Stranger Things 3 is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, it does a good job continuing the story already told in the previous two seasons. The kids are teenagers now, and that means lots of changes, from relationships (and breakups) to friends drifting apart and finding new interests.
On the other hand, if you have already seen the past two seasons, there isn’t much surprise in store for you. You already know that the Mind Flayer got trapped in Hawkins in season two, and that means that the first couple of episodes that build up his threat aren’t as scary as you would like them to be.
Still, Stranger Things is one of the most nostalgic 80s piece of media you are going to find out there, cramming the season full with Russians, malls and Terminator-esque nemeses. There’s even a bit where two characters sing the full theme song from NeverEnding Story.
The Starcourt Mall, in particular, is a great addition to the mythos. It’s full of all the things that teens (and even young adults) enjoy browsing through, from theaters to clothing stores and food courts.
While the show doesn’t match the eerie creepiness of the first season, there’s plenty of excitement throughout its eight episode run.
We also get a decent amount of character work, and plenty of good pairings that keep the show from flatlining in the middle of the season.
Back from summer camp, Dustin ends up intercepting a coded Russian message with his advanced, DIY ham radio. He soon teams up with Steve Harrington and his new friend, Robin to get to the bottom of this mystery. The other kids soon realize that the Mind Flayer is back, thanks to Will’s intuition, while Jonathan and Nancy try to bring the matter to their newspaper’s attention. Joyce and Hopper, meanwhile, are dealing with a lot of unresolved sexual tension- and a whole lot of Russians- as they try to figure out what’s going on under the new Starcourt Mall.
There’s plenty of stuff that’s happening between the characters in the meanwhile. Eleven breaks up with Mike, Hopper struggles with the fact that his adopted daughter is growing up, and Steve comes to terms with his new reality after not being able to go to college.
This season is noticeably better paced than season two. There’s no break where Eleven separates from the main group to have adventures of her own with a X-Men-esque band of rebels, and while there are a variety of plot threads being explored at any one time, nothing overstays its welcome.
The show builds up to an explosive (and epic) climax. Not everyone makes it through to the end, but to the Duffer brothers’ credit, they tease a possible way around that in a post-credits scene.
Things will be quite different for the gang going forward, though, with several characters moving out of town and grieving over their losses.
Is this great television? It probably isn’t. It’s too self indulgent at times, and some of the plot points feel a bit contrived, as though designed to get characters from point A to point B. But this season still offers some solid entertainment, and it’s great to see everyone from Hawkins back for another adventure.
If you are up for more alternate dimension hijinks, then you could check out the latest season of Dark. Just be ready for a complicated story (and a family tree chart for understanding who’s related to who). It’s not as candy-pop or glossy as Stranger Things is, but if you invest time into this series, rest assured you will be rewarded.