And you thought that you’d seen everything thus far when it came to Stranger Things. Well if you’re a binge-watcher like a lot of us then you’ve already run through the third season on the day it came out and have seen just about everything there is to see on a first glance. No spoilers for those who haven’t, don’t worry, but season 3 is beyond anything that’s come before, and with this show that’s definitely saying something. If you hadn’t guessed already the second season had a pretty good lead-in at the end of the final episode when we saw the world flip upside down to reveal that the Mind Flayer was still very much alive and very interested in the goings-on in Hawkins. You can imagine it was a little pissed at being denied entry into the world thanks to El, but at the same time there was something that simply wasn’t right about that column of smoke that escaped when it was expunged from Mike.
So far the next season hasn’t disappointed as it picked up a little ways after it left off, with Dustin at camp and the gang doing their own thing as they try to adjust to being teens and fail miserably at it for the most part. The difference between boys and girls becomes a major issue, as does a bit of female empowerment when it comes to Max and her friendship with El, who’s still figuring out a great deal about life even now. Most of the cast is back, and even Sean Astin gets a couple of cameo’s in, but only flashbacks since sadly he was ripped to pieces and no amount of TV magic is going to bring him back. The relationship, if you can call it that, between Hopper and Joy is still up in the air and undecided, while Nancy and Jonathan are still together but rather strained thanks to their job at the local newspaper. There’s at least one new character that’s a constant, Robin, Steve’s coworker at the ice cream place in the mall that’s been killing off the local businesses, and who is every bit as nerdy as Dustin and a lot smarter than Steve it turns out.
Ah but you’re waiting to hear the part about upping the ante aren’t you? Well, as you already know the Mind Flayer is the big bad for this one and the ugly bugger doesn’t waste much time as the first episode gets underway and the creature begins to find a way to exist on the earthly plane, using, of all things, mice. The plot continues to thicken however as the season goes and things only get weirder, creepier, and way more dangerous as the teens continue to realize that the threat is becoming very real once again and the fight they thought was over was just put on pause for a while as the enemy that they thought was gone took a bit of time to regroup. On top of that, the gate that El closed in the previous season is being opened once again, and everyone knows what that means.
Without giving too much away the season is a thrill ride that is bound to keep fans and newcomers to the series entertained as they no doubt try to figure out what’s going on. The great thing about Stranger Things however is that the plot isn’t so convoluted or hard to figure out and there tend to moments in the show when the characters will actually rehash what went on in order to remind themselves of what they were facing. Out of the many shows that have come and gone on Netflix this is one of the most compelling since not only does it offer up an interesting story, but it takes us back to a time when a lot of us were still kids and can therefore remember the movies, the clothes, the styles and fashions, and just about everything that made our youth so enjoyable, as well as extremely frustrating. In a way season 3 is more of a jump back into the past that we recall with the most accuracy since the teenage years happen to be, for a lot of people, when things really start happening. Unfortunately it seems to be getting a poor reception from critics such as Sam Adams from Slate for not being as detailed as the previous two seasons. But on a bright note, if critics are roasting it already then it must mean that it has some value.
One of the best parts however, according to Leah Thomas of Cosmopolitan, is that the creators have already indicated that they are on board for a season 4. Yes I know season 3 just came out, but this story is great enough that it can’t simply end in any way we’re expecting, and there’s plenty of material still to go on it would seem. While Netflix hasn’t ordered another season just yet there’s a lot of confidence that it will happen, and with the way season 3 has gone thus far and the stunning way it develops throughout each episode there’s no reason to think that the story will be ending just yet.
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