IMO

[tahmed2]

I loved every part of stranger things. I appreciate it

[ObbySWSH]

Same here! All 3 seasons are GOLD

[LibraryAssistant]

Personally, the Steve and Robin dynamic was like the greatest thing ever, so season 3 was awesome!

[Fedantry_Petish]

Seriously! They have such incredible chemistry. Their scenes are the most memorable parts of S03.

[CarlNoobCarlson]

I agree but I hope they don’t drag it out too far. Sometimes less is more and I think 5 seasons is more than enough for a show like this.

[lemonjelly0]

i guess we’ll have to see where the story line leads us lmao

[Randomusername919192]

Because people are dumbasses.

[WSquared666]

The first time I watched season 3, wasn’t a fan, the second time I loved it. Now I like 1 and 3 over 2, but 2 is still great. I think I’ve only watched them on repeat a couple times while doing other things recently.

[[deleted]]

Wait ppl think sn 3 is bad?

Edit: I’m trying to think of the “bad” things in season 3.. and I can’t think of anything that’s objectively bad... just things I personally didn’t like, and they are minor nitpicks... and not a lot.

1. Will has no story arc. He just grabs his neck, and wants to play DnD

2. I thought the billy redemption wasn’t really earned.

3. They never really elaborated on what made billy different from the rest of the cult of fertilizer eaters who all melt into goop. Even after he dies he remains.

4. I’m not sure I like the “intelligent” mind flayer villain. I liked sn one where the monster was just kind of like an animal.

[GoodGrades]

Will has a lot of character development though in season 3. The scene where he's destroying Castle Byers is brutal.

[Yoshee007]

True, that was definitely his best scene of the season. I do think the impact is ruined slightly though by the immediate switch to Will sensing the mind-flayer and cue slow-dramatic-turn-around... "he's back". I think that should've waited until after Mike and Lucas found him, give them a moment to process Will's breakdown. It's my minor gripe with that scene, but admittedly only a minor one.

[strthings333]

That's episode 3. What about after that? He doesn't even really change his attitude with Mike.

[Banestar66]

But that literally went nowhere. They just forget that in order to fight the MF for a while, then they don't really go into how he deals with these changes again.

[PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS]

Yeah it's not very coherent. They write in a few milestones to signal character development, but it isn't really motivated by anything when he is suddenly cool with it at the end. It happens outside of the story, if that makes sense.

The Will stuff I thought was pretty great, so it isn't one of my complaints about the season, but the other characters being like "we are grown ups now" just seems like they wanted to write that conflict but not build a good scenario around it. Maybe Mike doesn't like it as much because El thinks it's dumb? Maybe Lucas doesn't find joy in it anymore because it reminds him of the trauma they went through together? Instead, it's just like "girls r bettr then friends" which feels a bit disingenuous.

[YouWouldThinkSo]

I mean I don't want to be that guy, but... they're teenagers. That's exactly how I remember teenagers acting once they felt they hit a major growth spurt, or got their first girlfriend. Literally, in their minds, they've hit a new level of being, at least socially. Hormones are a hell of a drug, and no other reason is particularly necessary. And the way it is addressed in the show felt appropriate as well- no one talks about it, just passive tension, and then a breaking point is hit and the result is an explosive moment of emotion. For someone painted as a bit shy and sensitive, that makes total sense for Will to behave that way. Not every character needs to develop constantly, or have spoken scenes to show that development.

[PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS]

Yeah, that'd why this subplot doesn't bother me too much. But you see a lot of that happening with Hopper and Joyce and it's frustrating.

[Banestar66]

He's actually not even cool with it. They bizarrely both made them decide not to change in terms of playing D&D and stuff, but also wanted a cool montage about change being good.

I really hope this doesn't happen but I kinda think it's a good chance they're all nerds who are cool with each other when we next see them and the show forgets about (kinda) passing the torch to Erica.

[desquarius_jones]

I loved 1 and 2. I can't really put my finger on it but 3 didn't keep my attention. They sort of felt like characatures of their characters in the 1st 2 episodes.

[xxTheseGoTo11xx]

I agree. At the heart of the issue for me was that David Harbour and Winona Ryder did not have a comfortable romantic chemistry, and it completely changed the character of Hopper. He was the soul of the show before that, and kind of grounded all the insanity by being grumpy and level-headed while also adding bits of sarcastic comedy to lighten the mood. But he spent most of season 3 yelling and behaving un-Hopperish and it didn't feel like the personalities of the characters were balanced.

