Stranger Things 3: Review and comparison with the previous seasons
What's up people? I'm Vansh Gaint and I am here with the review of the show which is trending(totally). I know I promised a review of Hellboy(2019) but trust me guys- that movie does not need a review. I mean, I haven't seen it yet but from what I saw in the first half-an-hour I have come to a conclusion that that is one DISGUSTING film!
I watched Stranger Things 3 the day it came out and I have to agree that I had mixed feelings about it and I'm going to elaborate about it. So let's start! Warning: This review might contain spoilers!
First off, I was not able to arrange this show as soon as it came out because I don't have a Netflix account but I somehow arranged it by afternoon and I binge-watched it like the previous Netflix show I saw- Sex Education. My first reaction to this show was that I felt it was okay-ish but this was the time I had only seen the first episode and my mind was constantly drawn towards the FAKE spoilers that I read on pop-ads that Maxine would die or Nancy would die and I did not enjoy it much but I kind of made peace with my mind and watched it.
Let us talk about the story line now.
The starting of the show teases the Russians trying to open the gate to the upside down and if that rings any bells then you might remember that it was mentioned in Season 2 as far as I can remember that they do not let the secret out because the 'enemies' might try to imitate the same mistake they did- the opening of the gate released the Demogorgon and the Mindflayer and the gate was closed by El in season 2 and the Mindflayer is left out and that is where the story is picked up and the Mindflayer is looking for a new host and that is when Billy Hargrove who was introduced in Season 2 and was good-for-nothing comes in and as shown in trailer- he is the new host. As the season progresses, we see that Mindflayer is actually really powerful and is actually gathering his power by turning all the people infected by him into a blob of flesh and blood and combining them. This makes the Mindflayer. And also, the town has got a new mall which is covering something up!
This establishes the Russians thing and the Mindlfayer as co-plots because Russians have nothing to do with the Mindflayer, they are just interested in opening the gate to the Upside Down. But as the trailer suggests, there is more to this show- exploring the teenage lives of Will, Mike, El, Max, Lucas, Dustin. So, this is the plot that this show follows but most of the time, it felt like a special season kind of thing because the monster part was not explored much rather the focus was on the lives of all these kids. That is why it felt kind of different than its previous installments which were pretty good and exciting. Not that this one isn't but as I said- this one was different.
The plot is interesting and all and is worth-a-watch but as it was in the previous installments- every episode had an apperance of the monster, this season followed it slowly just to make one kick-ass finale. And as it was rightly said in Season 3 Episode 6-
All this time, they've been building it. They've been building it for us.
Yes, they were building up the plot for us. They've been building it slowly.
Coming up on one of the most important aspects of television- Characters
This season tapped into Billy's life and his past and it was kind of accurate and it explains his rude behavior towards his sister. He did not have much to do in Stranger Things 2, anyways. And without a doubt, Billy's character played a pivot role in building the plot. Hell! He was the host for Mindflayer. And his character's development has been shown. So, it goes like this- Before he is infected, he's more of a playboy, hitting on Mrs. Wheeler and all but after he's infected, he's like totally annoyed with everyone but this thing trails off the rail in some parts of the show but that was necessary too. He still kept his playboy traits while he's at Heathers's house with her parents. This season totally proved to us the potential Dacre Montgomery and his performance is worth an applause.
The scene when El spies on Billy's memories is a really good scene which explains his behavior and his arsehole-ness and just when the scene cuts and then the epic moment we'll talk about it later.
So, coming up is the relationship of Mike and El which we know is on-going and I must say that it has been displayed exceptionally well that it is just another reason in the long list to re-binge Stranger Things. Other than the relationship, both the characters are quite good and it reflects in them that they have grown up. This kind of shows that growing up was a bigger problem in this season rather than the monster. And now I'm repeating what I feel.
Next character is Will. This character is tortured enough times that it felt righteous to give him a break this time and I think I read it somewhere before that the creators were going to give Noah Schnapp a break. Noah Schnapp played his character really good. So, this time he gets to know if the Mindflayer is active or dormant and other than that, I think, he is the only one who misses his childhood. He wants his friends to play Dungeons and Dragons with him and all because he wants things to be the same way they were before any of his friends got into relationships. Honestly, Will's character is really good since he's been through too much and I think now he should get to spend some time with his friends. A really nice character, written and played exceptionally well.
