July is a big month for Stranger Things fans. It marks two years since Eddie Munson’s alleged death at the end of Season 4, Volume 2 and eight years since the hit Netflix show got its start on one of the best streaming services. And not only that, but July 4th is the fifth anniversary of Season 3. While everyone is busy talking about what we know about Season 5, it’s important to reflect on how the sci-fi show’s past, like the amped-up Season 3, of which I want to discuss the best and worst part.
The season opens by introducing fans to a team of Russian scientists who are trying to open a rift into the Upside Down for reasons yet to be known. Meanwhile, back in Hawkins, the gang is trying to enjoy their summer only to find themselves swept up in more otherworldly nonsense. Nancy and Jonathan investigate diseased rats. The best Stranger Things duo, Steve and Dustin, enlist the help of two more hands as they decode a Russian code. And the rest of the kids find themselves investigating Billy’s weird behavior. Eventually, the groups convene, sharing what they know before teaming up to take down the Mind Flayer and the Russians responsible for its return once and for all.
After (the arguably underrated) Season 2 left some fans underwhelmed, its successor really upped the stakes of the horror and action. While some of the choices were welcomed and are now considered iconic moments in the show’s history. But others are considered to be terrible choices that never should have been made. With the fifth anniversary happening on July 4th, now is the perfect time to reflect on what really worked and what should have been left on the cutting room floor. So let's talk this out.
Best: The Introduction Of Robin Gave Us One Of The Best Scenes In The Show’s History
In keeping with tradition, Season 3 introduced a whole new group of characters to Stranger Things, including Robin Buckley. Unlike most newcomers to the show, Robin made it out of her first season alive and has become one of the best characters in the show.
Not only was she a welcome addition, but her character arc gave fans one of the best scenes in the show’s history. The moment happens in the penultimate episode when she finds herself barfing in the Starcourt bathroom alongside Steve. After he admits that he has a crush on her, Robin makes the brave decision (with a little help from the Russian truth serum) to come out to Steve. Though she doesn’t say she’s a lesbian in those exact words, the context is all there.
It was a major plot twist at the time since it felt like the season was building the two of them up to be a romantic couple, but now it’s considered to be one of the best moments. Not only did it add some much-needed LGTBQ+ representation to the show, but it cemented their platonic soulmate relationship fans love today and became one of Steve's best moments.
Worst: Karen Wheeler Almost Meeting Up With Billy Hargrove Felt Inappropriate
Despite not knowing what’s going on in Hawkins (or with her kids), Karen Wheeler somehow always manages to get a small story arc in each season. This time around, that involved her having a crush on Billy Hargrove — who, at best, was newly eighteen years old and, at worst, still a teenager.
Karen’s unhappiness in her marriage has been established since the very first season of the show, but having her almost cheat on her husband with a barely legal adult felt wildly inappropriate. As the adult in the situation, she should have turned Billy’s offer for “swim lessons” down the minute he asked her. To make matters even worse, she’s partially responsible for Billy getting flayed because he would never have been driving by Brimborn Steel Works, where the Mind Flayer was building its army, if he wasn't going to meet up with her.
Best: Max & El Finally Became Best Friends, And The Wait Was Worth It
Max and El got off to a bumpy start in Season 2 since the former was able to hang out with a reluctant Mike while El had to stay hidden. It would have been easy to play into this outdated jealousy trope but, thankfully, the Duffer Brothers and their team of writers decided to put an end to that in Season 3.
After watching them only hang out with the boys, it was a refreshing change of pace to see the girls get to be girls together. Though Max did come between El and Mike, it came from a place of friendship and not jealousy. In the end, she helped El redefine herself and understand that it’s important to make choices for herself and not anyone else. It’s also one of the only examples of girl friendship on the show, which is equally as important as the boys’ friendship with each other.
Worst: The Russian’s Being The One’s Responsible For The Upside Down Portal Was An Odd Choice
Time period-wise, the notion of the Russians looking for a weapon of mass destruction (a.k.a. the monstrous demogorgons) makes sense since this is the Cold War era. However, there was no reason that Stranger Things needed to include them in Season 3, especially since the first two seasons already established that the US government was behind the mess in the first place.
Instead of bringing in a new corrupt government, the series should have doubled down on the United States being the enemy. Not only would it have been timely to the actual political climate of the time, but it would have carried more weight and higher stakes for the characters. They already knew the US was responsible for demogorgons and the Hawkins Lab experiments; imagine how they would have reacted if they learned their own government had undermined all their hard work in closing the portal only to open it again in the basement of the mall.
Best: The Starcourt Mall Setting Added A Perfect Amount Of Nostalgia
If there’s one thing Stranger Things excels at, it’s set design. The first two seasons absolutely nailed the ‘80s aesthetic from the clothes down to minute details in the character’s homes. Season 3 was no different, aside from the fact that they did it on a much bigger scale.
Not only is it a fun and whimsical set that was introduced with a cheesy 1980s commercial, but everything in the mall is reminiscent of the decade. The set design team made sure that everything, including the store logos, came from the right time period. It might be an unpopular opinion, but I’d argue the saddest death of the season was the destruction of Starcourt Mall in the finale.
Worst: Billy Sacrificing Himself To Become A “Hero” Was Unnecessary
Billy Hargrove is one of the most divisive characters on the show. Some fans despise him for his racist and downright abusive tendencies displayed in Season 2, while others offer empathy for his character because of the way his father brought him up. The conflicting feelings only became worse in Season 3 when he became the Mind Flayer's main puppet, leading to the deaths of multiple Hawkins residents.
While it’s clear he’s the villain of the season, in his final moments, El helps him find his humanity, and he manages to sacrifice himself to save her. For some fans, this Stranger Things death was a heroic moment that redeemed his character but, for me and others, it was an unnecessary redemption arc. Not every villain needs to be saved for their death to be warranted, and Billy hadn't shown any morsel of regret for any of his actions until his final moments. Allowing him to “save” El was an unnecessary decision and, personally, I think it undermined her own power.
Best: The Neverending Story Singalong Reminds Us That The Show Can Be Fun At Times
With every season that comes out, Stranger Things slips further and further into the horror and sci-fi elements of the genre. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a few fun and whimsical moments every now and again.
As tense as the finale of the season was, Suzie forced Dustin to sing “The Neverending Story” with him before she gave him the Planck’s constant number, which was one of the best musical moments in the show’s history. It provided much-needed comedic relief from a high-stress situation and simultaneously proved to everyone that Dustin’s girlfriend was real after all. Plus, it kept the tradition of music playing an important part in the show alive in a season that didn’t have an iconic musical moment yet.
ST Season 3 might not be everyone’s favorite, but there is no denying that it added some really great moments to the series. However, it's also the reason we got stuck with the unnecessary Russian plot in Season 4, so it does deserve some criticism. Regardless, it laid the foundation for what’s to come in the fifth and final season that the Duffer Brothers can’t stop teasing fans about.
You can stream Stranger Things' third season and all other chapters of the show with an active Netflix subscription.