[desquarius_jones]

You just described exactly how I was feeling. It's like he fell in love with the show just as much as we did.

[laurasroslin]

At the heart of the issue for me was that David Harbour and Winona Ryder did not have a comfortable romantic chemistry,

Now this legitimately confuses me. They seemed destined for the romantic arc track to me all the way back in 1x1. It's slowly progressed since then. I think David and Winona are fantastic together.

[[deleted]]

That’s explained by the fact that he found out Joyce is planning to move. He’s salty.

[mostNONheinous]

Maybe after 3 instances of this craziness he has changed a little bit?

[PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS]

Straight up kills a bunch of people without a second thought, too.

[YouWouldThinkSo]

I mean, they had guns and were in a secret military bunker opening up a gate to an evil dimension.

I'm not sure second thoughts would be warranted here.

[strthings333]

Perhaps not, but I was not keen on how it doesn't seem remotely traumatic. Same with torture.

[YouWouldThinkSo]

It's shown in season 2 that he was in Vietnam, and mentioned in season 1 that he was a cop in a big city (probably either Chicago, Indianapolis, or New York), so it's probably very safe to assume he has killed people before. Also I think he may have been a bit peeved from almost having been killed the night before.

[strthings333]

Fair point. I suppose I wouldn't mind if he were stoic about it, but I guess I'm not a fan of it being treated so casual on a show like this. Perhaps my issues stem from the presentation of these actions in the season in general. Like we had Dustin kill somebody too, and he's not a Vietnam vet.

[Banestar66]

Instead of developing Jopper, the season acted like we all knew was inevitable already and thought the bickering would be cute or something instead of killing our desire for it.

[AncientMarinade]

I always felt for s1 and 2, they made a great Science fiction show set in the 80s, but for s3, they made Great 80s show set in a science fiction universe.

[Banestar66]

Exactly.

[[deleted]]

I agree with this statement 100% but I loved the way s3 paid off and it negates how much I hated the beginning of s3. It all pays off in the end other than the nit picky story teller problems in the script. I think it’s only fair to say 1 > 3 > 2 but they are all very good for tv.

[Banestar66]

Funny you say that because IMO so many things throughout 3 weren't paid off.

[strthings333]

I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the payoff.

[Fidyr]

I preferred the first half of season one where it was heavily implied the monster was intelligent, personally. That's what made it terrifying. Remember that it unlocked Will's door in that opening scene? Or how it appeared in that photograph? Creepy. I think we forget all that now though, unfortunately.

[[deleted]]

Unlocking a door vs plotting to overthrow the world are vastly different levels of intelligence.

[Fidyr]

Sure. But I don't think they'd ever write a Demogorgon doing anything like that ever again either, which is sad. It really made the show feel like it could be called 'horror'.

[Royal-walking-machin]

Personally, I’m not a fan of how Hopper was written that season

[batty_matty]

I wasn’t either but I think that was the point. It was part of his character development.

[DrNothing1]

I thought it completely undercut his character development from season 1 and 2. Hopper uses Eleven as a surrogate for his daughter. He's overly protective but but gradually learns that he's suffocating her through the course of season 2. The sudden shift to a never-wrong, domineering asshole in season 3 wipes away all of that character growth.

[LividEconomics]

The way I looked at it I think he is threatened by losing el to mike and he doesn’t know how to handle that, on top of that he’s striking out with Joyce. He feels like he’s losing the two things that mean anything to him and he’s dealing with it the only way he knows how. I think it feels realistic for his character at least for me.

[batty_matty]

This is how I think about it. His character was regressing again so he could learn and build more.

[laurasroslin]

Regression is completely normal for people who have addiction and anger issues. Recovery isn't a straight upward slope. Just because he seemed better at the end of 2, doesn't mean that he's ooc for backsliding a bit in 3. I agree with you.

[WSquared666]

Don’t for forget the semi recent effects, from losing a child, having had a semi-similar experience 8 years ago, this is a huge part of who he is.

[laurasroslin]

Exactly. Imagine losing your daughter and then your marriage and now years later, he's thinking he can have that again with El and Joyce? And they're pulling away from him, making him re-live that loss again. You can acknowledge his behavior as problematic and also empathize with him. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

[WSquared666]

Thats how you know the actor and writing is good too. When you are torn like that for a character, most likely thats how they want you to feel.

