It’s time once again to take a trip to the oft endangered town of Hawkins to see what form of otherworldly crap they have to endure this year – but while visiting the rapidly growing cast for another season of Stranger Things is always a welcome event, there’s a feeling that it’s third season premier maybe up against a foe a bit tougher to defeat that just interdimensional smoke monsters: it’s own success.
As anyone who loves 80s pop culture knows from endless Star Wars debates, it’s often the third installment of a trilogy where the wheels suddenly fall off and as we goes through the motions of reintegrating ourselves with the folks of Hawkins, there’s been a few changes that’s succeeded in altering that famously atmospheric tone. For a start, we rejoin things in the midst of summer, rather than bathing in the autumnal vibes of past seasons and were also in a rather peculiar position that, for once, everyone pretty much starts the season living their best life. Does this new, “happier” outlook throw off a show that’s now having to live up to the weight of expectation, or is Stranger Things in danger of losing its edge?
As I just mentioned, it’s summertime in Hawkins and not only have our usual suspects managed to make it to 1985 without any major, otherworldly hiccups interfering in their lives, but they have the brand new Starcourt Mall to entertain them even though it’s smothering the local, smaller businesses. Eleven is now settled and living as Hopper’s daughter, but tension has risen thanks to the fact that Mike has been visiting frequently for extensive make out sessions under his roof. Elsewhere, while the rest of the gang wait for Dustin to return from science camp, they use their contact in the mall (aka. an underachieving Steve Harrington who has a job at the local branch of Scoops Ahoy) to smuggle them into the cinema to watch a preview of Day Of The Dead (gooooood choice). Both Max and Lucas are still dating with their usual brand of bruising banter and Will is as wide-eyed and sensitive as ever, but when Dustin returns with news that he’s finally got himself a girlfriend (the elusive Suzie from Utah who may not actually exist), everyone can’t help but notice that Mike and Eleven are becoming distant to the rest group due to how obsessed they are with their kissing bouts.
While Hopper asks Joyce for advice in how to contain his volcanic frustration and explain to two loved up teenagers that maybe they should calm things down, Jonathan and Nancy are now working for the local newspaper, but while the former is loving his role as a photographer, Nancy is finding the boy’s club atmosphere too much to deal with.
However, it wouldn’t be a proper return to Hawkins without some fuckery from the Upside-Down intruding and as Will seems to sense that something is amiss, the latest attempt of the Mind Flayer to breach our reality targets a surprising new host – tightly wound lifeguard, Billy Hargrove.
There’s something of a feeling, while watching the opening episode of Stranger Things 3, that the show is in the rather dangerous position of buying fully into its own hype thanks to the fact that it was now possibly one of the most watch shows in Netflix history. The result is a first installment that feels tonally at odds with everything that’s been before that chooses to deliver far more broad comedy than the show has ever experienced before and it’s strange that such an ungainly shift has been performed by the Duffer Brothers itself who have been in charge of the show since it started. It’s not that the episode is inherently bad in general, it’s just that the jokes seem rather forced and when you compare the natural sweetness of season 2’s genuinely uplifting finale compared to the how awkward a lot of the jokes feel, and I worry that the show’s place in modern pop culture has resulted in the makers giving the audience of too much what they want instead of giving the show what it actually needs.
It’s also rather discombobulating to see everyone mostly thriving and without the strain and angst of having certain death loom over them for a year and a half and in some cases, happiness actually makes some of the character less appealing. The main recipients of this are Mike and Eleven, who now have become horny teens constantly sneaking off to make kissy-face as much as they possibly can abd while I’ll freely admit that I’m coming to this from the point of view of an adult, I can’t help by sympathise with Hopper that Mike’s become pretty punchable when he’s being smug. But in response, instead of finding humour naturally in the situation, David Harbour chooses to mug, gurn and go big with his performance, bugging out his eyes and torpedoing any subtlety that could have possibly be gleaned.
Elsewhere, we find other characters locked into their new roles, but casually waiting until it’s their time to do something. Nancy and Jonathan’s placement at the local paper obviously screams of potential once the shit hits the fan, but for now, Nancy just has to deal with sexist jackasses. Likewise, the remainder of the gang are likewise kept in a holding pattern, although I’m frankly amazed people still let Will Byers walk home alone considering all the shit that’s happened to him (poor fucker should be using the buddy system until his thirty). In fact, the only plot threads that seem to hold any real promise is the sight of Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington continuing to suffer more lumps from the real world by working a shitty job and having his like of mojo mocked by the perky comedy double act he has going with Maya Hawkes’ Robin, and the sight of Mrs. Byers having her loins well and truly stirred by the sight of bad boy Billy Hargrove flirting openly by the local swimming pool.
Maybe I wouldn’t be acting so harsh if this season’s threat was more memorable, but the fact that the science fiction plot kicks off rather underwhelmingly with a malevolent dust cloud causing rats to flock to a certain place and then messily explode just isn’t menacing enough to balance that awkward comedy. Similarly, it’s odd that of all the characters the the show could have picked to be the focus of the Mind Flayer’s newest attempt at domination, it’s gone for arguably one of it’s least likeable ones. Alternatively, having an overtly human-shaped villain for a change (aside from Dr. Brenner, obviously) over smokey monsters and Demodogs might give Stranger Things 3 a different edge.
From a cold opening that sees Russians scientists trying to open their own doorway to the Upside-Down, to the use of the expansive mall and the summer setting, Stranger Things has never felt so big before. However, the two year gap between seasons has seemingly resulted in something of a disconnect between the humour and the material and it feels like the show is maybe pandering to its audience in a way that’s leaving it feeling decidedly off. Still, we’ve still got a long way to go and plenty of time to get those pesky wrinkles ironed out once this year’s menace gets itself fully up to speed. But while the Duffers haven’t let us down yet, there’s that sense that the show’s playing to its audiences rather than trusting it’s own instincts.
🌟🌟🌟
We Have Issues 