Time for the other Byer now and the other Wheeler, too. So, I totally ship Nancy and Jonathan. They are too good together. It feels so good. They are solving the cases together and it felt even better in the previous seasons. Their team-ups to catch Demogorgon and how they messed with the Hawkins lab are really good. Nancy characters is actually really good since she's kind of traumatized by the death of her friend Barbara and she kind of blames herself for it and then on the other hand is Jonathan who is also good. An amateur photographer who lost his brother and had to against his mother who believed that her son was still alive. These characters are really good.
In this season. They are reporters who work for a local paper and then they are back on investigating a new creepy case and how Jonathan cares for Nancy when nobody gives her much credit at work is really cute and nice.
Max and Lucas now. I like both of them. Max, personally. So, she thinks that her step-brother is an asshole but when she knows what he's going through, she changes her opinion towards him accordingly. Also, Lucas and Max look good together. Lucas has his own specialties which were shown more in the previous seasons for eg. when he tries to find the lab based on the compass on his bike and the slingshot that he has. Moreover, he is a smart-ass but in season 3, he is more of a love-guru and it is one of the things I dislike about this season. And now I'm repeating myself again.
I cannot say anything about Dustin. He is one of the best characters of the show. He is the guy you can depend on. he is the guy who knows how to get things. He is totally a gem in this show and his role in season 3 is really good and it is the least changed role as compared to the others. The team up seen in the show among Dustin, Erica, Steve and Robin is very good and entertaining. I like how they get to know about the Russians and how they crack the codes that they got when they intercepted a Russian communication. It is really good. The relationship between Steve and Dustin is seriously awesome. It started in Season 2 when Dart got out of control and from that day on, they have become a fan-favorite.
The addition of Robin was a smart move. She is a really good character and the conversation that Steve and Robin have when they are at the cinemas is really deep and it is one of the heaviest scenes in the whole show. Other than this, the kind of conversations that Dustin and Erica have are not intelligent, although, it kind of hints that the future seasons of Stranger Things might hold bigger opportunities for this character.
Other than this team, we had another team which was trying to close the gate opened by the Russians and if you do not like this team up then I suggest that this show was never made for you. So, this team includes Jim Hopper and I think he is a very deep character who cares for her daughter and he is really sad by the past events including his first daughter and that was very sad to watch too. The other member is Joyce Byers and she is played by Winona Ryder and she is just the best- a smart mother who can protect her kids and then she takes care of El when something in the finale happens which we are going to talk about but in the end. She is an interesting character and the chemistry that Joyce and Jim share is really romantic and I think I am not the only one who was waiting for it. The other two characters are Murray-the crazy, bald lawyer who can speak Russian and Alexei Smirnoff-a Russian scientist working on opening the gate and who was kidnapped by Hopper and also the guy who knows that Strawberry and Cherry are two different things. Both of them are really funny characters and when they are together they are like really cool but we didn't get to see much of them but the only moments they had together were in the fair and they did not leave one chance to entertain the audience and Alexei's death was a hell of a painful moment.
Other characters were good too except the annoying Russian and the mayor. Other characters who were good were the ones who were flayed. They upheld the honor of being flayed (Pun Intended). On a serious note, they were okay-ish.
All the characters did an amazing job in the finale! And to wrap the characters up, I think I'm gonna say that this show has a great cast. Casting done right!
Before I start with the part I was waiting for(the epic moments, the finale, the future and the comparison), I'm going to take a little more time to appreciate Dacre Montgomery and the rest of the cast to make this one of the best shows. None of them failed to steal the show! Perfect cast!
Now, for the last part, the epic moments. So, I don't think that episode number 6 should not be included in this because that was the best of all. It for sure was. The way it ended, all the flayed walking mindlessly and the background score which was Satyagraha act II and Billy's voiceover. Damn! It was the best! It was so good that both Millie Bobby Brown and Dacre Montgomery should win accolades for this. Outright beautiful!
Other than this-the conversation that Robin and Steve have is also really good as I said earlier.
Now, for the final part is the finale which is full of epic moments. The battle at the Starcourt mall and the Christine Reference during it. For the final part are the sacrifices made by Billy and Jim Hopper and both the moments are emotional. In case of Billy-You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. And same for Hopper, maybe. That moment was really heroic and the last confrontation between Max and Billy was a real tear-jerker.