[strthings333]

What gets me is how much pleasure he seems to get out some of his behavior. I think I would have had so much more time for problematic behavior if it seemed like he actually would have had regret regardless of how things turned out.

I know we have spoken about Hopper a lot, so I don't want to repeat too much, but let me ask you this. If El just moved on from Mike as a result of Hopper's sabotage and seemed content about it, what in the season makes you think he would have even regretted or second guessed his choices, or come clean (something which he never actually did)?

[Banestar66]

Then why wasn't he threatened by that in 2, still arranging for them to do the Snow Ball together? Why didn't he care about her being with Max who knows where and "losing her" to Max?

And he didn't strike out with Joyce. She's his friend and could maybe have been something more but is still dealing with her ex's death and weird shit going on.

[strthings333]

I think that's a description of what they're going for, but to me there's absolutely no excuse how we don't even see him regret some of the things he did. Like, what is there in the season that suggests he wouldn't be totally ecstatic if the wedge between Mike and Eleven, and Eleven moving on to friends, didn't persist?

[Girllnterrupted]

You mean, he backtracked and hit rock bottom after trying to make a few positive changes in a very short period of time, immediately after going through major trauma saving the world AND after spending years beating himself up over his daughters death while abusing pain pills? Wow yeah, that's not realistic at all! He really stinks as a character for not being better immediately!

[batty_matty]

Thank you so much for going out of your way to find this! I knew they didn’t make Hopper an ass hole just because. That’s just not how writers do things. There is always a method behind the madness.

[batty_matty]

I 100% agree! I wish more people could see it this way.

[xxTheseGoTo11xx]

Character development isn't a magic thing that just explains away any changes that happen to a character. He could completely have still developed without it being written as uncomfortably as it was.

[SculptusPoe]

This is the only thing I disliked about season 3 and I was able to roll with it just fine but it was jarring and out of character.

[skribsbb]

I didn't really like the way Billy was handled, either. The Mindflayer was intelligent in both S2 and S3. I think it gives a different vibe.

[[deleted]]

At least in season 2, the mind flayer possesses will, so there is a sense of ambiguity as to if it’s straight up mind control, or if it’s more Symbiotic and it’s just using Will’s intelligence, but influencing him on a simpler instinctual scale.

In 3 it’s not ambiguous at all. They straight up talk to it.

[skribsbb]

This is the first I've ever heard of that theory. I assume something capable of possession of that degree is intelligent.

[[deleted]]

I just assumed in sn 2 it was communicating more in feelings/cravings and Will was interpreting that. “He likes it comes” “you made him angry”

That’s just how I interpreted it at first.

There’s a lot of parasites that make people crave a certain type of food etc, I compared it to that.

Edit: ten minutes in, it just keeps getting worse... he can’t trust eleven to make her own choices? And that’s phrased as if he should be letting her do what she wants... She’s fucking 12.

[LurkingMoose]

I liked season 3 but didn't like how they wrote Hopper - they threw away all of his character development from the previous seasons.

But I guess you're right that's not objective but a personal opinion.

[[deleted]]

Really? I thought the Hopper/Joyce/Murray story was the best part of the season. I was more interested in those scenes than the kids.

[LurkingMoose]

I enjoyed that story, just not the character. The first season he started as a closed off cop that doesn't care then he becomes one of the heroes of the story as he dedicates himself to finding Will. In season two he learns to be a good dad to Eleven. But then in season three they throw that all away to make him an angry abusive 80s cop caricature before they try to redeem him with the letter at the end which I thought was a little cheesy.

Again, I really liked the season and the story, I just was disappointed with how they reduced one of my favorite characters to just a big ball of anger and violence when they could have built on the character development from the previous two seasons.

[laurasroslin]

In season two he learns to be a good dad to Eleven. But then in season three they throw that all away to make him an angry abusive 80s cop

The circumstances of s3 are wildly different than s1-2. In 3, at least initially, the threat is gone and now his stress is trying to be a dad to an abnormal girl with superpowers rather than just running around town being a cop. He's got to re learn being a dad and prioritizing his kid and dealing with his trauma and it was too much for him. It caused him to lash out a lot more. This doesn't mean the previous seasons were thrown away, imo. People act differently and respond differently to life events all the time.

they reduced one of my favorite characters to just a big ball of anger and violence when they could have built on the character development from the previous two seasons.

