"Stranger Things 3": Profound or Pandering?

“Stranger Things 3”: Profound or Pandering?

By COLTON SOSBE

Staff Writer

Our beloved, quirky ensemble of characters returned to us this past summer in the long-awaited third addition to the Stranger Things series. In 1985 Hawkins, Indiana, our diverse troupe of characters battles with new threats that vary in nature: puberty, Russians, maintaining friendships, otherworldly monsters and relationships.

Released on Independence Day this past summer, the show resonated with millions across the globe. However, are these ratings justified? Is the new addition to the series a truly great example of television and what the series offers— a sub-mediocre attempt at grabbing audiences’ attention through nostalgia (as it’s so present in the modern era), or both?

After two years, the show returned to entertain the masses once more. Netflix stated that 18.7 million people finished the entire new season within, remarkably, five days of release. Moreover, it managed to receive a rating of 90/100 from certified critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The Netflix original has become a phenomenon characterized by a charming and distinct ensemble of characters, the show’s accurate and alluring depiction of the 1980s and so much more.

The third installment of the series does an excellent job of providing characters that truly captivate and enthrall audiences. Whether the focus of a scene is on the absolute power-duo of Steve and Dustin or the terrible and tormented Billy Hargrove, every character grips the audience with ease.

Equally outstanding is the depiction of the setting: mid 1980s America. It isn’t particularly interesting in concept, but in practice it is entirely opposite. The ambiance is absolutely stellar. The true-to-life references, from New Coke to “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” help to create a nostalgia-compelling environment; however, is this nostalgia, although effective, excessive?

American cinema and television are currently in an era where reboots and spinoffs are running rampant, and the new season fits into this archetype quite well. Works like “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” and “Pet Sematary” have recently been released (often with not much success) with the intent of pulling audiences in with “fresh” renditions of classics and providing an opportunity to reminisce about the past, and “Stranger Things 3” fits within this categorization quite well.

The new season is over-saturated with references and callbacks to the 1980s, and it can certainly prove to be overwhelming and forced at times. Without the superfluous, redundant reminiscence, the tone of the series would benefit greatly from the slightly more serious tone that it would provide (rather than the “over the top” approach).

Regardless, “Stranger Things 3” was a highly entertaining and utterly fun addition to the series. Many of the idiosyncrasies that make the series special were still present though it certainly possessed a different tone that capitalized much more on the nostalgia of the audience in comparison to the previous two seasons.

In the end, though it is a sublime exemplar of great television and the distinct personality of the “Stranger Things” series, the third season is simultaneously hindered somewhat by over-the-top nostalgic elements.