There is one major flaw with the plot, in that the show mostly neglects to provide any larger reasoning for it. The cheesy, Red Dawn-influenced plot is instantly more memorable than whatever the hell happened in season two, and while it’s imperfect, it’s also entertaining. This creates a level of urgency around the fact that no one is able to communicate with each other due to a mix of technical issues and/or frequent states of peril, or aware that they should be communicating, since they don’t know their various dilemmas are all connected.Īnd the subplots are fun! Although the writing in season three feels heavier and less breezy than before, its narrative feels more substantive and interesting. The narrative of season three is still split between different subplots, but they’re all obviously connected to each other from the start. Mostly good: Season 3’s plot actually feels like a plot, and its various strands are far more integrated than season 2’s Steve and Dustin have spotted a plot point! Netflix It’s fun, and it generally feels like forward momentum for everyone in a way that season two couldn’t offer. We get to see our faves interacting with new characters and each other in interesting new ways. Meanwhile, Nancy and Jonathan were off in their own totally separate subplot, and it felt largely tangential and inessential relative to the main action.īut Stranger Things has figured out how to fix this issue in season three! The show once again takes a creative risk by splitting up its main cast, but this time, the separate groupings are clearly grounded in emotional logic: Characters are growing, changing, exploring new relationships and embarking on new phases of their lives, and it’s all good. Eleven went on a random quest while Hopper was incapacitated, with no larger plot ramifications her adventure gave us interesting character backstory, but mainly seemed designed to delay the inevitable showdown between El and the season’s Big Bad, a giant spider-thing known as the Mind Flayer. One of the reasons Stranger Things 2 was frustrating was that, for most of the season, characters were siloed away from each other, pretty inexplicably. ![]() Good: The main cast is divided into smaller groups again - but this time, it’s engaging and makes emotional sense Weekly D&D campaigns are getting more difficult. Here’s a spoiler-free rundown of what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s somewhere in between about season three. The positive side is that for viewers whose main concern is hanging out with the kids of Hawkins and enjoying the quirky, nostalgia-laced humor and fun that Stranger Things excels at, season three is pretty much on top of its game. ![]() But I sure didn’t expect to be criticizing the show for suddenly developing a cinematic tic that makes it seem more narratively discombobulated. As a result, the story feels more stuck in place than it really is.ĭon’t get me wrong, Stranger Things is still as slick and stylish as ever season three really feels like the cover of an ’80s pulp horror novel, in the best way. But season three’s plot journey is actually pretty engaging - except when it’s handwaving the larger questions it raises and relying on technical tricks to distract us. ![]() Stranger Things doesn’t usually struggle with those elements more often, its aesthetics help smooth over the moments when the narrative gets stuck and starts spinning its wheels. This time around, however, a new set of problems arises - and weirdly enough, a lot of them don’t concern the story itself but the show’s aesthetic and technical choices. Vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark
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