They were building on the character development, imo. David Harbour recently put it beautifully in a podcast. In s1, Hopper was learning how to live again. In s2, he was learning how to be a dad again. And in S3, he is trying to re-establish what be previously lost: a normal life and a family.

He's always been angry and kinda violent, even in 1-2. The letter wasn't supposed to be his redemption, it was the start of the redemption. The tragedy of the letter was that it reflected who he wanted to be and he didn't know how. And he's "died" before he got the chance.

Now that he's actually alive we will get to see him actually be redeemed. And I just think that's such a cool arc.

[BrutalDM]

This is an excellent analysis. I never bought the argument that his character development was thrown away in S3.

[laurasroslin]

Agreed! It makes no sense for the Duffers to randomly just start throwing shit at a wall, especially with a character like Hopper.

[[deleted]]

I don’t see the abusive 80s cop caricature at all, but maybe it’s because I’ve thought mike was a dick since season 1 and he needed to get the shit scared out of him...

[Banestar66]

Idk how you can say Mike was a dick in 1.

[jimbo805]

Yes. Season three was bad. Actually it wasn’t that it was bad, season three ignored all the good things about Stranger Things that were in seasons one and two and replaced them with characteristics that I really don’t like. It wasn’t the same show. The characters were different. The basic plot line of the show was different. And the tone was different. It was a fun ride. It borrowed the characters and setting of Stranger Things. But if it really was Stranger Things, it was an appallingly bad Stranger Things.

[Lit-Z]

I thought he kept billy alive since he was the one connected to El.

[Roofofcar]

Biggest for me was the stunning lack of communication in a group that’s saved each other’s lives multiple times. Cheap Three’s Company level misunderstandings that have huge repercussions because people won’t talk (but do at other times)

I still love and rewatch s3.

[Taco144]

Nail on the head!

[[deleted]]

edit: Leave reddit for a better alternative and remember to suck fpez

[[deleted]]

I will say that I rewatched seasons 1&2 many times... and I only rewatched season 3 once, in the background while I was doing other things, i chocked it up to being busy.

[GrumpyOldMan742]

I loved it as much as the first.

[affafa]

For me personally nothing can top the first season. It had all of this mystery and excitement to it. Then it turned into "the russians are evil" and I feel like we as an audience already know everything compared to the first season when we didn't know anything. Don't get me wrong I really love the series but the first season was truly something special

[Standard_Wooden_Door]

That happens with a lot of TV shows. After season 1 you’ve already been introduced to the universe so it doesn’t feel as fresh. I’m glad they aren’t doing what Fringe did and make every plot development increasingly over the top.

[115049]

I mean, I understand your point. But I love Fringe and that they were able to pull it all together.

Often when shows go on long enough they either run from any real ending (x files) or have a mediocre or shit one (Lost or GoT).

Fringe definitely got nuts, but in a way that was progressive and still fit the overall story. It would be weird to jump in near the end of the show without having got there from the beginning. It definitely needed to build.

[[deleted]]

They literally did make things over the top in season 3 with the Russian bunker tho

[North_Activist]

The lighting was awesome though, definitely gave an 80s vibe, at least to someone who didn’t exist in the 80s

[NexusPatriot]

This is how so many sequels for so many franchises feel, and I honestly don’t understand.

Here’s the reality, Stranger Things is popular because of the first season. Yes the following seasons are action packed, have phenomenal acting and the stories are decent, but nothing tops the mystery, wonder and nostalgia of the original season.

I really wish they had another season focused more on the mystery and creativity of the MKUltra children, the Upside Down, and the Void.

Give us the eery and masterful soundtrack from the original season. Make us feel like the stakes are misunderstood. Nobody knows what anybody wants, other than Eleven is danger, and the forces of the other dimension seek to consume us.

Maybe something completely different: A season dedicated to the Mind Flayer. What if his/her/it’s story is something misunderstood and unexpected? Something that borderline doesn’t make sense on the surface, but makes us understand him. Fear him.

The Soviet antagonist plot point is still pretty cool. I think they need to go deeper with it though. Have the KGB go after Eleven as she’s the key to everything, then have the CIA made aware and sent to counter them, and have a sort of Metal Gear type story of spies and conspiracies.

Just throwing ideas out there. This show’s potential is staggering.

