Season 3 is an exhilarating return to form

Three years ago, Stranger Things was a cultural phenomenon. Two years ago, Stranger Things 2 dropped and quickly fizzled out. The enjoyable but largely forgettable second season suggested that the Duffer brothers were low on ideas or rebrandable ’80s nostalgia, but Stranger Things 3 is here to make good on unkept promises.

Stranger Things returns this week fully charged with angsty teens, otherworldly monsters, and the signature blend of relatability and terror that keep us coming back for more. The extended hiatus served the series well; though Season 3 starts off slow, it accelerates thrillingly, delivering the kind of stakes and surprises the show hasn’t had since it premiered.

It’s summer 1985 in Hawkins, Ind., where life seems to have finally returned to normal – which of course means a fresh nightmare lurks just around the corner. The older teens are busy with summer jobs while our former Dungeons & Dragons party face the topsy-turvy world of hormones. No one is safe, be it Hopper from his adopted daughter’s first boyfriend, or belligerent Billy from the lecherous eyes of middle-aged moms.

The supernatural elements sometimes feel like a balm, a distraction from having to deal with more unpleasant real-life problems.

As July Fourth creeps up, a mysterious monster is affecting the citizens of Hawkins, and it’s definitely connected to a network of Russian spies and that pesky gate to the Upside Down that Eleven supposedly closed in Season 2. Where that season blatantly rehashed the first (Will is in danger, again! The demogorgon is now multiple demogorgons!), Season 3 is genuinely unpredictable in how the open gate will affect our world.

Early episodes are disjointed, sometimes juggling up to six storylines at once as we catch up with the Hawkins crew and set the season’s stage, and there’s a tonal whiplash that comes with that. The show starts out as part teen sitcom, part spy thriller, part pure horror. A scene of kids hanging out at the mall can be followed by one of rabid rats literally exploding.

Ah, yes – it should be noted that Stranger Things 3 is the series’ most gruesome and violent installment to date. Season 2’s Mind Flayer, previously embodied by shadow and smoke, is now comprised of the flesh and bone of its decimated hosts. Everything is blood and slime (closed captioning frequently uses the term “squelching”), to say nothing of some brutal hand-to-hand combat, wounds, and an actual torture scene.

The show’s supernatural elements sometimes feel like a balm, a distraction from having to deal with more unpleasant and relatable real-life problems (like Hopper’s growing rage problem). There’s a disturbing sequence early on that plays like sexual assault until the Mind Flayer steps in, but just adding in a monster doesn’t make those visuals any less upsetting. The show also conveniently stays away from El’s past (no doubt learning from the ill-received “The Lost Sister“), and Billy being an abusive racist – though Dacre Montgomery does a lot of heavy lifting in Billy’s solo scenes this season with mostly satisfying results.

As the young cast come into their own, it becomes more glaringly obvious than ever that Stranger Things has no idea what to do with a talent like Noah Schnapp. Season 2 gave him a rightfully dark and solitary story to flex his formidable acting chops, but Season 3 uses Will Byers as a convenient Upside Down encyclopedia and positions him as noticeably secondary to Mike, El, and Dustin. It would be easy to forget what he’s been through, but we never do thanks to Will’s spidey sense about the Mind Flayer and Schnapp’s indomitable performance even in the background. Perhaps the writers wanted a break for our long-suffering zombie boy and know he’d wipe the floor with any scene partners – the proverbial demogorgon in the D&D (Duffer & Duffer) deck.  

Stranger Things 3 reminds us what the show did to explode into the pop culture consciousness in the first place.

The same can be said of Brown, who’s guaranteed a bigger role since being Season 1’s undeniable breakout. But as the party’s only superpowered member she’s always going to bear the brunt in a fight. It’s hard to put El in any situation where she doesn’t save the entire group and make everyone else look ineffective. (She also gets to use her powers for the mundane, like pranking her friends and spying on boys, and it’s delightful.) This season sees her pushing her abilities to the edge and growing bloodier and more tearful than ever – and when our baby El is in pain, we’re in pain.

The fan service is less forced and more earned this time around, as with Dustin returning from camp and immediately spending almost the entire season with Steve. Gaten Matarazzo and Joe Keery have a natural rapport, one which not only welcomes the viewer but easily integrates newer characters Erica (Priah Ferguson returning as Lucas’s scene-stealing little sister) and Robin (Maya Hawke). Steve’s character evolution continues to be one of the show’s most profound gifts, and Season 3 is no exception.

It’s not revelatory, but Stranger Things 3 reminds us what the show did to explode into the pop culture consciousness in the first place, and what it can still do well with a relaxing summer break and some new heroes and monsters to play with. Here’s hoping our holidays are as restorative as theirs was – and if they’re not, we’ll just dive in for a rewatch.

Stranger Things 3 is now streaming on Netflix.