Then we saw Jim Hopper dying with a smile on his face and I felt so bad for him because the first minute he didn't even want to go to the lab with Joyce when she was concerned about her magnets and at the end of the show you see he's sacrificing himself to close the gate. Although, this is not where it ends. At the end, we cry again. A lot! When El finds a letter by Jim Hopper and then the episode starts coming to an end with a voiceover by Hopper and the Byers family is moving out of town and it is so sad! I don't think if everyone thinks the same way but Hopper's death was sadder than Stark's. I like to think this way, I mean. The episode ends when Joyce closes the door of her house when they are preparing to move to another town.
After all these emotional scenes, we finally return to the lab teased in the starting of the show and the next thing that is teased is that the Russians have kidnapped an American- that might be Hoppper according to the fan-base or there might be a slight possibility that he's not but that is not what the thing is. The Russians take a prisoner and sacrifice him to a creature from the upside down who looks like a Demodog at first but later reveals to be a Demogorgon. Russians might be assembling an army of Demogorgons or there can be infinite possibilities and fan theories of what is yet to come!
So, this is it for now. I think that this might not be the best Stranger Thing season but this for sure had the best finale as compared to the previous installments. The finale was epic, heroic, sad and emotional at the same time!
Now, let us see what the future of Stranger Things has for us. According to the Duffer Bros., the next season might not be totally about Hawkins. It will be based a little outside Hawkins. This is what is revealed yet! Officially.
This was one hell of an adventure and I think that this show might go down as one of the best shows in the history of pop-culture looking at that Stranger Things has maybe referenced almost all of the 80s films and not forgetting that Dustin got a GIRLFRIEND and she is NOT made-up. She is HOTTER THAN PHOEBE CATES. This a really good show and if you want to re-binge it then I think you should go for it.
To conclude, I will say this season was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster but it was not up to the mark as compared to the previous seasons although worth a few binge-watches.
I'll give this show:
1st season: 8.5/10
2nd season: 9/10
3rd season: 8/10
So, we come to an end here. Don't forget to check other posts of mine and I think I'll be back soon with another review. Don't forget to share this blog with your nears and dears and you can suggest me some changes and some movies to review at my e-mail. I'll take the leave now. See you later!
-vanshgaint
I watched Stranger Things 3 the day it came out and I have to agree that I had mixed feelings about it and I'm going to elaborate about it. So let's start! Warning: This review might contain spoilers!
First off, I was not able to arrange this show as soon as it came out because I don't have a Netflix account but I somehow arranged it by afternoon and I binge-watched it like the previous Netflix show I saw- Sex Education. My first reaction to this show was that I felt it was okay-ish but this was the time I had only seen the first episode and my mind was constantly drawn towards the FAKE spoilers that I read on pop-ads that Maxine would die or Nancy would die and I did not enjoy it much but I kind of made peace with my mind and watched it.
Let us talk about the story line now.
The starting of the show teases the Russians trying to open the gate to the upside down and if that rings any bells then you might remember that it was mentioned in Season 2 as far as I can remember that they do not let the secret out because the 'enemies' might try to imitate the same mistake they did- the opening of the gate released the Demogorgon and the Mindflayer and the gate was closed by El in season 2 and the Mindflayer is left out and that is where the story is picked up and the Mindflayer is looking for a new host and that is when Billy Hargrove who was introduced in Season 2 and was good-for-nothing comes in and as shown in trailer- he is the new host. As the season progresses, we see that Mindflayer is actually really powerful and is actually gathering his power by turning all the people infected by him into a blob of flesh and blood and combining them. This makes the Mindflayer. And also, the town has got a new mall which is covering something up!
This establishes the Russians thing and the Mindlfayer as co-plots because Russians have nothing to do with the Mindflayer, they are just interested in opening the gate to the Upside Down. But as the trailer suggests, there is more to this show- exploring the teenage lives of Will, Mike, El, Max, Lucas, Dustin. So, this is the plot that this show follows but most of the time, it felt like a special season kind of thing because the monster part was not explored much rather the focus was on the lives of all these kids. That is why it felt kind of different than its previous installments which were pretty good and exciting. Not that this one isn't but as I said- this one was different.