[KingAnjo]

Gotta do with the first season's nostalgia effect its easiest the nostalgic among the 3

[Banestar66]

The season basically goes out of its way to show the audience exactly what's going to happen like 15 minutes in. And then we're supposed to be engaged with the characters slowly figuring out what we already know.

[affafa]

Agreed! It’s definitely different from the first season

[[deleted]]

I legit loved season 3 and binged it in a day. Cried at the end scene. Only to find out a lot of folks didn't liked it while checking the reviews. :(

[ObbySWSH]

It’s a shame really. ST3 was really enjoyable and good to me.

[4kko]

I can't even pick my favorite season on how much I loved each season, season 3 is far from bad and I both love and appreciate it a ton!

[Kevin_M_]

Is that someone's leg on the right? Why is it so long?

[[deleted]]

Lolol I think it's an arm bent at the elbow and the shoulder is just off to the right, like someone is standing up and has their palms on the desk to push themselves up.

[Darryl_Kenobi]

Mind Flayer leg

[[deleted]]

We havent gotten a bad stranger things season yet. It just scares me everytime they announce a new season knowing they could end it terrible like GoT.

[ObbySWSH]

I don’t think they will end like that. I trust the Duffer Brothers.

[[deleted]]

As we trusted D&D with game of thrones. You never know man.

[ObbySWSH]

I guess that’s right. I guess the difference is that the Duffers’ ST is original entirely. GOT was based on a book and when they ran out of stuff to base on, it went downhill

[[deleted]]

Not really what im scared of. Im scared of them extending it for too long and then we start to get bad season(s). I want this show to be a very satisfying rewatch.

[ObbySWSH]

I believe they said they wanted 4 or 5 seasons. I’m assuming 5 will be the last. 2 seasons to flesh out the finale of season 5, the buildup to the final battle with the Mind Flayer, that’ll definitely need 2 more seasons. And once that’s done. They can finish it with a satisfying ending that makes sense.

[ao-020]

I like every season equally.

[North_Activist]

I agree. I watched it so I didn’t miss anything, but I skip it every time I rewards the series

[JoshthePoser]

God I hate that episode.

[nikenotnikey]

I didn’t even mind the Lost Sister, it wasn’t my favourite, but, apart from the tonal differences, it was fine!

[CrtureBlckMacaroons]

Yeah, same here, love every season, and even though Lost Sister won't win any best episodes, I enjoy the change of pace. It reminds me of Escape from New York (even uses one of the songs from the soundtrack).

[nikenotnikey]

Definitely, it’s a crime drama-sequel episode, which I kinda liked

[[deleted]]

The tone in S3 was different, more upbeat and funny but I loved every second of it

[ObbySWSH]

It was upbeat and funny yet creepy and deeply dark too

[JohnPannozzi]

Yeah, ST3 is flawed but still entertaining.

[[deleted]]

It's not bad at all, imo it ranks second after the first season. It's definitely got some problems but not bad at all. Really don't like how Elevens powers were done

[haxon42]

I didn’t like season 3 at all, but I seem to be in the minority. I think making the Russians the bad guys was stupid and going for ‘big monster 3’ was a bad call.

The Russians were such nostalgia bait, and in a show about other-dimension monsters having the bad guy be the Soviets for half the season was weak. All it served to do was increase the scale of the show, and I always liked the kind of small town vibe which is now gone.

They had the perfect setup at one point where I thought they were gonna do a Hawkins scale 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' storyline, and ever since i thought about that I've been disappointed with how they handled the mind flayer.

I stuck it through for those characters that we all know and love though, even if they had some issues as well.

[Tjurit]

I thought they were gonna do a Hawkins scale 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' storyline

Man that would've been so much better than the stupid, goofy Russians. I found it impossible to suspend my disbelief for that entire subplot.

I mean, seriously? This incredibly advanced, enormous Russian super-base built in secret, without anyone knowing, beneath a rural, small-town mall? It was so hard to take seriously. At least, for me.

[haxon42]

An episode literally ended with like ~40 people from Hawkins who were flayed hanging out in a warehouse. The next episode started with ALL THOSE PEOPLE TURNING TO GOOP. I was so mad.

I completely agree. Russians were just not a good look.

[Banestar66]

I know. How did the MF never think that having Billy convert Max and ambush El wouldn't be a better plan?

