Stranger Things Season 3 Review

Soooo Worth the wait!!

Action and terror are perfectly balanced against comic relief and well-timed character moments. 

It’s almost a year after season 2 that season 3 came out. But it was sooooo worth the wait. Stranger Things season 3 is all it promises to be and more… It encapsulates all the features of a 80s horror movie and delivers a powerful, funny, frightening story polished with the loads of nostalgia. Once again, our quirky cast of misfits (children and adults) is confronted by an impossible foe, which is now aided by mortal allies. Against all odds they must band together and save the planet. We helplessly cheer for them, laugh with them, cry with them. By the end of this season, they become family.

The Duffer Brothers have modeled this season to perfection, probably my favourite one (yet?). The first episode simply serves to catch up on all the characters in the show, with almost no mention of the ‘upside down’ at all. After this, every episode has at least one HOLY SHIT moment (and I mean is he/she going to die or not HOLY SHIT). With the children growing up, the changes that they go through are brilliantly incorporated. Cleverly written, their dating lives serve to be immensely entertaining. Well, by dating lives I mean kids who’ve just realized how much fun it is to make out. I couldn’t stop smiling when I saw Hopper trying to cope with Eleven’s dating life. There are numerous instances where this is so smoothly incorporated as relief from the dark horrors of the upside down. I want to talk about this so much more but don’t want to give out spoilers.

Young love has taken over Hawkins and the young lovers have so much to enjoy at the new Starcourt Mall. We meet so many new characters; Mayor Klein (Carey Elwes), a cunning politician and Robin, a funny, intelligent co worker of Steve’s at Scoops Ahoy! Trust me, you can’t not like her. We get to know Lucas’ sister Erica much better and few others…

There are so many questions that come up while watching this season. How do you balance a D&D group when everyone suddenly has a girlfriend? How do you keep a girlfriend when you’re in middle school? Will El make it out of this season? Will Dustin get his teeth?

Action and terror are perfectly balanced against comic relief and well-timed character moments. Steve and Dusin’s bromance has been kicked up to a whole new gear. The kids are growing up. Tensions are building (between humans and humans, between humans and beasts, between the kids and adults, between adults and adults and between the children themselves – that’s what you get when you want a spoiler free review). Basically there’s so much to look forward to but it never seems uncomfortable cramped. Everything flows in perfect tempo (Thank God it wasn’t hurried like the last GOT season). The suspense and tension increases in a steady gradient from episode 1 to 8. One of the few T.V. shows that has a brilliant start and maintains its high quality right to the end…

My favourite aspect throughout the show was that it always plays to its strengths: allowing each f their character (old and new) to shine separately. Each one of them are focused on allowing us to connect with everyone of them. The characters are divided throughout much of the season, but it all takes place over a very short span of time, and none of it feels forced. There were so many times where I shouted, “Why aren’t you telling your friends or the adults!” There’s a reason various characters are off on their own adventures together, unraveling this new mystery all at once but in different locations, finding different pieces of a puzzle all fitting in when they come together. And oh what a moment that is – Hopper foot stamps right in front of the screen and I jumped.

The actors – each one deserves credit – Millie Bobby Brown (El), Finn Wolfhard(Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Noah Schnapp (Will), Sadie Sink (Max), David Harbour (Hopper), Winona Ryder (Joyce), Joe Keery (Steve), Maya Hawke (Robin), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan) and Dacre Montgomery (Billy) have each done superbly, justifying the impeccable plot for this show. Each one of them connect with you. The characters are brilliantly developed and even old ones are given more depth, allowing us to look at them through a new perspective. Billy… oh Billy.

Sure, there are some stretches of plausibility and unrealistic or unpractical moments (where you’d go like why couldn’t they just do that!) but you cant argue with that. The story turns out to be brilliant striking chords with its action, humour and emotion.

All in all, Stranger Things 3 is more than a worthy watch. It is exciting, heartbreaking, and sometimes scary; a perfect balance. The finale is one of the best episodes of a T.V. show I have seen in a long time, complete with action-packed visuals, the funiest moment in stranger things (EVER!) and a couple of surprises along the way. It was extremely powerful, leaving me all teary-eyed by the end. But no need to worry. Though it would’ve been a fitting end to the series, it is almost certain that there will be a new season. Not all ends are tied, wait for the post-credit scene at the end…

Some doors are always left open in Hawkins…

P.S. El gets to wear much better clothes this time and she manages to pull of everything.

– Aryamaan Dholakia

 

Aman’s Rating – 80/100                                                                       Aryamaan’s Rating – 89/100