TV Review - Netflix's Stranger Things, Season 3

One summer can change everything.

Stranger Things is a 2016-2025 television series created by Matt and Ross Duffer, produced by 21 Laps Entertainment and Monkey Massacre Productions, and distributed by Netflix. The third season stars Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour. It was nominated for eight Primetime Emmys and did not win any.

"When life hurts you - because it will - remember the hurt. The hurt is good." - Jim Hopper

Plot

In the summer of 1985, things seem to be going well in Hawkins - a new mall is taking the town by storm and the terrors of the Upside Down seem long gone. That is, until a secret Russian scheme is discovered that may have opened up a connection back to the Mind Flayer. As the party attempts to enjoy their summer, nothing can prepare them for the threat that lies ahead.

The Sweet

Seasons two and three are, in most people's opinions, the lowest points of Stranger Things. While that is true, I think people do not give some of these moments enough credit. The third season of the show definitely has some of the weakest elements...but it also has some of the strongest.

Right away, this is, in my opinion, the best-acted season so far. The standout is Dacre Montgomery, who just comes out of nowhere with an Emmy-worthy performance. He is so good at playing a Billy who is possessed by the Mind Flayer, because he acts threatening and scared at the same time. In an interview, he said that throughout the season, you can see the real Billy in his eyes, and that is just next-level acting. The sauna test and his threat to Eleven in episode six give me chills with how good his acting is. The fact that he was not nominated for an Emmy shows how much of a joke awards shows are. The other performances are also fantastic: Millie is arguably at her best this season, new cast member Maya Hawke eats up every scene she's in, Gaten Matarazzo is hilarious, and, as always, David Harbour is David Harbour.

This season also brings out some of the strongest emotions since season one. Inherently, I don't think seasons two and three really have the same level of pure heart-break that season one had, but season three tugs on the heartstrings a lot. Billy's story is really tragic. When they decide to focus on Will's struggles, it can be incredibly emotional. Hopper's speech to Eleven in the finale is possibly the saddest moment in the entire series. It feels like the Duffer brothers lost a bit of the heavy, tearjerking moments that season one had in the second season, but Stranger Things 3 brings them back with a vengeance.

I also do really enjoy the change in tone for this third season. I know some people are critical of how bright and fun it is, but I think it fits the vibe they were going for. The first two seasons are set in the fall and deal with this very mysterious, otherworldly threat. This season is set during the summer, and, although the threat is still from the Upside Down, it very much exists in the real world. This feels like Stranger Things's summer blockbuster-inspired season, and I think that works as a nice little change of pace.

And, as always, a new season of Stranger Things means great new characters. The main standouts here are Robin, Alexei, and Erica. Robin is probably my favorite character in the season. She is so funny and works as a great foil to Steve, and the Duffer brothers execute the cliche-subversion again so perfectly. Every season, they set up a very generic trope - season one was Steve being a typical bully, season two was Dr. Owens being another evil doctor, and season three is Robin being the "perfect girl" that Steve doesn't see standing right in front of him. But they subvert it so well with the reveal of her sexuality, and it makes you fall in love with both her and Steve because of how good of friends they become without having to have a romance. Alexei is everyone's "deserved better" character of the season. They have him form this really fun bromance with Murray that makes it really heart-breaking when he ultimately gets killed. And, although Erica isn't technically a new character, this is the first season where she gets actual focus. Her sarcasm and sassiness is just tons of fun, and Priah Ferguson chews up the scenery every time she's on screen.

I know I said this before, but this season has genuinely some of my favorite moments on TV ever. There are so many amazing, standout sequences that are so memorable and entertaining, and I don't think it gets enough credit or recognition for these various sequences. The sauna test is an absolute masterclass in tension, acting, and direction. Will destroying Castle Byers is one of the most emotional and underrated scenes in the show. And, of course, The NeverEnding Story. People who dislike that moment...I don't understand you. Yes, I get it's goofy, but it is the perfect payoff for the reveal of Suzie and it is an absolutely incredible Stranger Things moment.

