More than a year has passed since the last season of Stranger Things, and the wait for Season 3 is finally almost over. Netflix has kept a pretty tight lid on details about what's in store beyond brighter colors, wilder prints, and summer in Hawkins.
The first trailer got fans nice and hyped with some epic footage combined with "Baba O'Riley," but plenty of us were crossing our fingers for at least one more big trailer. Now, Netflix provided, and the trailer reveals the Mind Flayer is back and more terrifying than ever in the third season. Take a look!
Color me officially confused! The new trailer shows Will wondering if they didn't lock the Mind Flayer entirely away in the Upside Down at the end of Season 2, and instead locked the door with him on their side.
That does make sense to a certain extent, but the cliffhanger of Season 2 showed the Mind Flayer looming menacingly over the Upside Down version of Hawkins Middle School. The kids were happily dancing the night away at the Snow Ball in their dimension's Hawkins Middle, completely unaware of what clearly had a grudge against them in the Upside Down.
Basically, the Mind Flayer was 100% in the Upside Down, right? Apparently not. The new trailer seems to support the fan theory that the bit of the Mind Flayer that was in Will and zoomed off into the night sky after being exorcised really did stay behind when Eleven slammed the gate on the gigantic Mind Flayer. And now he's here to stay, apparently!
He was such a huge threat in Season 2 because of his hive mind, so it would make a certain degree of sense if that little wisp of smoke was enough for him to menace the world all over again. Honestly, as much as everybody is in serious trouble because of this, I feel worst for Eleven and Will. Having friends and a family now doesn't mean Eleven can escape all of her trauma, and Will still clearly suffers from what he went through. Can't these kids catch a break?
Well, I think the trailer makes it clear that everybody needs to catch a break. Nancy is in a rough position due to another monster at one point, and all that creature drool can't be good for her. The majority of the cast seems to be at Starcourt Mall for what must be the climax, so we might want to start crossing our fingers that nobody big bites the dust. Interestingly, the monster sounds a bit like the Demogorgon, but from what has been shown so far, it's much bigger.
The fact that Stranger Things found a way to bring back the Mind Flayer without just repeating what happened in Season 2 bodes well for Season 3, in my book. Was this the plan all along? By having the Mind Flayer find a new host -- Billy, in this case -- and seemingly infest a bunch of other people while doing something creepy with rats, it's difficult to predict what's going to happen, and that's a good thing, right?
The trailer gives a clearer look at Murray Bauman back in the mix (and apparently at the mall!), as well as some other newcomers. Even young Holly Wheeler is in the mix! Will the Wheeler siblings actually have some meaningful interactions in Season 3? Maybe not with Holly, but a heart-to-heart between Nancy and Mike is overdue for me. Hopper is clearly feeling all kinds of paternal toward Eleven, and there can be no doubt that Joyce will do anything to protect her kids.
Now, there are bigger questions to consider. What's up with all those helicopters zooming toward Hawkins? What's the green material inside the tube Steve and Dustin found? Will Steve wear anything other than his Scoops Ahoy sailor outfit in Season 3? Luckily, the wait until we get the answers to these questions and more is nearly over.
2019 Netflix Premiere Schedule: Dates For New And Returning Shows
The third season of Stranger Things premieres on Thursday, July 4 at 12:01 a.m. PT on Netflix. The show may not last more than one or two more seasons following the third, so fans should probably enjoy the wild ride as much as they can. At this point, my fingers are crossed that none of my favorites die, that Hawkins is still scary in the summer, and that the hiatus between Seasons 3 and 4 is shorter than the hiatus between Seasons 2 and 3.