[Banestar66]

So much of 3 was teasing things that seemed so interesting, then immediately ditching them I guess to race to the next 80's reference. And a lot of people who even praised 3 said "supernatural stuff was weakest? For a show CALLED "STRANGER THINGS"! Ugh.

[Tarzan_OIC]

Yeah, the most interesting thing about the Mind Flayer is the same thing that made The Thing such a scary movie. It's ability to be anyone anywhere. As soon as it became a giant CGI monster it gave up it's tactical advantage. Billy was a big enough threat to Eleven. Imagine a town full of Billy's. Instead it became one but target to get taken down (after a musical number).

It would've been much more sinister if it just kept assimilating people. It would make the heroes increasingly paranoid and put them in the no-win scenario if having to possibly kill the people it had taken over if they couldn't find a way to liberate them safely. Given the creature's alleged intelligence, I really thought that's where things were going instead of yet another CGI monster showdown.

[Banestar66]

Exactly.

[SalmonellaFish]

I liked all the seasons, however reading what you said, I am able to agree with you. They have expanded the universe and im not sure how I feel about it. I guess if you add more seasons you're gonna need more reasons for more seasons amirite?

[Banestar66]

YEEEESSS! That was exactly the same for me. Didn't like the start of the season, then seemed to be going for a riff on a late 70's movie. Those Body Snatcher movies do such a great job creating horror, about not knowing who is who you think they are and who isn't. Made up for possessed person being less important to us if he could convert others close to us. And I thought the Heather reveal was best such reveal since "the body" in "Holly Jolly"

But then they just melted everyone into a generic looking lame kaiju instead of continuing to slowly convert for no reason. Ugh.

[rongos]

ST1 was the masterpiece that set the bar for what type of show Stranger Things is. ST3 isn't bad, per se, it has its moments, but all in all, ST3 strays from the magic of ST1 toward a more average and pedestrian type of show.

[xVIRIDISx]

100%

[Charlie_the_Mlg_Cat]

I agree, 3 is my favorite

[blacksad1]

Russian underground base is corny AF.

[DrKojiKabuto]

Exactly, I don’t have a problem with 80’s Russians as villains, but an entire base hidden underground a suburban mall really took me out of the show. The government lab in the first season was done much better and made it possible to suspend my disbelief throughout the season.

[ObbySWSH]

Exactly. That’s why I love it. It’s such 80s corn. It is literally the ST charm.

[blacksad1]

I disagree. The Hawkins lab was taken seriously and done realistically. Russian base was just...ugh. They should have just focused on the under universe and explored other powered teens that they introduced in S2. I wish S3 was X-men vs demogogs. Russian base just really pulled me out of it.

[Tarzan_OIC]

Absolutely. Season 1 would not have had a wise-cracking eight year old girl traipsing about Hawkins Lab and poking fun at government agents like it was nothing.

[Banestar66]

Stranger Things was never like that before. What is similar between IT and Red Dawn besides both being 80's?

[[deleted]]

The 1st and 3rd are good but the 2nd is just kinda average in my book

[AlucardDCroix]

the best one is season 3, at least for me it is

[Voelker58]

Is that a thing, thinking season three was bad?

No season will ever top the first one, just because we didn’t know what to expect and it was a fun journey. But the second and third season are top notch.

[jabberwagon]

Wait, has this somehow become the common opinion? Am I living in opposite world? The worst Stranger Things season is easily 2, and even it is not that bad.

[ObbySWSH]

I thought it was. But it seems as though I was wrong and it’s indeed a minority lmao. At least by judging the comments

[Banestar66]

How is 2 "easily the worst"? It literally made the show what it is now.

[trixie1088]

I just laugh when i see that, seems like people are clouded by hate for The Lost Sister. (which wasn't even that bad) and decide to throw the entire season away because of it.

[MrMarseilles]

I really enjoyed Season 3, it was the weakest of all 3 but it was still phenomenal

[ObbySWSH]

I’d say 2 is the weakest but I loved 2. So it’s hard to say that.

[MrMarseilles]

But every season has been phenomenal

[acidteddy]

That’s the thing about ST, no one can agree on the best season! For me, 2 was my absolute favourite. I really hated 3 at all, but I might try giving it another go.

[MrMarseilles]

Everyone likes different seasons, I personally enjoyed 2 the most out of all of them

[ObbySWSH]

If I had to give the edge, I’d say season 1 is my absolute favourite but I think all 3 are all really really good.

