SPOILERS AHEAD, FANBOYS (and fangirls)
So I finally got a chance to watch the end of Season 3 of Stranger Things, I have to say, loved almost every minute of it.
Good Writing Matters! What they got right:
Splitting up the characters into new groups was a great idea. Max and Eleven were some of the best scenes in the show, and Sadie Sink (who plays Max) stood out to me as the best actress on screen. Steve and Dustin were a perfect comedy duo, with great straight man performance by Robin, who becomes a great part of the group as the show goes on.
This kind of fun, quirky relationship is one of the hallmarks of the season. To see conspiracy-theorist Murray become friends with Russian scientist Alexi shouldn’t have been plausible, but it worked. To have Dustin shut down by child genius Erica was hilarious.
The other thing Season 3 really hit on the head was mixing light and dark. The scenes with Billy slowly turning into a minion of the darkness was horrifying, as was the flesh creature that served as the villain’s avatar in this world. The plot tension, whether it was body snatchers, Russian assassins, or being trapped in a secret base, was perfectly paced, and just when my nerves were almost completely frayed – along came something happy or silly, or beautiful. To have Dustin and Suzie break into the iconic Neverending Story song just when the stakes were at their highest was exactly the mood shift that was needed to make the resolution all the more satisfying.
What I disagreed with:
Steve was pretty cool, capable and collected in Season 2, and while this character is a comedic gold mine in Season 3, it detracts from the character growth he’s already built up. Hopefully they’ll let him regain some of this in Season 4.
The absence of Kali, the illusionist who we met in Season 2. She was a great character! To be honest, any extra characters probably would have messed with the overall balance of characters, but fingers crossed the writers bring her back next season.
Nancy and Jonathan. I’m sorry, but I actually FORGOT their existence while writing this review! Their plot line felt largely superfluous to every else that was going on, and the characters mostly just seemed to be griping with each other. This character pair needs a major shakeup next season.
That’s it for now, but please join me again on Thursday for another Words Are Weird and have a great week!
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