Uh oh, spoilers ahead gang!
Like everyone else with a Netflix subscription, I fancy myself a fan of Stranger Things. It’s a palatable blend of horror and adventure that’s easy to watch with most anyone. However, as I approached the end of the third season, I felt a suppressed sense of disappointment percolating in the back of my mind. Upon completion I am disappointed.
First and foremost, the third season has reached Ready Player One levels of ’80s fanaticism. Perhaps it’s because I was born in the ’90s, but it didn’t resonate with me as a viewer. Regardless, while I believe nostalgia is all well-and-good, I don’t think it should, or can, constitute the meat of a show. In this case, the third season feels like a vehicle for ’80s references more so than a show set in the ’80s. For instance, consider the discount Arnold Schwarzenegger featured as an enforcer for the Russians. Short of making viewers say, “Wow, he lumbers around very menacingly– just like The Terminator!”, the character has no other defining features. I would love to know just an iota of information about him. His entire characterization is a movie reference, which just feels lazy.
On the topic of characters, why is everyone acting so out-of-character? Eleven kills a baker’s dozen Russian soldiers without remorse or the slightest bit of hesitation. Dustin and Steve involve an actual 10-year-old child in a potentially dangerous plot, knowing full well the sort of near-death situations they find themselves in. Mike acts like an asshole at various points throughout the season for seemingly no reason: menacing Hopper, lying to Eleven, ditching his friends, etc. Hopper straight up tells Joyce that she should have moved on from the death of her partner six months ago, albeit she isn’t there to listen. Robin picks the actual worst time in the world to give Steve the impression that she likes him. Billy, an actual sociopath, sacrifices his life because Eleven said his mom was hot. If he came to his senses he definitely would have high-tailed it out of there. Many of these strange characterizations are meant to drive the plot, but viewers are able to perceive their purpose. Ergo, it feels forced.
Oh, the season also has a plot where nothing happens. It seems like nothing changed that couldn’t be explained in the timeframe of a single episode. I can’t justify a full season when the key points are: there are Russians studying the Upside Down, Will’s family moves away, and Billy dies. Our main cast of children do very little growing up, so that’s not a justification either. Also, Hopper is 100% still alive at the end of the season, so his death is equally inconsequential. Instead of eight episodes, we could have had the first episode contain the aforementioned key points and just dive right into whatever the Duffer brothers are planning for the fourth season.
There were things I liked too; I’m not totally pessimistic. Cary Elwes delivered an awesome performance as a complete scumbag, someone who’s all bark and no bite. The animation for the uncooked-McNugget-looking Mind Flayer was really impressive too. I imagine a large portion of the budget went into the animation, as well as the set pieces. Additionally, the introduction of an openly gay character was great to see for a series set in a period where people were more openly homophobic. I’m looking forward to the continuation of Robin’s story in the next season to see if and how she deals with the strife. However, I feel like these successes are overshadowed by the aforementioned faults.
I really wanted to enjoy the third season of Stranger Things. The first two seasons set up plenty of intrigue, all of which was cashed in to keep viewers watching a slow season with no payoff. I am a fan of the lore, and I wish the Duffer brothers had chosen to expand more on the nature of the Upside Down. Instead, it was an eight episode slog through the summer of 1985 that literally did not matter to the overall plot.