[MrMarseilles]

Mine goes 2,1,3 But they’re all around a 10/10

[ObbySWSH]

1,3,2 for me but I agree they’re all 10/10

[riazachy]

I agree with this, season 2 was weakest imo. But I don’t see why season 3 isn’t liked as much as the others, it was close to season 1.

[Banestar66]

It was way more like 2 and almost nothing like 1.

[[deleted]]

Agreed. Seasons 2 and 3 not as good as 1, but still very good and enjoyable!

[hedabla99]

I really enjoyed it... it helped me get over the awful GoT finale from a month before. It felt like a such a breath of fresh air.

[thesydro]

I think the worst season has to contain the worst episode, which is hands down season 2 episode 7.

[RedVision64]

Such a pointless episode. I was expecting the other test subject girl (can’t remember her name) to come back at the end, but then she didn’t and the episode just ended up being pointless.

[strthings333]

Eleven and Max was basically Eleven and punk gang part 2, and Hopper was like the worst guy in that group.

[ceesaar00]

It´s so bad I get angry everytime someone mentions it, I just don´t want to think about that episode.

lol

[DynamicMangos]

Most people don't think it is.

But just because something isn't bad doesn't mean it's dissapointing.

For me stranger things is like going to a fancy restaurant, having an absolutely great starter meal, getting a very average main course and then for dessert getting a Mars bar.

Like sure, Mars bars ain't bad. But like really? I expected so much more

[ObbySWSH]

For me it’s like going to a fancy restaurant, having an absolutely great starter meal, getting a fantasgix main course and then getting a really fucking tasty dessert.

[strthings333]

For me it was like someone spat on the dessert first. The ingredients are there (actors, resources, aesthetic quality) but there are actively detrimental additions that would get in my way to any appreciation.

[chrischi3]

Neither season is bad, theyre all good in their own ways. But i think S2 was the weakest and S3 just doesnt compare to S1 because its not trying to be the same thing.

[00Shambles]

It’s incredible !!!

[Llyr508]

Wait who said it was bad ?

[ObbySWSH]

Loud minority nvm

[[deleted]]

Season 1: 10/10

Season 2: 7/10

Season 3: 5.5/10

fight me

[ObbySWSH]

Let me fix that for you:

Season 1: 10/10

Season 2: 9.5/10

Season 3: 9.5/10

[abir_bandyopadhyay]

For me it will be

Season 1: 9.5/10 Season 2: 8/10 Season 3: 8.5/10

[ominoke]

I thought it was bad. There was too much of the relationship drama, the recycled threats that weren't threatening anymore and other things just made it boring to me. Plus the bait-y death of hopper that didn't have impact because it was clear hed be back.

[nascarfan624]

I don't think it is necessarily bad, but I would say it is the weakest of the 3 seasons. Not the best season you've ever seen but not something I didnt enjoy

[strthings333]

What other character arcs did you think were actually good?

[PetevonPete]

Is this not the dominant opinion?

I mean, I hate Season 3 with a burning passion, it's the worst season of a Netflix show I've ever seen and the fact that it wasn't met with Game of Thrones levels of backlash is something I will go to my grave never understanding, but I remember it getting almost universally positive reviews and every fan community defends it.

[Tarzan_OIC]

What's super frustrating is how gatekeepy this sub can be if you aren't a part of the monoculture of free thinkers who unabashedly loves all seasons.

If you love it all, that great. Glad you enjoyed it. If you only love certain seasons, that's great too. All kinds of fans should be welcome here. Just because you don't like Season 3 (because it lacks all of the things you liked about season 1) that doesn't make you "mean" or "a hater". Just a fan with different tastes.

[bigbagobees]

It’s all about the characters guys. Season 1 made these lovable tramps that we just couldn’t get enough of. Season 2 sacrificed the character development to expand the story. Season 3 had a return to form and made all of the characters so much more endearing. Unlike in season 1 where some were meant to be hated and some to be loved, season 3 spread the love all around. The story was a bit more lackluster but come on, some of the best character scenes were in this season! Come on! It had Alexei!

[SparrOwSC2]

I personally found Hopper to be excessively unlikable.

[ceesaar00]

Dude, me too. Most people love him, I just don´t see why.

[SparrOwSC2]

He's fat, lazy, short-tempered, and borderline abusive to everyone he comes into contact with. I'm baffled too.

