Stranger Things

[Magic-Man]

Finished the season last night, and it was one of the best seasons of a TV show that I've ever seen. Other than a few issues that I had with it (namely, a few storylines and one of the three "villains") the show was fantastic! 9/10.

Spoiler review below.

Spoiler: Best and Worst of Season 3 (heavy spoilers)

Best:

• The design of the main monster. Holy mother of God that is the creepiest thing I've seen in years.
• BILLY! He's the highlight of the season for me. The acting was on point, and unlike the other human antagonist (below) he was actually intimidating. And then his sacrifice killed me.
• ALL of the protagonists this season. Not a single bad character arc or character to be found. I like how they went against the cliche for Steve and Robin and made Robin a lesbian instead of another love interest. Not every boy-girl relationship actually turns into romance, and I'm glad that the writers get that.
• The emotions and humor of this season were on point most of the time. I haven't laughed this much at a TV show in years, and the finale broke me in half. Speaking of the finale.....
• The finale was perfection in every way. Flawless. The best episode of a TV show that I've ever seen. The visuals, humor, and emotion was on point.

Worst:

• Two of the main plotlines of the show felt pointless to me, those being the reporter (Nancy and Jonathan) story and when the Scoops Troop going below the mall. Pointless, imo.
• The Russian antagonists were terrible, and felt like plot devices to bring the Mind Flayer back into the show. Not to mention that they were stereotypical.
• The first couple of episodes dragged a bit.

 

[belloq87]

I've finished, and thought it was a solid -- if tonally uneven -- season.

Spoiler

Some things I liked:
- Anything and everything involving Steve/Dustin/Robin/Erica. Maya Hawke's Robin, particularly, is a GREAT addition, and the way her relationship with Steve develops was probably my favorite element of the whole season. I appreciate that it didn't end up where you would conventionally expect.
- Cartoonishly evil Soviets! Russian Terminator was also a good ongoing obstacle for Hopper.
- Will's mini-arc of coming to grips with his friends developing different interests. Pretty relatable stuff, as most people have probably experienced that from one end or the other.
- Some gross (if also perhaps too CGI-y) body/creature horror.
- Billy was used very, very well. As the avatar for the Mind Flayer's growing "infection" of Hawkins, he was imposing, but his resolution was a textbook example of what STRANGER THINGS often displays quite admirably: empathy.
- Hopper being taken off the board (at least for a while...) raises the stakes going forward. After three seasons, it was time for one of the majors to get the axe, and it was handled quite well.
- The final 20 minutes of the season pack an emotional punch that (partially) makes up for earlier tonal miscalculations. And I think the season leaves many of the characters in an interesting place that should make for solid drama in the next season.
- The score for this season was the best of the three seasons, by far.

Some things I didn't like:
- Making Mayor Kline such an overt sleazebag was a misstep. Basically, in JAWS parlance, they used novel Mayor Vaughn as their template instead of movie Mayor Vaughn, and when given the choice, you should always err towards JAWS the movie, not JAWS the novel. Kline’s slimeball nature contributes to a “broad” feeling for much of the season, where characters sometimes feel like "characters," not real people. See also the almost comically sexist and dismissive newspaper staff that Nancy deals with.
- The resolution of this season's plot was essentially the same as last season's. "We've gotta shut the door to the Upside Down -- which is in a secret science laboratory -- to disable the Mind Flayer."
- I think they've exhausted the possibilities of what the Upside Down and its inhabitants have to offer, so the implication from the end credits tease that they're doubling down on that stuff going forward has me a bit concerned.

Overall, I'm satisfied, but I think the show still has room to get better.

 

[Verdicoshna]

Season 3 Episode four, when Erica is being bribed with Ice cream the song in the background is Popeye's Sweethaven from the ride, cool little Easter egg at 25 minutes

 

[Spaulding]

So that was fantastic. Really, really good. I would rank the seasons as 3>1>2.

Quick question about the end of the final episode:

Spoiler

Not sure if maybe I missed a line of dialogue explaining it, but why did the mindflayer die when the gate closed?
We saw Eleven already close the gate at the end of season 2 and it didn't die then, it got stuck in the real world.
Why was it different this time? Was it just because it made a physical body for itself?

 

[Legacy]

That season was entertaining, but it really feels like the Duffers lost the plot to the their own characters, to the point where the Scoop Troop were the only characters I cared about. They basically saved the season.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

I've finished, and thought it was a solid -- if tonally uneven -- season.

