A group of kids, a girl with telekinetic abilities, a police chief, a worried mother, and a few high school teenagers investigating mysterious occurrences in their small Indiana town. Such are the elements that define Netflix's critically- and commercially-acclaimed nostalgia series Stranger Things. The brainchild of creators Matt & Ross Duffer was a surprise sensation when its first season premiered back in 2016. Its homage to 1980s sci-fi, horror and pop culture remains entertaining and gripping.
Season 2 (from 2017) was just as cliffhanging and exciting, especially with those Ghostbusters costumes, giant Mind Flayers from a place called the Upside Down, and "justice for Barb" (referring to a fan-favorite character from the first season). But the season finale felt like a letdown, going a bit standard issue as well as a bit of a rush. In fact, most of the season felt overwhelmed with pop culture references, drawing attention to themselves a little more than they needed to.
This current third season, to its credit, gets back to character- and ensemble-driven action and genuine stakes, all while proving the darkest and most violent (and even troubling) season. And in terms of its intensity, this season doesn't play it safe--and that's both an advantage and a disadvantage.
"One Summer Can Change Everything"
Set during the summer of 1985 around the 4th of July (the same year that saw the short-lived release of "New Coke" soft drink), the town of Hawkins, Indiana, is in transition, what with the opening of the new Starcourt Mall, but much to the dismay of small-business employees and citizens in economic and property turmoil.
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| (left to right) Maya Hawke, Joe Keery, and Gaten Matarazzo |
Meanwhile, the main kids (Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, and Max) have become teenagers, while their parents or adult figures are dealing with various other changes in their community. Chief Jim Hopper (showing off a Tom Selleck mustache and pudgy dad bod) is having difficulty with teenage growth and hormones between Mike and Eleven, while also expressing concern for Will's mom, Joyce, as well as her safety and current home situation. Eleven starts learning more about the disadvantages of dating, as well as female independence when she starts hanging out with Lucas's girlfriend Max. Will is having difficulty moving on from childhood ("We're not kids anymore," Mike tells him), while still carrying some traumatic effects from his previous time in the Upside Down.
Former boyfriend and girlfriend Nancy and Steve each have new jobs, and each dealing with real-world and social issues: Nancy's at the local newspaper along with current boyfriend (and Will's brother) Jonathan, while the other employees are sexist and misogynistic, and Steve's at the ice cream parlor of the mall, all while struggling with popularity and developing a new relationship with co-worker, Robin, and continuing his unlikely friendship with Dustin, who's just returned from summer camp with the news of a "hotter than Phoebe Cates" girlfriend who may or may not exist. "Isn't it time to move on from popularity?" Dustin asks Steve. Even bad boy Billy (Max's older brother), while much more intimidating here, is given a more dimensional character arc, and a reason for why his character is the way he is.
Speaking of Billy, strange activity occurs once again in Hawkins. (As a series staple, how could it not?) This time, there's a power outage, magnets falling from refrigerators, a secret Russian organization (it's always the Russians, isn't it?), rats getting infested, various people disappearing or acting weird, and unlikely "heroes" deciphering an intercepted Russian code. (Steve, Robin, Dustin, and Lucas's kid sister Erica practically steal the show in this latter regard.)
There's also the return of the villainous Mind Flayer, who starts gathering an army by infecting various things (from rats to people, including Billy) and mutating them to disgusting effect a la body horror (think David Cronenberg's The Fly crossed with John Carpenter's The Thing), supposedly against Eleven, the only person who can stop it.
"Commence Operation Child Endangerment"
If Season 1 was a Steven Spielberg-meets-Stephen King homage, and Season 2 was arguably a Ghostbusters-meets-Gremlins affair, this third season is like an unseen collaboration between Carpenter and Cronenberg. One episode is even titled, "The Mall Rats," perhaps recalling Kevin Smith's cult classic from 1995 (referenced in this year's Captain Marvel as well).
If the season has a few weaknesses, they are as follows. First and foremost, many viewers have criticized the arc of Hopper's character, who comes across as over-the-top and aggressive many times, despite his "heart-to-heart" speech he writes. (His arc from Season 1 remains his best.) There's also the subplots involving Russian scientists (a little ridiculous) and a Terminator-like assassin (one-dimensional), as well as the role of the Hawkins mayor in terms of small-town American capitalism. There's also that very brief subplot between Mike's mom & Billy, leftover from the end of Season 2 (which thankfully doesn't go as far as it could've, but still).
Plus, the aforementioned violence results in more graphic (and even shocking) imagery than the first two seasons put together. And the surprising amount of harsh language (much spoken by our kid heroes) is very disappointing and unnecessary. Some viewers may also be surprised by a character who subtly comes out of the closet (supposedly to keep with current times and pop culture embracing such topics).
Those elements notwithstanding, this third season wraps up brilliantly and poignantly. (At least before the end credits roll.) There is reportedly a fourth season underway. So, with that being said, here's hoping a few missed opportunities and a new and maturing adventure (with some restraint, please!) will carry on what has otherwise been a gripping, nostalgic, and brilliantly-written and -acted series.
See you on the other side, nerds. ~Erica
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