The plot is interesting and all and is worth-a-watch but as it was in the previous installments- every episode had an apperance of the monster, this season followed it slowly just to make one kick-ass finale. And as it was rightly said in Season 3 Episode 6-
All this time, they've been building it. They've been building it for us.
Yes, they were building up the plot for us. They've been building it slowly.
Coming up on one of the most important aspects of television- Characters
This season tapped into Billy's life and his past and it was kind of accurate and it explains his rude behavior towards his sister. He did not have much to do in Stranger Things 2, anyways. And without a doubt, Billy's character played a pivot role in building the plot. Hell! He was the host for Mindflayer. And his character's development has been shown. So, it goes like this- Before he is infected, he's more of a playboy, hitting on Mrs. Wheeler and all but after he's infected, he's like totally annoyed with everyone but this thing trails off the rail in some parts of the show but that was necessary too. He still kept his playboy traits while he's at Heathers's house with her parents. This season totally proved to us the potential Dacre Montgomery and his performance is worth an applause.
The scene when El spies on Billy's memories is a really good scene which explains his behavior and his arsehole-ness and just when the scene cuts and then the epic moment we'll talk about it later.
So, coming up is the relationship of Mike and El which we know is on-going and I must say that it has been displayed exceptionally well that it is just another reason in the long list to re-binge Stranger Things. Other than the relationship, both the characters are quite good and it reflects in them that they have grown up. This kind of shows that growing up was a bigger problem in this season rather than the monster. And now I'm repeating what I feel.
Next character is Will. This character is tortured enough times that it felt righteous to give him a break this time and I think I read it somewhere before that the creators were going to give Noah Schnapp a break. Noah Schnapp played his character really good. So, this time he gets to know if the Mindflayer is active or dormant and other than that, I think, he is the only one who misses his childhood. He wants his friends to play Dungeons and Dragons with him and all because he wants things to be the same way they were before any of his friends got into relationships. Honestly, Will's character is really good since he's been through too much and I think now he should get to spend some time with his friends. A really nice character, written and played exceptionally well.
Time for the other Byer now and the other Wheeler, too. So, I totally ship Nancy and Jonathan. They are too good together. It feels so good. They are solving the cases together and it felt even better in the previous seasons. Their team-ups to catch Demogorgon and how they messed with the Hawkins lab are really good. Nancy characters is actually really good since she's kind of traumatized by the death of her friend Barbara and she kind of blames herself for it and then on the other hand is Jonathan who is also good. An amateur photographer who lost his brother and had to against his mother who believed that her son was still alive. These characters are really good.
In this season. They are reporters who work for a local paper and then they are back on investigating a new creepy case and how Jonathan cares for Nancy when nobody gives her much credit at work is really cute and nice.
Max and Lucas now. I like both of them. Max, personally. So, she thinks that her step-brother is an asshole but when she knows what he's going through, she changes her opinion towards him accordingly. Also, Lucas and Max look good together. Lucas has his own specialties which were shown more in the previous seasons for eg. when he tries to find the lab based on the compass on his bike and the slingshot that he has. Moreover, he is a smart-ass but in season 3, he is more of a love-guru and it is one of the things I dislike about this season. And now I'm repeating myself again.
I cannot say anything about Dustin. He is one of the best characters of the show. He is the guy you can depend on. he is the guy who knows how to get things. He is totally a gem in this show and his role in season 3 is really good and it is the least changed role as compared to the others. The team up seen in the show among Dustin, Erica, Steve and Robin is very good and entertaining. I like how they get to know about the Russians and how they crack the codes that they got when they intercepted a Russian communication. It is really good. The relationship between Steve and Dustin is seriously awesome. It started in Season 2 when Dart got out of control and from that day on, they have become a fan-favorite.
The addition of Robin was a smart move. She is a really good character and the conversation that Steve and Robin have when they are at the cinemas is really deep and it is one of the heaviest scenes in the whole show. Other than this, the kind of conversations that Dustin and Erica have are not intelligent, although, it kind of hints that the future seasons of Stranger Things might hold bigger opportunities for this character.
