Stranger Things 3

Creators: The Duffer Brothers
Starring: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Dacre Montgomery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Cara Buono, Andrey Ivchenko, Brett Gelman, Cary Elwes, Jake Busey, Alec Utgoff
Original Airdate: 2019

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★) 

If we needed additional evidence of just how many variables and complications face the writers of a series spanning years in the lives of its young characters, the trailer for Netflix's Stranger Things 3 provided it. What jumps out is how much older they look, an issue bound to impact this show more than others. Rarely has a series been as steeped in the nostalgia of a specific era, focusing primarily on youthful protagonists who, quite literally, have grown up in front of our eyes. More than a mere backdrop, the era and age of the kids seem to inform every decision the Duffer Brothers make,"getting" the way they talk and behave in a way unseen since Spielberg mastered it.

In harnessing adults' memories of being a kid while simultaneously crafting a pulse-pounding sci-fi story that that appeals to both, Netflix delivered a cross-generational hit worthy of all its praise. But kids grow up fast and one look at the cast now confirms they're nearly teens whose characters may have outgrown some of the hijinx that first captured our attention. Or rather, some of the challenges they've faced may have forced them to. How would the show handle this? Luckily for us, head on.

By not only acknowledging the obvious, but leaning into this seismic change, the show's able to explore a dynamic between its characters the two other seasons couldn't, making it an essential entry on par with both, if not better. Ads hinted at what the first episode makes clear right away: Stranger Things hasn't lost a step, committed to evolving its story, while twisting and turning some of its more familiar elements to fit in a whole new way. One of the smartest things they did was set the series early enough in the 80's that the kids could be a few years older while remaining firmly entrenched in the middle part of that decade. And now this season manages to squeeze whatever it can out of this time period, and then some.

1985 was a big year for pop culture, and even for show known to revel in its every aspect, they really turn it up with film and TV references, not to mention an even more period-loaded soundtrack than usual. It's an onslaught of homages that could be considered too much under any other circumstance, but Stranger Things gets a pass with the sheer earnestness and sincerity in which it's delivered. And while it's pushing the nostalgia button even harder than before, most will likely be too absorbed and invested in its many intersecting storylines and characters to notice. Capped an enormously satisfying, emotional finale that closes old doors while simultaneously opening new ones, it's a season that dares to be different by making some bold, creative choices, silencing the scepticism that we'd just be in for more of the same.  

It's summer '85 and change is afoot in Hawkins, Indiana, as residents are flocking to the newly opened Starcourt Mall, a project sheperded by sleazy, corrupt Mayor Kline (Cary Elwes) that's led to the closing of many of the town's smaller stores and businesses. This heavily affects Joyce (Winona Ryder), who's still mourning the death of boyfriend Bob Newby (Sean Astin) and considering a move out of Hawkins. But when Will (Noah Schnapp) gets uneasy feelings that something's wrong despite the portal to the Upside Down being closed a year ago, he finds himself on the outside looking in, with his friends having moved on from Dungeons and Dragons to dating.

Eleven's (Millie Bobby Brown) now in a full-fledged relationship with Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and while she may have been able to give her powers a rest after a while, her biggest challenge is fending off an angry, overprotective dad, as the Magnum PI-obsessed Hopper (David Harbour) tries to split them up. Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink) are together and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) is returning from "Camp Know Where '85" with news of a mystery girlfriend that may or may not exist.

Dustin's been hanging out with old buddy Steve (Joe Keery), who's been working with former classmate Robin (Maya Hawke) at Starcourt's nautically-themed ice cream shop, "Scoops Ahoy!" While there, they pick up a transmission from the Russians who have enlisted enlisted a group of scientists to re-open the portal to the Upside-Down, confirming Will's worst suspicions and leading Hawkins Gazette interns Nancy (Natalya Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) to investigate. But now with the Mind Flayer having already posessed Max's brother, Billy (Dacre Montgomery), and now setting its sights on the rest of the town's residents, Eleven and the gang must band together again to do battle.

