Wrapped up 3 over the weekend. Spoiler Grade B. I loved the Mall scenes. Billy as the head body snatcher was great, too. I had issues with the uber-angry Hopper & Joyce and the lack of explanation on why the Russians were trying to get into the Upsidedown and what exactly the green stuff was. I guess they're 80's Russians, and that's explanation enough. Mike is a total spoiled prick and hard to like any more. I was also disappointed in the lack of any new Eleven 'siblings'. They could have done a side-bar episode about another one of them. I wonder what will happen with Eleven's powers. Mental block or did the Mind Flayer do something to her? Her powers worked while that piece of him was in her leg, but after she got it out, they were gone. Hopper is alive as @JunkyardDwg said. You don't need to eat in the Upsidedown so it's feasible. I hadn't thought of Brenner being the Mystery American. Good theory. Steve is tough as nails and I loved the Russian Terminator. My theory that Billy was gay was dashed. I swear they were taking him that direction then had the idea to make him the S3 sub-boss. It's a shame because it would have nailed an 80's coming out story. Robin was cute as a button and looks just like her momma. Felt bad for Steve but he has a knack of recovering from rejection. There's also a story on Netflix that they are going to stop smoking in all of their shows. I laud that move but the rampant smoking in ST is pretty spot on. But the 80's were also when people were trying to stop smoking so they can write it in. Overall fairly good. Didn't have the magic of 1 but it's hard to catch lightning in a bottle twice. Can't wait for 4!
I agree about Hopper as well as Mike. Spoiler The angry Banter between him and Joyce was cute at first, and I can totally understand him being upset, but it got a little exhausting by the end of the season, to the point that I wasn't sensing hardly any sexual chemistry between them. Almost came off as angry brother and sister at times, rather than two potential lovers unsure of their feelings for each other. And Mike, definitely a prick for much of the season, though I guess that's part of growing into a teenager. And he did start to win me back by the end when he had a heart to heart with El and he expressed his feelings to the group about why he didn't want her to keep using her powers. There were some boxes I needed the show to check off this season and it did just that. Spoiler After season 2 and especially this season, I started to think a good direction would be to have the gang rescue 11, rather than she always saving them. And this season especially, she was becoming a bit of a Dues Ex Machina, and they started overusing her powers. I needed someone to call them out on that, and Mike finally did just that in the cabin. And then we start to see her become vulnerable, when Billy chokes her and the Flayer digs into her leg. So I loved that she was put on the bench in the final fight and the rest of the group had to try to save the day. Billy's final moment of redemption was really nice too. Going forward, I have no doubt she'll get her powers back, but I can easily see her going through a bit of an identity crisis next season. If she's not this super bad ass with telekinetic powers, who is she? Perhaps this identity crisis leads to her splitting from Mike for a bit, more than the superficial "breakup" we see in Season 3. And maybe a theme going forward, which was planted this season, is that the whole group faces a crisis with them being fractured and living in different places. Can they survive the pains of growing up? Are there friendships and relationships strong enough to endure? Definite questions going forward. Things I wish they would have answered better. The timeline. I felt like it would have made more sense that the show progressed in real time, and this season took place 18 months later rather than 6. The kids looked so much older and it's hard to believe the Russians built that mall and the underground bunker in so little time. But maybe they had been exploring the upside down before the Americans stumbled upon it. Then they heard El opened the gate and immediately started to gobble up land covertly build in Hawkins. That makes it somewhat plausible. And then the fertilizer and chemicals. I don't think we ever got a good answer for why the rats and people were eating that stuff, unless I missed it.
Spoiler Not sure if it was explicit, but chemicals were to kill human, rat host to enable parasite to transform organic matter more easily so it could be absorbed by the organic weapon.
Spoiler Mind Flayer isn't dead. It was in upside down and only controlling the organic weapon remotely. The weapon died when the gate closed as it lost its brain.
I liked him so much more at a 2. This revamped hopper, different in every respect, mannerisms, behavior, motivations, was just hard to watch, for me. And I think someone mentioned it, why is there a terminator?! I mean some of that stuff was lifted move for move.
Agree on Hopper. And on Terminator...the entire series is a massive homage to 1980's pop culture. There was no bigger pop culture icon in the 80's than Schwarzenegger. They would have been doing him a disservice by NOT incorporating his character. @Juxtaposed Jolt They were already talking about visiting at Thanksgiving and XMas.
My only real gripe (outside of Mike being a useless, annoying little b**** boy) was that they never gave a reasonably justifiable answer as to why the Russians were trying to re-open the gate in the first place. I'm assuming it's because they believe they can harness the energy that comes from the Upside Down, but it's never explicitly been stated. Also, I'm assuming they had no idea that they allowed the Mind Flayer to gain access to the real world by opening the gate a crack which allowed it to animate the organic weapon, but again....it was never really stated.
That's true. I guess that one felt like it crossed the line from Homage to parody for me. At least it's not a literal robot (or at least not so far it's not, it better not be!), so not a rip-off. I like when it's a general feel from the time, not so specific examples.
The other thing I was a little confused about in the post-credits.....they show the DemoDog eat that prisoner. I thought the DemoDogs were killed when they lost connection with the Mind Flayer once the gate is closed. How was this DemoDog still alive?? Can we assume that the Russians figured out a way to re-establish the connection?
I guess so. But it'd be reaaaal convenient if the events in season 4 just happens to coincide when the Byers family visits...
Potential spoiler(s) for season 4: Spoiler https://tvline.com/2019/07/09/stranger-things-season-4-spoilers-portals-russia-hopper/
This season finally started resonating with me more around the time Steve & Robin got high on the truth serum, catching visuals, & puking, and "Smirnoff" after watching them the whole time was rofling at the fact that hopper & joyce hadn't even F'd yet. Either that or I just hadn't been drinking enough until now.
Ah it finished super strong anyway. Even got into the over the top drawn out monster chases and fights, finally (normally tune out with that stuff). But my absolute favorite scene, where suzy forced dusty to sing the FULL version of the neverending story title song with her before she'd give him the constant to use as the code. It rotated over and over through everyone else at their respective posts listening to it all on their walkie talkies, in excruciated exasperation, just knowing they're waiting to die before that long ass song ends, thinking that's how we're going out?! (It was so clear, I think that must have been the specific direction given). Then max and lucas' mocking rendition of it at the end. They could sing way better ofc. Actually wish they'd have belted out the full version too for no good reason, would have been even funnier. Wasn't until towards the very end did I realize Brett Gelman was the savior of this season. Really the best comedic actor of the entire series. Oh if you had to chooooose ONE from the entire show, understanding Nancy is fair game, but eleven is off limits, you sick F.'s: mine (ymmv) Spoiler Ouch, for some reason I thought the neverending story was erasure, lol nope.
Big fan of Brett Gelman. First heard of him on the Comedy Bang Bang podcast. One of the funniest people. More Murray Bauman going forward please.