Speaking of payoff, this season does a fantastic job of setup and payoff. Every season of Stranger Things does this wonderfully, but it just stands out a bit more in season three. Suzie is the best example, because her being real and coming in to save the day at the last second is just so frickin' awesome, but the way that Billy's arc is executed works entirely on setup and payoff. The finale is just chock-full of awesome moments that all season has been building up to. I love it when the final episode of a season truly brings everything full circle and ties up basically all of the loose ends, and that's exactly what happens in season three.

The Sour

I think the thing that makes season three arguably the weakest season is that this is where the characters are at their worst. We can start by talking about the kids: they are transitioning into adulthood, so much of the season deals with their angst and awkwardness. Mike and Lucas revert into the worst versions of themselves while Will just sulks in the background and begs them to play D&D all season. Max is also reverted into the worst version of herself as she motivates Eleven to do all of the petty things that teenagers do. They are just really unlikable (or in Will's case, underutilized), and that can make it frustrating to watch them.

Now, on the adult side...Hopper goes in my negatives. Jim Hopper is one of my favorite fictional characters ever, which is probably why he's here: this season, he acts very out of character. There are times where you see normal, one-of-the-best-TV-characters-ever Hopper, but most of the time, he is in this aggressive, unlikable Magnum P.I. mode. He almost feels like a parody of himself. Now, once you get into the second half of the season, he becomes a lot more like old Hopper, but his character can be very inconsistent, and thus, very frustrating.

The season also takes a while to get going. It really sulks in the teenage angst and the weird dynamic between the main group. The Mind Flayer doesn't even really feel like a threat until the fourth episode. Sure, we see stuff happen with Billy and there are ominous goings-on, but the story of the season does not feel like it kicks into motion until we get the sauna test at the end of the fourth episode.

I am also not crazy about the Russian plot line. This is where it feels like Stranger Things got too cute with itself and it's 80s references. A lot of 80s movies make the Soviets the main antagonists because of the Cold War setting, so Stranger Things takes that route...with middling results. I enjoy the characters who are on this journey, but the entire storyline just feels out of place and ridiculous. The show started off as this very self-contained story about a mysterious girl and a terrifying alternate dimension haunting a small town, so to bring this Russian conspiracy into it just feels like a bit too much.

Final Thoughts and Score

Stranger Things 3 has some of the highest highs and the lowest lows of the entire show. Ultimately, though, great acting, high emotions, and an explosive finale make this still a must-watch season of TV.

I am going Sweet here. Age range is 13+.

SWEET N' SOUR SCALE

Sweet (Great) Savory (Good)

Sour (Bad)

Moldy (Terrible)

"Stranger Things 3"

Fun Factor: 9/10

Acting: 10/10

Story: 8/10

Characters: 8/10

Quality: 8/10

Created by Matt and Ross Duffer

Rated TV-14 for moderate violence and action, frightening themes and images, language, thematic elements

Premiered on July 4, 2019

Episode runtime: 50 minutes

Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven

David Harbour as Jim Hopper

Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler

Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers

Dacre Montgomery as Billy Hargrove

Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson

Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair

Noah Schnapp as Will Byers

Sadie Sink as May Mayfield

Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler

Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers

Joe Keery as Steve Harrington

Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley

Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair

Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler

Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman

Alec Utgoff as Alexxei

Andrey Ivchenko as Grigori

Michael Park as Tom Holloway

Francesca Reale as Heather Holloway

Peggy Miley as Doris Driscoll

Cary Elwes as Larry Kline

Jake Busey as Bruce Lowe

Joe Chrest as Ted Wheeler

Rob Morgan as Officer Calvin Powell

John Reynolds as Officer Phil Callahan

Randy Havens as Scott Clarke

Catherine Curtin as Claudia Henderson

Christopher Convery as Young Billy Hargrove

Gabriella Pizzolo as Suzie Bingham

Paul Reiser as Sam Owens