adults feel like kids, or at the very least- retain the ambiance of films like The Goonies or ET.

For me, it’s a comfort series in the best possible way- it manages to combine a variety of genres I love while entertaining in a way that still remains inherently original. Yes, they are inspired by a variety of things, but isn’t all art? They don’t copy as much as they adapt and mold this story into something relatable that still stands alone. With tributes from George Romero to John Carpenter and Back to the Future, you’ll find a surfeit of connectable pop culture references.

Some Of The Old, With The Right Amount Of Innovation

Episode 3 delivers a wonderful snapshot in finding identity, especially with the blossoming friendship of Max and Eleven. After having a fight, Mike and her have a rough patch (friends don’t lie!). Max liberates her from her restrictions, and brings her where? To the mall of course! There, the two have a girl’s day, something she’s never had.

This includes shopping, eating ice cream, getting photographed, and just acting like young kids, having fun. She’s able to try on clothes and get a sense of who she is, and what she likes. Yes, it poses a threat for her to go somewhere so populated, but her slow-moving adaption to society gives us a wonderful batch of scenes that are vibrant and expressive.

Something that Stranger Things always does a terrific job of is maintaining an enthralling story by utilizing its large cast and spreading the plot over eight episodes. The pacing is great, even if the first couple episodes are technically “slower”, though I just consider that rapport, opening us up for the eventual fantastical narrative that is still coming.

You know it is, and as the pieces combine, so does our group. This season has a variety of storylines casting a large web over the town and the various issues that will all lead them back together eventually, realizing they are dealing with the very same threat.

Nancy and Jonathan are investigating a call that came in regarding diseased rats. A Russian transmission is heard on Dustin’s radio and Steve and Robin help him crack it. It’s worth noting that Robin is a wonderful addition to the cast, and her and Steve have terrific chemistry. I also adore the addition of a LGBTQ character, and Hawke (yes, she’s Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke’s daughter) has an affable charisma that’s hard not to like.

Meanwhile, Joyce notices her magnets falling from her fridge and insists that there’s some sort of electromagnetic force, a machine, causing this. Hopper and her go to investigate.

Billy is infected by the Mind Flayer. Yes, this is the same douchey guy from last season who stuck his nose in Max’s business, but season 3 gives him depth. Everyone has a story, and the moments in our lives distinguish who we become, and Billy is no different. While I didn’t find it surprising by any means, I thought his turn this season was an intelligent one.

Lots To Unpack Here

Speaking of change: some of the relationships are going through rough patches. Nancy and Jonathan, Eleven and Mike, Hopper and Joyce. All of these duos are splintering, further adding depth to an already lush and diverse tapestry of stories. In a lot of ways I believe season 3 is stronger than season 2 in its ability to hone its craft, and keep things on a sensible course.

Some say that this show is predictable, but I find its presence reassuring. Even when it shifts and expands into something older and different, there’s a familiarity that makes it enjoyable. Yes, I could see some things coming, but that’s always been the case. It doesn’t deter from the invaluable heart of this show, and for a fan and fellow nerd, I don’t grow tired of watching it. In fact, my only regret of binging it was how quickly it was over.

The eight-episode decision, while always a bummer, is sensible with the given story line and did a great job of relaunching the story, providing a new variation on an old threat, and wrapping up the events while still giving us a peek at the future. Yes, there is a little bit of over-doing it with the emotional stuff at the end, but these are people that love one another, with shared trauma, and there’s nothing easy about that. I don’t mind the extended goodbyes or voice over meant to undoubtedly spring tears. A little on the melodramatic side, but it isn’t a hindrance.

Also, if you’re pining for more at the end, wondering if that pit in your stomach might mean someone isn’t completely gone…Don’t miss out on the after-credits sequence, as it holds an important key of what’s to come.

Nothing is determined by the tight-lipped creators, but I have a feeling on the back on my neck that we haven’t seen the end of one particular character. Another fun tidbit: after the season aired it was figured out that you could dial the number for Murray and hear a recorded message by him. I don’t think it’s working anymore, but I heard a clip and he hints at something similar.

Character Development

There’s a lot to appreciate within the character development. Will’s struggles with growing up and Steve’s continual shedding of his jock outer exterior are just a couple of the highlights. Of course, the requisite Steve-gets-beat up moment eventually comes, because, that’s become a staple of the series at this point, and Dustin and him get some great scenes together. I love their friendship, and Lucas’s sister Erica (Priah Ferguson) becomes an unofficial (but awesome) addition to the group.

Eleven’s discovery of herself, in a different light, is also incredibly enjoyable to see. By the end of the season she’s not the hero that everyone expected to have come in and save the day. Not this time, and it is a refreshing change of pace. She had always been the answer, even as her friends helped. She’s changing.

Of course, she’s still as badass as ever, but things have grown and become particularly threatening for her. Her friends, the ones who love her, end up saving her by the end. I’m not saying specifics, but this season was the first time that Eleven really broke out of her shell. And while there’s a lot of tears and Millie Bobbie Brown is excellent in her portrayal, I think she is finally becoming as “normal” as she can be. The entire cast is commendable, and there’s no shortage of young talent.

Behind the scenes there is also a lot to applaud too, as the direction this season is a little more concise than the last. Matt and Ross Duffer direct four of the episodes with Shawn Levy and Uta Briesewitz each doing two. The season builds with each new chapter, a confidence fought for and found that concludes admirably.

There is a real rhythm in season 3 that makes it especially easy to envelop yourself in, in ways pushing itself past its predecessors.  It’s a tangle of emotions, ominous narratives, new additions (did I mention that Cary Elwes is the slimy mayor who is wrapped up in things?) and a fun vibe that straddles that tenuous and delicate path between childhood and adulthood.

This season is irrefutably darker and more adult. We have moved on from arcades and trick or treating to kissing. From demodogs to disturbing malformations of the Flayer (who takes over people before they eventually melt into a pulp of matter and reform to create the Flayer). Yes, that sounds kind of crazy as I read it back, but it’s a discomforting sight to say the least that manages to draw from a variety of horror classics.

Final Thoughts, Conclusion: Stranger Things season 3

Season 3 reminds us why we love this show, and it’s not just the nostalgia, it’s the characters. There’s plenty of the past two seasons worked in, but there’s also a refreshing dose of Summer Fun and the complexities of being young. As we get older we change and sometimes grow apart, however, to quote Stephen King, “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, did you?” This group, no matter how their story fluctuates, are linked forever. I can’t wait to see where the next adventure takes them.

What did you think of the latest season? How would you compare it to the others? Let us know in the comments below!

Stranger Things season 3 is currently streaming on Netflix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEG3bmU_WaI