So much of what makes this season click is how meticulously it's mapped out, with many of the characters grouped off on their own adventure that ultimately lead them all back together to fight off this unstoppable force of evil that's now stronger and more powerful than ever. The mall setting and plot it takes a lot of cues from Dawn of the Dead, while also heavily drawing from other classic sci-fi influences like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Scanners. We also find the gang drifting apart as they struggle with emerging adolescent problems, making for an excellent backdrop to the turmoil brewing within a rapidly changing Hawkins, at least partially brought on by Elwes' arrogant, cigar-chomping mayor.

Combining all this with the Mind Flayer getting his hooks into an already dangerous Billy, and the Russians somehow gaining access to the portal technology, it makes for an exhilarating run of episodes that rarely allows viewers to come up for air. And not only do these subplots and excursions manage to logically connect in the end, but each holds up equally well in their own right, deepening every character.

Hopper is crankier than ever and bickering with Joyce, seeming to crack under the pressure of having to now be the father of a rebellious tween. Their kidnapping of non-English speaking Russian scientist Alexei (a season-stealing Alec Utgoff) and alliance with the returning eccentric conspiracy theorist Murray (Brett Gelman) provides a lot of laughs, but even that carries serious stakes as they're hunted by a Soviet "Terminator" named Grigori (Andry Ivchanko) who's out for blood.

A vast majority of the season's enjoyment comes from the "Scoops Ahoy!" gang, as Steve, Robin and Lucas attempt to get the bottom of what's going on with some unexpected help from Lucas' little sister, Erica (Priah Ferguson). Their adventure could be a show unto itself, and feels like it is, with Joe Keery turing in his best work his yet at Steve while being matched completely by a revelatory Maya Hawke as Robin, a smart, quirky new character who definitely marches to the beat of her own drum.

The chemistry between Robin and Steve is comedic gold, with the latter put through the physical and emotional wringer in ways that surprisingly deconstruct his character. Their love-hate friendship builds to the point that you're completely sure where that's going, until it doesn't. While I'm still not in completete agreement with the writers' eventual choice for them, it was definitely an unexpected one that flies in the face of expectations, How satisfying you find it will depend on whether the major "revelation" feels as organic as everything else involving the two. I'm not sure it did.

They're also involved in the sole Back to the Future shout-out, which we knew would be coming at some point, and eventually does, to no one's disappointment. This, and the most memorable needle drop in the show's history, involving a spontaneous sing-along to a certain ubiquitous 80's movie soundtrack hit are the season's two biggest pop culture moments, invoking nostalgia for the audience while also managing to fit really well into the story.

The Starcourt Mall ends up being the centerpiece setting that all eight of these episodes revolve around, and when you consider the work that must have gone into transforming a vacant mall in Georgia into an exact recreation of a functional, period accurate 1980's-era shopping center in Indiana bustling with teen activity, it's pretty astounding. It's probably the show's most fun setting thus far in that the audience who grew up going to these malls will have a blast spotting the many defunct brands and old school storefronts visible in every scene. An almost equal production achievement is the Hawkins' Independence Day fair, which perfectly captures the look and feel of the era's traveling amusement carnivals, utilizing many retro rides in a memorable action sequence involving Hopper. 

It's of little suprise that the mall takes a beating in the finale battle between The Thing-like Mind Flayer and the kids, which ends up topping the previous two season-closers by more deeply exploring and challenging the true extent of Eleven's powers, as well as the emotional and physical toll they've taken on her. But to say the season ends on a cliffhanger would probably be stretching it as far as the that episode's running time since it's unlikely anyone will believe that the writers would actually go through with what was heavily implied in the final minutes. Still, there's no denying the intrigue surrounding how they'll eventually explain their way out of it. And that's the hook, as what's ahead will have questions sorrounding it as big as the series has faced. Where the characters leave off in "The Battle of Starcourt" spells out that the end may soon be in sight, regardless of whether viewers are ready for it.