You Should Be Watching: Stranger Things 3
Stranger Things is back and Hawkins Indiana is never safe. One thing I love about the series is it has a tried and true formula it sticks to but it throws a few wrinkles into the recipe to keep it fresh. While the show has always pulled on nostalgia this season we are full on ’80s with everything including Soviet spies in small town America, body snatchers, and monster horror. The Stephen King resemblances are still there as always and they drive the heart of the show. The coming of age aspects of a classic Stephen King story is there but instead of the backdrop of children finding their way in a grown-up world this season focus on the summer that changed everything. You know the one where you grew up, found love changed from your old self and life was never the same. Only you also solved a murder mystery and stopped the monster apocalypse.
The show starts at the start of summer, Eleven and Mike are dating and Dustin just got back from science camp. The boys are still friends but are slowly drifting apart as girls and changing priorities begin to pull them away from comics and D&D campaigns. The show takes advantage of its young stars aging to push the story forward. One thing the show has always excelled at is building suspense. Similar to season 2 this season sees smaller groups of our cast all chasing down the same mystery from different aspects. It drives you crazy to watch just screaming at the TV for them all to come together. Slowly they all start to piece it together and when one or more groups finally do come together to begin to unravel the mystery it is deeply satisfying. This season also keeps its momentum going at an extraordinary pace. We all remember the odd episodes towards the middle of season 2 that just seemed to be filler (you know the one with Punk Eleven). This season doesn’t seem to hit that rut and has enough threads going at once to keep the show going. Season 2 released around Halloween and that played an important role in the structure of the show same as this season released on July 4th with Independence day and summer playing an equally important role in this season, I think that is cool and really helps the emotional connection the show relies on.
One of my personal favorite threads is the new Starcourt Mall that has gone into Hawkins. It is the absolute height of the mall culture and the fact that now malls are wastelands struggling to stay relevant it took me back to see shots of the shiny mall with people bustling all over and every storefront filled. The Mayor is planning to throw a huge 4th of July event to take a victory lap for bringing all this business to Hawkins and the mall believe it or not is at the center of the whole Soviet plot.
Steve continues to steal the show as one of the best characters in the series his turn from stereotypical d-bag boyfriend to hero, to babysitter with a spiked baseball bat to post high school loser working at the food court desperately holding on to his past continues to make him a fan favorite. Dustin also continues to be a delight on screen as well as police chief Hopper who is still managing his vices and anger issues with his protective instinct over all the survivors from the first two ordeals.
I know all these teenage love dramas and spy thrillers may have you wondering “I thought this was a scary monster show?” and it still is. While it isn’t the goriest thing hardcore horror fans will see it is more than enough to whet your appetite with jump scares and body horror. Whether it be body snatchers or the monster scenes the show does not forget where it’s bread and butter is over the 8 episodes.
Stranger Things is a perfect blend of multiple genres and 80’s tropes with a heart of pure gold that is carefully created by the Duffer Brothers to pull at your heartstrings and hit that nostalgic bone that remembers a simpler time. They seem to have learned from some of the pitfalls from season 2, take the magic that was season 1 and push it forward in a satisfying and thrilling way, plus it still has some of the best music and show openings of all time. The age old question for a show like this is “Do I need to watch the first 2 seasons” and while I would say Yes it certainly is required viewing but it is worth the effort or maybe a quick catch up YouTube video is enough if watching 16 previous episodes is a deal breaker. When season 1 was such a surprise pulp culture phenomenon it was easy to assume they could not continue that magic or flare but season 3 shows not only do the Duffer Brothers know the recipe they can expand and grow in meaningful ways without compromising the heart of the series. So gather your party, light some sparklers and prepare for one heck of a summer.