Other than this team, we had another team which was trying to close the gate opened by the Russians and if you do not like this team up then I suggest that this show was never made for you. So, this team includes Jim Hopper and I think he is a very deep character who cares for her daughter and he is really sad by the past events including his first daughter and that was very sad to watch too. The other member is Joyce Byers and she is played by Winona Ryder and she is just the best- a smart mother who can protect her kids and then she takes care of El when something in the finale happens which we are going to talk about but in the end. She is an interesting character and the chemistry that Joyce and Jim share is really romantic and I think I am not the only one who was waiting for it. The other two characters are Murray-the crazy, bald lawyer who can speak Russian and Alexei Smirnoff-a Russian scientist working on opening the gate and who was kidnapped by Hopper and also the guy who knows that Strawberry and Cherry are two different things. Both of them are really funny characters and when they are together they are like really cool but we didn't get to see much of them but the only moments they had together were in the fair and they did not leave one chance to entertain the audience and Alexei's death was a hell of a painful moment.
Other characters were good too except the annoying Russian and the mayor. Other characters who were good were the ones who were flayed. They upheld the honor of being flayed (Pun Intended). On a serious note, they were okay-ish.
All the characters did an amazing job in the finale! And to wrap the characters up, I think I'm gonna say that this show has a great cast. Casting done right!
Before I start with the part I was waiting for(the epic moments, the finale, the future and the comparison), I'm going to take a little more time to appreciate Dacre Montgomery and the rest of the cast to make this one of the best shows. None of them failed to steal the show! Perfect cast!
Now, for the last part, the epic moments. So, I don't think that episode number 6 should not be included in this because that was the best of all. It for sure was. The way it ended, all the flayed walking mindlessly and the background score which was Satyagraha act II and Billy's voiceover. Damn! It was the best! It was so good that both Millie Bobby Brown and Dacre Montgomery should win accolades for this. Outright beautiful!
Other than this-the conversation that Robin and Steve have is also really good as I said earlier.
Now, for the final part is the finale which is full of epic moments. The battle at the Starcourt mall and the Christine Reference during it. For the final part are the sacrifices made by Billy and Jim Hopper and both the moments are emotional. In case of Billy-You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. And same for Hopper, maybe. That moment was really heroic and the last confrontation between Max and Billy was a real tear-jerker.
Then we saw Jim Hopper dying with a smile on his face and I felt so bad for him because the first minute he didn't even want to go to the lab with Joyce when she was concerned about her magnets and at the end of the show you see he's sacrificing himself to close the gate. Although, this is not where it ends. At the end, we cry again. A lot! When El finds a letter by Jim Hopper and then the episode starts coming to an end with a voiceover by Hopper and the Byers family is moving out of town and it is so sad! I don't think if everyone thinks the same way but Hopper's death was sadder than Stark's. I like to think this way, I mean. The episode ends when Joyce closes the door of her house when they are preparing to move to another town.
After all these emotional scenes, we finally return to the lab teased in the starting of the show and the next thing that is teased is that the Russians have kidnapped an American- that might be Hoppper according to the fan-base or there might be a slight possibility that he's not but that is not what the thing is. The Russians take a prisoner and sacrifice him to a creature from the upside down who looks like a Demodog at first but later reveals to be a Demogorgon. Russians might be assembling an army of Demogorgons or there can be infinite possibilities and fan theories of what is yet to come!
So, this is it for now. I think that this might not be the best Stranger Thing season but this for sure had the best finale as compared to the previous installments. The finale was epic, heroic, sad and emotional at the same time!
Now, let us see what the future of Stranger Things has for us. According to the Duffer Bros., the next season might not be totally about Hawkins. It will be based a little outside Hawkins. This is what is revealed yet! Officially.
This was one hell of an adventure and I think that this show might go down as one of the best shows in the history of pop-culture looking at that Stranger Things has maybe referenced almost all of the 80s films and not forgetting that Dustin got a GIRLFRIEND and she is NOT made-up. She is HOTTER THAN PHOEBE CATES. This a really good show and if you want to re-binge it then I think you should go for it.
To conclude, I will say this season was one hell of an emotional rollercoaster but it was not up to the mark as compared to the previous seasons although worth a few binge-watches.
I'll give this show:
1st season: 8.5/10
2nd season: 9/10
3rd season: 8/10
So, we come to an end here. Don't forget to check other posts of mine and I think I'll be back soon with another review. Don't forget to share this blog with your nears and dears and you can suggest me some changes and some movies to review at my e-mail. I'll take the leave now. See you later!
-vanshgaint
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