Spoiler

Some things I liked:
- Anything and everything involving Steve/Dustin/Robin/Erica. Maya Hawke's Robin, particularly, is a GREAT addition, and the way her relationship with Steve develops was probably my favorite element of the whole season. I appreciate that it didn't end up where you would conventionally expect.
- Cartoonishly evil Soviets! Russian Terminator was also a good ongoing obstacle for Hopper.
- Will's mini-arc of coming to grips with his friends developing different interests. Pretty relatable stuff, as most people have probably experienced that from one end or the other.
- Some gross (if also perhaps too CGI-y) body/creature horror.
- Billy was used very, very well. As the avatar for the Mind Flayer's growing "infection" of Hawkins, he was imposing, but his resolution was a textbook example of what STRANGER THINGS often displays quite admirably: empathy.
- Hopper being taken off the board (at least for a while...) raises the stakes going forward. After three seasons, it was time for one of the majors to get the axe, and it was handled quite well.
- The final 20 minutes of the season pack an emotional punch that (partially) makes up for earlier tonal miscalculations. And I think the season leaves many of the characters in an interesting place that should make for solid drama in the next season.
- The score for this season was the best of the three seasons, by far.

Some things I didn't like:
- Making Mayor Kline such an overt sleazebag was a misstep. Basically, in JAWS parlance, they used novel Mayor Vaughn as their template instead of movie Mayor Vaughn, and when given the choice, you should always err towards JAWS the movie, not JAWS the novel. Kline’s slimeball nature contributes to a “broad” feeling for much of the season, where characters sometimes feel like "characters," not real people. See also the almost comically sexist and dismissive newspaper staff that Nancy deals with.
- The resolution of this season's plot was essentially the same as last season's. "We've gotta shut the door to the Upside Down -- which is in a secret science laboratory -- to disable the Mind Flayer."
- I think they've exhausted the possibilities of what the Upside Down and its inhabitants have to offer, so the implication from the end credits tease that they're doubling down on that stuff going forward has me a bit concerned.

Overall, I'm satisfied, but I think the show still has room to get better.

Spoiler

Maybe in Season 4 the Mind Flayer itself can actually escape and start wreaking havoc on the town, proving the theory that the Upside Down is in fact a future version of Earth that was destroyed by the MF? Either way, it should without a doubt be the final season, and that's how I think they could make it feel like a proper finale. Since the kids are growing up fast, maybe they could set it a few years later--could be spring 1989 and they're HS seniors? Just an idea.

 

[Scott W.]

Strictly avoiding spoilers but does Universal still sell Stranger Things merchandise? Cause I want that Hawaiian shirt like nothing else right now.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

 

[Moose84]

Season 3 was simply fantastic. Stranger Things is just an absolute delight to watch and my favorite thing on television.

And if you don’t think it’s reaching beyond its core audience. My wife wants nothing to do with Stranger Things but because she caught a glimpse of Dusty and his reclusive girlfriend Suzie’s rendition of neverending story I am now currently watching it, The Neverending Story, since she thought that was awesome lol.

Love Love Love it and cant wait for Season 4, sadly probably not until late 2020 at the earliest but call it a hunch I’m calling Valentines Day 2021 for the release.

 

[Brian G.]

SPOILERS so...

Finished it over the weekend. I liked it better than 2, which dragged a bit at times - but I think the next season should definitely wrap up the story. While the characters' stories are evolving, the overall plot is hitting the same points as the previous 2 seasons (monster of the week, portal needs closing, evil scientist). The reveal at the end that 11's powers may be gone/weakened is a welcomed twist, which may help next season start to veer off from the familiarity of her always saving the day; and also help the characters work on other ways to win instead of the answer always being "Just have El take care of it".

As far as the other pros and cons of this season...

I loved the performances, the visual style, the soundtrack. Anything from Scoops Troop was fantastic and I really loved the twist with Steve and Robin, which was handled well.

I think Nancy and Jonathan's storyline was the weakest, and worst part of this season. It seemed the writers were just finding a reason to have them included and it definitely felt forced. I think their roles should diminish next season if they can't find a natural progression to the story for them to fit in.

 

[Spaulding]

SPOILERS so...

I think Nancy and Jonathan's storyline was the weakest, and worst part of this season. It seemed the writers were just finding a reason to have them included and it definitely felt forced. I think their roles should diminish next season if they can't find a natural progression to the story for them to fit in.

I thought that the bosses at the newspaper were cartoonishly mean to Nancy. Maybe that is how things actually were in the 80's for women, but it seemed OTT to me, took me out of the show just a bit.

 

[belloq87]

The newspaper folks were ridiculous. Parody-level. Perhaps the worst element of the whole season.

 

[Trumen882]

*SPOILERS*

Finished last night. Loved this way more than Season 2. Robin, Steve, Dustin, and Erica were my favorite plot line. I also agree the newspaper sexist writers were my least favorite elements(also the mayor). Also Hopper's characterization was pretty unflattering for a lot of this season which is weird given the ending?

