'Stranger Things 3' Reflection

Having finished Stranger Things 3, I have some non-spoiler thoughts to present, followed by marked spoiler thoughts. Overall, I thought the season was good. I am not sure whether I prefer it over the previous seasons, but I do think that no scene has topped the Snow Ball dance at the end of season two in terms of how emotional it feels. One's mileage may vary, of course. Without diving deep right away, I have some impressions regarding the nostalgia factor. And then after that, other aspects that I cannot really discuss without spoiling.

Nostalgia

It's no secret that Stranger Things is intentionally injected with nostalgia, to the point where it could be considered what South Park would call "'member berries." In this season, we get references to various 80s media including Back to the Future, The Dark Crystal, Day of the Dead, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and The Neverending Story. Its been a long time since I've watched either of the previous seasons, but the references to these felt more overt to me. I'm not sure whether they were more overdone than before, or whether I'm at a point where I feel burnt out on nostalgic 80s references. I do think that there are moments where music and footage from these films get more attention than the seriousness of some of the situations in the show. In a sense, these shout-outs might break one's immersion in the story. I will say, though, that casting Cary Elwes for this season was a great idea, and I loved his acting.

SPOILER THINGS

Relationships

When the season starts, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) are dating. And after Mike experiences the car ride talk with Hopper, he feels too afraid to tell Eleven the truth, resorting to lies. I thought that this was a really stupid thing for Mike to do. Even taking his age into account; I feel like he should know to be honest to Eleven.

However, their falling out for a little while does give Eleven the chance to explore who she is outside of her relationship with Mike. Her dynamic with Max shows how much Eleven has grown since her introduction way back in season one. She has become more human. And at the end of it all, she and Mike do reconcile. So there is no permanent damage, but I do wonder whether this could all have been accomplished a different way.

We also see how much Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) has grown since season one. His conversations with Robin (Maya Hawke) bring up the fact that he used to be a jerk. And it really makes one appreciate how much he has changed. Even if he is not the brightest person, he is shown to have a heart, which makes him a more compelling character.

As for Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton), they get into arguments that might annoy people. But they do reconcile. For what it's worth, Nancy has a right to be mad about how she is treated in the workplace. I cannot not help but empathize with her when the men in the office treat her as a joke when she pitches ideas for a story. It made me so angry to hear their Nancy Drew jokes.

Character Deaths

At the end of this season, we get the deaths of Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery) and Jim Hopper (David Harbour). In regards to Billy's storyline, I was so glad that we didn't go down the path of seeing an affair with Mrs. Wheeler play out. I honestly would not have cared for that. What does end up happening is that Billy gets a part of the Mind Flayer imprinted within him. In the finale, he breaks from its influence and ends up sacrificing himself. But after spending so much time seeing how mean he's been throughout his time on the show, I find it difficult to feel as sad about his death as the creative team probably wants us to feel.

I have a similar problem with Hopper. He is a hero, no doubt. But his attitude and his constant yelling at Mike and Eleven hinder me from feeling very sad about his death, which I saw coming the moment Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) planned a date with him. And because of how Hopper has been acting, the date did not feel to me like something that I had been wanting him to earn. A couple of characters on the show think that Joyce and Jim should just get together, but I hardly ever found myself rooting for them to be a couple. And even with the knowledge of what Hopper had written, I don't think his death is substantially more emotional on rewatches. It is definitely a heartfelt speech that explains who he is as a person, but I still find it difficult to connect with him, similar to how I don't connect as much to Snape in the Harry Potter series, because of how mean he has been to the children at Hogwarts.

Conclusion

Thinking over Stranger Things 3, I see that it is a good season. But I feel that most of the positives don't really get to the point where they feel more outstanding than what we've seen before. Conversely, what few negatives there are have some weight to them upon reflection. I still enjoyed the ride, but I cannot help wondering about the future of this show. The ending teases what could come in Stranger Things 4, which I would definitely watch. But I hope that the show is able to maintain and perhaps increase some momentum.