I, like so many others, suffer from ‘80s nostalgia. The weird part is: I was born in ‘99. There’s something about ‘80s pop culture, from movies to music, and I love it all. My favorite film is Back to the Future (Marty McFly was my first movie crush), I wear sneakers with tube socks, and I absolutely adore Stranger Things. It was a long hiatus between the release of ST2 in Fall 2017 and ST3 in Summer 2019, and let me just say – the wait was worth it.

To me, Stranger Things knows how to begin a season. The show always starts off strong, giving the viewer a new time frame, lots of retro references, and fun, realistic nuances, like the boys dressing up for Halloween, Nancy sneaking around with Steve, or El and Max going shopping. The problem, I think, is the speed of escalation. Throughout most of the season, it’s happy days with a hint of demogorgon, with all hell breaking loose only in the penultimate episode and the finale. The climax feels too drawn out but then too rushed. 

While Stranger Things 3 began well, I think it ended poorly. I actually was surprised by, and therefore appreciated, the way it ended, up until the post-credit scene. I thought, Okay, they were going to do the happily-ever-after thing, but they didn’t. They’re letting it end on a bittersweet note. I’m proud of them. But right when I started to feel satisfied, that feeling quickly dissipated. It’s one thing to let people think a major character has died and then casually reveal they actually didn’t, but it’s another to use this as a lead into the next season. We get it, Netflix, you signed Stranger Things to a four-season contract. Anyone can look that up. For that reason and others, the final scene to me was, frankly, completely unnecessary. 

I found the US vs. Russia or capitalism vs. communism theme to be a bit cliched. The way the show portrayed Russia and Russians was used only for plot and made almost no comment on the complexity of that political relationship (and anyway, Russia was still the USSR in 1985). Many films use Germans or Nazis as the stereotypical villains in the very same way Stranger Things used Soviets. I felt the show could’ve handled this topic much more effectively. 

On this same thread, I found the whole getting-stuck-in-a-Russian-elevator side-plot to be quite boring. I wanted the gang to be back together again. I wish, too, I’d seen Steve interact with more of his own peers, like Billy, Nancy, and Jonathan. While I didn’t hate the Steve-Robin or Steve-Dustin dynamic, I would’ve liked to see him grapple with his lingering feelings for Nancy for more than 10 seconds. 

Now that I’ve made my criticisms, here are the merits in Stranger Things 3.

I loved the way the show portrayed teenage relationships between both friends and more-than-friends. The way they all spoke to each other and thought through problems were spot-on for their age group. Take, for example, the advice Max gives to El; she tells her to “dump his ass” (referring to Mike) and play hard to get. On the other end, Lucas tells Mike to buy El jewelry to make up for lying. In an adult relationship, these tactics would almost never work because there is simply no communication involved. But for young teenagers, it all makes perfect sense. (Side note: I hardcore ship Mike and El no matter what.)

I also enjoyed seeing how the kids grew up at separate rates. While Mike and Lucas (and Dustin) were interested in getting girlfriends, Will just wanted to play some D&D. He missed out on his middle school years and wasn’t ready to completely skip over them. I felt sorry for Will when the boys scoffed and rolled their eyes; clearly they forgot about everything he went through, prioritizing their own agendas and looking down upon him for wanting to play a child’s game. But that’s just what young teenage boys would do. 

The awkward father-of-the-girlfriend relationship between Mike and Hopper was probably my favorite part of season 3. Hopper, in my opinion, is the realest character in the show, from his constant smoking to his questionable but hilarious parenting. He is obviously a flawed character, but that’s exactly what makes him so great and believable. I’ve loved Hopper since day one, but two scenes stuck out to me this season. The first is between him and Mike, when he tells Mike his Nana is sick and then locks him in the car. The “overprotective dad” role suits his cynical demeanor and Mike’s reactionary expressions are priceless. The second is when Joyce stands him up and he gets recklessly drunk in the restaurant (after mispronouncing “chianti”). Not only is this scene impeccably acted (it actually made me cringe from fictional second-hand embarrassment), but it shows exactly how Hopper handles his emotions – in short, he doesn’t handle them well. 

Besides my love for Hopper, I also love the soundtrack to Stranger Things 3. I feel no differently about seasons 1 and 2, as my favorite musical genre is ‘80s (Is that a genre? It is now.). My favorites – up to this point – were “Africa” by Toto (season 1) “Every Breath You Take” by The Police (season 2), and “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper (season 2). From season 3, I particularly enjoyed the mall scene featuring “Material Girl” by Madonna, the Mike and El make-out scenes featuring “Can’t Fight This Feeling” by REO Speedwagon and “Never Surrender” by Corey Hart, and “Baba O’Riley (ConfidentialMX Remix)” by The Who, which was featured in the trailer.

I’d like to point out I was in no way disappointed with this season, at all. The original Stranger Things still reigns superior, but I appreciated the change in tone, from naturally spooky Halloween to wet hot American summer with a twist. I loved seeing the interactions between Mike and El, Mike and Hopper, and Lucas and Max. I pretty much hated the entire Russian through-line, but whatever – it happened. Above all, any show that references Back to the Future cannot let me down.