I was actually afraid for this season of Stranger Things. Not that it wasn’t going to be good or that it was going to be too scary (or not scary enough), but that certain people who are “sick of media cashing in on our nostalgia” (AKA people who needlessly hated Ready Player One) may start to turn against this amazing show. These total party poopers can go watch like, any other show, as Stranger Things 3 is here and packed with just as much throw-backy goodness as ever, baby!

This season makes us start asking questions immediately, as it opens on a Russian base trying to open what we can only assume is a gate to the Upside Down, using a giant laser, for reasons we don’t understand. After this, we learn about what the characters we know and love are up to, and the introduction of quite a few new faces. Mike and El’s relationship has seemed to grow since the end of the last season, having the typical 80’s high school perfect coupling, much to Hopper’s dismay, who has gone to ultimate “Dad” mode. Lucas and Max’s relationship can only be defined by another 80’s high school trope, on-again-off-again and dysfunctional while still being an odd constant. Dustin has been away from his friends at Camp for a month and comes back spewing sentiments of a girlfriend he met there, who may or may not be real. Will is an odd wheel, who is finally wanting to live the normal childhood he never got to live, only for his friends to outgrow their interest in D&D. Joyce has minor PTSD with everything that’s happened with the Upside Down, but most specifically, with Bob. Nancy and Jonathan start to take their duo seriously and got a job at the Hawkins Post, only to get made fun of by all the journalists there, especially Bruce Lowe (played by Jake Busey). Steve now works at an ice cream shop called ‘Scoops Ahoy” with a quirky, hardened, but lovable Robin (played by Maya Hawke). Hawkins is celebrating the opening of the Starcourt Mall, which is driving out the small businesses, but the kids love it.

This was spearheaded by Mayor Larry Kline, a stereotypical corrupt politician, played by Cary Elwes. Billy now works as a lifeguard, much to the pleasure of the local moms in the neighborhood, but especially Mrs. Wheeler. The gang needs to fight the evils of teenage puberty while at the same time the real evils of the Upside Down, a delicate balance that is portrayed masterfully.

I guess what I really feared from Stranger Things 3 (besides the haters) is that after two glorious seasons and a couple of years in between, that their momentum had waned and they couldn’t compare to their former self.  Those fears were instantly dismantled by the incredible forces of The Duffer Brothers.  They really know the world that they created and have a clear path that they walk down.

Much like the past seasons, everything about this season has been perfectly paced, the dialogue has been as interesting as ever, and the overall filmmaking has been some of the series best.  In many regards, on a technical level, it was better than the second season.  It was definitely scarier as a horror (not to mention grosser).  There were a few very small plotholes that I won’t go into in this review to maintain it being spoiler-free, but they definitely don’t break the show, some of which can be addressed in the next season.

This season was so well paced that most of the episodes blended together seamlessly.  But if I had to point of one episode, it was episode six “E Pluribus Unum”.  This episode sees Hopper and Joyce employing the town’s resident conspiracy theorist Murray Bouman to be a translator for a Russian engineer they kidnapped, by the name of Alexei.  Each of their characters shine in this, Hopper being the impatient brute, Joyce being the caring hand, Murray being the over-cautious, and our new face stealing the audiences hearts, if you haven’t already seen the memes.

If you’ve watched the first two seasons, I don’t believe I need to say this, but go ahead and sit down, and BINGE this!  It does not disappoint. Now the biggest problem is that we have to wait lord know’s how long for season 4….