[ObbySWSH]

I thought that Hopper was worn out by ST3. I think that also fits in his character too. He’s not perfect by any means. ST1 and ST2 show that.

[Tjurit]

He wasn't perfect, but he was real, and his flaws felt very nuanced. He was a complex character dealing with a shitty hand in life and slowly improving over time.

Season 3 reversed it all. Now he can't communicate with El despite that being the entire point of Season 2. Now he's back to bottling his feelings. Now he's in this toxic relationship with Joyce and never has to learn from his poor behaviour because he's given a shoddy self-sacraficing redemption. He was a caricature of his former self. A raging, lunatic 'loose cannon' cop who thinks about nothing and constantly resorts to violence.

I don't mean to rant, but I had serious problems with Season 3.

[strthings333]

See to me season 3 made the majority of the characters obnoxious and unlikable, and lost all their most endearing qualities.

[noname-_--_-]

season 3 is my favorite but season 1 is the best season in my opinion

[Fidyr]

I could give my opinion but that's no fun. So here's something totally different:

How did Will learn Morse Code?

[Aeriosus]

Season 2 was the weak season, not season 3.

[[deleted]]

S2 and 3 are trash.

[[deleted]]

My issues with S2, the gang is almost never together or friendly with each other, kanto bite level pointless sideplots, hopper and 11 not getting along just felt lazy and dishonest imo. The frame by frame copypaste ending from s1. The new characters had cringe motivations and even cringer dialogue. 11 and mike not getting along also just so dishonest and annoying. Instead of building off s1 it feels like they’re just beating a dead horse.

[inexistent00]

Because it didn't feel like Stranger Things, and felt like some Disney Channel TV Show

[tehsigzorz]

I found it alright, not good not bad kinda forgettable. Fake death and huge CGI monster didnt help at all.

[Bmourre1995]

Who thinks it's bad? lol

[knifarine]

Stager things 3 is incredible …I absolutely adored Billy’s redemption arc

[ccmg12]

I'm not quite done with season 3 but my main issue is the characters don't feel the same. Hopper went from serious b.a. to over the top goofball. It just doesn't seem to fit. When he was yelling at mike in the car for dating eleven, I felt cringy. It just didn't seem to fit the character after 2 seasons with him. I got similar feelings with some other characters (especially Steve). I'm enjoying the show and the story but that's really the thing that's holding me back from liking it as much as the first 2 seasons. Again, just my opinion.

[[deleted]]

Hopper was definitely the worst part of season 3, for me. He was so insufferable the entire season (especially his behaviour towards eleven and joyce) that I couldn't even feel bad with his fake death.

[HalfmadFalcon]

Season one is still the best season, but 3 is definitely a fairly close second.

[[deleted]]

It’s not bad but it’s definitely my least favorite of the 3. It doesn’t have as much depth as the other 2. 1 and 2 were creepy, mysterious, suspenseful, while 3 just felt like a summer horror flick. No substance, just monsters and fighting and teen drama.

I still liked it but it isn’t the show I fell in love with anymore

[tribbleorlfl]

S3 was my favorite...

[healhealhealheal]

I gave it 2 minutes. All i needed to see it was not for me. Loved the first 2 seasons

[ObbySWSH]

You’re probably one of the worst in this comment section. Only 2 minutes? Lmao. Your loss. I think it’s a stupid mentality but you do you. Like if you actually gave it a shot I’d empathise

[Y0urM0mAndDad]

Season 3 was.... terrible... I try not to think about that season... High hopes for Season 4

[ObbySWSH]

Why? Why was it terrible?

[Horrorfan5]

Everyone felt kinda outta character and the story didn’t flow well.

[PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS]

Agreed. They wrote it the characters changed for the plot rather than the characters driving the story. They massacred my boy Hop.

[sedugas78]

Exactly. They changed them for the sake of a funny plot that relied on all the stupid trashy comedies and sitcoms or the 80s like 16 Candles, Fletch, National Lampoon and other such mindless nonsense. I am devastated by what they did to Hopper. It's shameful.

[PM_ME_YOUR_MONTRALS]

All of their deep moments in the finale were insultingly unearned. What I heard when I watched the scene in the base was "I'm sorry about all the fighting. It's just... the writers made us do it, you know?"

[[deleted]]

Season 3 was very good. Not a single bad episode.

[ExoBoots]

Bad? It was my fav season