A few days ago If finished watching the eighth and final episode of Stranger Things season 3, and I thought I’d share my thoughts here. Some spoilers will likely follow.
Overall, I thought season 3 was a return to form after some missteps in season 2. It returned to many of the familiar beats of season 1: mysterious government agency, kid with special abilities, other kids solving mysteries, scary monsters, and a touch of romance/bromance.
It also added some new twists to keep things fresh, like body snatching, a Terminator-like character, and a better balance of male and female characters.
I enjoyed the humor throughout the season. I really liked that the kids mostly spent their time having fun with each other (though there were still some scenes of bickering and fighting). And I thought it was very clever to continue to return to the mall for both small and big scenes–it was nice to have a familiar home base to anchor the season.
I’ve been trying to put my finger on why season 3 didn’t seem as good as season 1, especially given that the production value is significantly better now. I think I’ve figured it out: Much of the information was revealed this season in such a way that the audience knew too much before the investigating characters did. It doesn’t mean that information was any less interesting than what we learned about in the first season; it just meant that I wasn’t on the edge of my seat in real time with the characters because I already knew what they were going to discover.
But that’s just me. What about you? What were the things you liked most and least about season 3?
Season 1 did what “Jaws” did so well, hardly show the monster till the end. There was more fear in what was going on in season 1 and the mystery is what drove it. Season 3 is way better than season 2 but was more of a light hearted affair looking back on it. The villain was on point though and that actor did an awesome job. Season 1 was lightening in a bottle and will not be replicated, that said I’m still down for more stranger things!