 

[belloq87]

*SPOILERS*
Also Hopper's characterization was pretty unflattering for a lot of this season which is weird given the ending?

Unflattering, perhaps. But I've seen people writing off Season 3 Hopper as totally unlikable and unrelatable, which I do not agree with. I think the issue for me is more that Harbour was clearly instructed to lean into giving a "big" performance, which gave a lot of his moments (say, in the first 2/3 of the season) a goofy vibe that undercut him a bit.

On paper, I like what the character was going through during the season, though.

 

[Nick]

*Spoilers*

Just finished watching the season. Overall, I really enjoyed it and had a good time with it, but it felt EXTREMELY familiar. Hit all the same beats as the previous two seasons and took the same basic path to get from start to finish. This should hopefully have changed for Season 4 though given the major changes that took place in the last episode, with the Byers' and Eleven moving out of Hawkins, Hopper “dying” (meaning there will be a new Police Chief), and Eleven losing her powers. There's a lot to play with.

I could have done without that mid-credits scene though as I felt it added nothing and didn't get me excited for a fourth season, either.

I get they tried to inject more humor to cover how dark this season is but a lot of it was a miss.

Yup. Many of the comedic moments fell flat with me, too.

That season was entertaining, but it really feels like the Duffers lost the plot to the their own characters, to the point where the Scoop Troop were the only characters I cared about. They basically saved the season.

Scoop Troop was definitely where my main interest was. It seems they were more focused with them as it was a smaller group and a more direct plotline they were following, rather than the larger group which was following several messy plotlines at points.

SPOILERS so...

Finished it over the weekend. I liked it better than 2, which dragged a bit at times - but I think the next season should definitely wrap up the story. While the characters' stories are evolving, the overall plot is hitting the same points as the previous 2 seasons (monster of the week, portal needs closing, evil scientist). The reveal at the end that 11's powers may be gone/weakened is a welcomed twist, which may help next season start to veer off from the familiarity of her always saving the day; and also help the characters work on other ways to win instead of the answer always being "Just have El take care of it".

As far as the other pros and cons of this season...

I loved the performances, the visual style, the soundtrack. Anything from Scoops Troop was fantastic and I really loved the twist with Steve and Robin, which was handled well.

I think Nancy and Jonathan's storyline was the weakest, and worst part of this season. It seemed the writers were just finding a reason to have them included and it definitely felt forced. I think their roles should diminish next season if they can't find a natural progression to the story for them to fit in.

Agreed things felt more or less same-y. I actually think Jonathan is the problem when it comes to Nancy/Jonathan. Maybe have it so they break up bc of the move, but focus on Nancy more and I think she could be have a more interesting story arc.

 

[youhow2]

Finished it.

Loved the whole less serious vibe this season took. Love all the hyper 80's parody, mega meta stuff. Very self aware, and I usually hate it when shows make fun of themselves so much... But I think it was pretty masterfully done. Loved all the Russia stuff.


I'm also glad it went there cause it was a pretty dark season.


-HERE BE SPOILERS-

Two things I disliked:


The fireworks bombs... Why not make bigger explosives so you could get away? "A stick of dynamite" couldn't put more of a dent in that thing?

I did dislike Billy's arch. "You suffered emotional childhood trauma that went unchecked and now the only way to redeem yourself is to die". I'd much rather have seen Billy survive and self examine, and become a bit more of a positive force in the next season... You know, an actual redemption... and then he could die. It's not much of a sacrifice if some evil death monster loses it's clutch on you in the heat of an epic battle, and then kills you because you decided to... Basically kill yourself (and if they were trying to go that deep, they should've given him some dialogue, to indicate his intentions and his reasons) .

Hopper... That was not necessary. And the hinting towards the Russia thing, eh. I would've loved to see Mike or one of the kids somehow end up taking his place, especially if they go the Russia route.

 

[ChrisFL]

I loved the whole season...only very minor nitpicks like the

Spoiler

music from the russian recording being the song on the kiddie ride....a bit over the top but I went with it

 

[Nick]

I wish they had re-upped Beyond Stranger Things for this season. I enjoyed that as an accompaniment to the show during Season 2.

 

[Jamesh22]

Mild spoilers...

Steve and Dustin 'bromance' is still one of my favourite things about ST, and loved Robin. Scoops Ahoy storyline was genius.


This is definitely a rewatch season for me, totally loved it despite it's inperfections.

 

[CTank]

I really liked this season - especially the music! I do think that the Scoop Troop storyline was much more entertaining than the others - especially Nancy&Jonathan. I almost think I can do without both of them next season...