Stranger Things third season is fantastic for so many different reasons. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer along with the writing team of Paul Dichter, Kate Trefy, William Bridges, and Curtis Gwinn masterfully created a narrative chock full of big hair, Orange Julius, heartwarming moments, hysterical teen angst, and nerve-rattling scares.
Tim Ives and Lachlan Milne each are masterful in their shot selection and especially in their use of a colour palette. Chris Trujillo’s production design is out of this world as he manages to take 1/2 of a working mall and transform it back to the 1980s. Now that the long weekend is almost complete, I think it is safe to take a look at five takeaways from a fantastic season. I will warn you that some of these do have spoilers so if you aren’t done with season 3, you might want to bookmark this article for later. Okay, here we go!
5. The Teenage Angst Was Hysterical –
Seeing the development of Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) relationship was hysterical, and Hopper (David Harbour) was a big reason why. I’m sure many parents with daughters could relate to those moments. I would expect that to be explored even further in season four (especially with how season 3 ended).
4. Eleven’s Assimilation Will Continue –
In Stranger Things season 3, Eleven learns there’s more to life than hiding in Hopper’s cabin and making out with Mike. While it’s understandable why her “father” would want to keep her safe, in many ways he’s stunting her growth. Towards the end of the season, he acknowledges that to “El” uniquely. One would have to think in season four that her friendship with Max has opened the door to many things she could explore.
3. The best performance of the season belongs to Dacre Montgomery-
Dacre Montgomery’s portrayal of Billy is the best of season 3, and it’s not close. Billy’s emotional baggage is on full display as the mind flayer flays him early on in season 3. While he certainly is quite evil at various moments, it was the subtle looks which showed just enough confliction about what he was doing. Audiences saw he wasn’t in control.
2- Steve, Robin, and Dustin are my spirit animals-
Robin (Maya Hawke) was without question the breakout star of season 3. Steve (Joe Kerry) and (Gaten Matarazzo) had fabulous chemistry on screen. The three of them together were outstanding and gave this season a friendly Scooby-Doo mystery vibe. I would watch a spin-off with these three.
1- Don’t believe what you saw!
At the end of season 3, it appears that Jim Hopper meets his demise as they (Joyce played by Winona Ryder and himself) attempt to shut down the device which is trying to open up a gate to the upside down. For starters, we don’t appear to have seen any sort of body after the explosion (awfully suspicious). Also, during the epilogue, it seems the Russians which escaped have taken an American prisoner. Could that be Hopper? I think that they’ve likely taken their translator prisoner. So where’s Hawkins chief of police? What if the blast shot him into the portal and he’s inside the upside down?
Overall, Stranger Things seems to be one of those rare shows that get better each season and lucky for fans; there’s so much source material to dive into.
Dewey Singleton has been reviewing new releases in television and film for many years. Dewey's reviews have been heard in multiple markets (Houston Atlanta, Tampa). Dewey's past work has been with awardswatch.com, awardsradar.com, and bleeding cool. Dewey is a proud member of the CCA.