So I watched Stranger Things 3 and …. I had some thoughts, some possibly hot takes and (maybe?) unpopular opinions. But a lot of 80s nostalgia! NO MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ANY SEASONS.
Thoughts on Stranger Things 3: What I Loved:
Loved The Mall
Okay, it may sound shallow, but the Starcourt Mall was my favorite thing about this show, with the community pool being #2. Growing up, the mall and the pool were where I spent a lot my time and being in those spaces as I watched the show was like stepping into a time machine. Hot Dog on a Stick lololol. I read that the mall scenes were filmed in a rehabbed old mall in Georgia and I really hope they open it for tours because I’m there!
Loved The Multi-Strand Plot
I though it worked really well to break the group up and have them investigating different things that were all part of the Big Bad: Team Child Endangerment checking out the weird happenings at the mall, Eleven and Max trying to find out what was up with Billy, Nancy and Jonathan hunting down leads from the newspaper office, Will trying to figure out why the hair was standing up on his neck, and Joyce trying to figure out WHY THE MAGNETS WERE FALLING OFF HER FRIDGE. (This was so classic Joyce and I loved it.)
(Kind of) Loved The Constant Scariness
Wow, was it me or was this season way more gory and also non-stop scary than the others? Some of these episodes were intense, which was impressive given that the overall story goal was pretty much the same as in the other two seasons, and the technique (Eleven’s superpowers and the kids as back-up.) More on that below.
Thoughts on Stranger Things 3: What I Didn’t Love as Much:
Didn’t love the characters as much:
Let’s be honest: shows with cute kids rarely know how to handle it when these kids become teenagers. Remember Oliver on The Brady Bunch? I just Googled and “Cousin Oliver” is an official TV Trope for “kid added to the show’s roster in an attempt to liven up an aging cast.” I’d argue that the problem (for me) with most of these characters wasn’t age, but lack of growth. With the exception of Steve (whose growth from a Spader to a beloved hero has been impressive), Erica and Joyce (always feistily awesome) and Billy (who actually got more sympathetic), I felt like ST3 didn’t really know what to do with these pre-teen characters as they became teenagers. As a reader of YA I think the “friendships changing” theme is a great one, but as a mom, watching 14 year old characters make out on a bed made my eye twitch.
Didn’t love the (now) repetitive story goal
I feel like the formula of the big scary thing under the ground with only Eleven to fight it is getting a little repetitive. This season did everything possible (body snatching, Russians, romance drama) to dress it up, but I am ready for something different.
Didn’t get the Russian thing
Okay, without spoilers … huh? How was this all going on without anyone knowing? And what exactly was going on, anyway.
Don’t know how I feel about the ending
NO SPOILERS but …. really? Hmmm. The ending had promise in some ways but in others had me skeptical. We will see.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF STRANGER THINGS 3 – TELL ME AND PLEASE INCLUDE SPOILER WARNINGS!
If you didn’t take my “What Will Happen to You In Stranger Things Season 2” Quiz, you can find it here!
