Andrew Robinson
Netflix’s Stranger Things is one of the most popular shows in the world. After a heart-wrenching first season that saw a group of middle school outcasts fight to save their friend from God-knows-what, while meeting a strange new girl along the way, the world was hooked.
Minor spoilers may be present while discussing trailers and potential plotlines for Stranger Things 3.
While season one was released with little fanfare or expectation, Stranger Things 2 was hyped up for over a year. It lived up to that hype and then some by bringing together characters that were previously relatively unacquainted, introducing an even bigger and badder villain, and featuring some of the best child acting performances television has ever seen (looking at you, Noah Schnapp). Now, Stranger Things 3 is tantalizingly close to premiering (July 4th!!!). What should fans expect?
Well, first of all, here is the final trailer. The biggest thing to note here is the stark difference from previous trailers. In the earlier ones, there was a lighter tone, and the enemy wasn’t completely known. In the final trailer, though, Netflix brings it all out. The Mind Flayer appears to be back, and he (or she?) has bigger plans than before.
“We’re going to end you, we’re going to end your friends, then we’re going to end everyone.”
Also of note is the fact that the Mind Flayer has a voice. This reviewer believes that it is simply a gimmick used to make its motivations known during the trailer – or possibly its new host (which appears to be Billy (Dacre Montgomery), as the trailer indicates) will be speaking for it, much as Will did for the better part of last season. However, clearly, the Mind Flayer isn’t unintelligent, nor are its motivations unclear. (S)he will be attempting to destroy not just Hawkins, but the world.
Also likely to appear in Stranger Things 3 is, well, drama. The kids are growing up – “we’re not kids anymore,” Mike says in an earlier trailer – and tension amongst friends, young love, and difficulties with parents are likely to be present. The third season of the show was said early on to be about the transition back to normal teenage life for the kids, especially Eleven. While there clearly is still a major threat in the Mind Flayer, this reviewer’s bet is that much of the early part of the season will focus on teenage life, with a few indications that something isn’t right, before the back half of the season will focus much more on the threat itself. Also, of course, is the never-ending love triangle between Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve. As of Stranger Things 2, Nancy and Jonathan have slept together and appear to be a couple. Where this leaves Steve – everyone’s favorite babysitter – is unclear. However, it is likely that this will be a point of interest, especially early on.
When asked to describe Stranger Things 3 in one word when appearing on Jimmy Fallon, the kids had interesting answers. Finn Wolfhard (Mike) said “classic.” Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) went with “gory,” while Sadie Sink (Max) decided that it was “fun.” Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) declared it was “spreading,” Noah Schnapp (Will) simply said “sad,” and Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) went with “bigger.” Aside from the cast showing their age by cracking up at Gaten’s description, the most interesting part of the statements is definitely the contrast between “fun” and “sad.” This seems to indicate that something big will happen, as can easily be predicted, but also that the show will have its usual comedic aspects, which would be greatly missed otherwise.
So, Stranger Things 3 is likely to feature many moments of teenagers being teenagers and acting as such, some heartbreak, and tension amongst characters fans have grown to love. On the lighter side, jokes and comedy is also expected, particularly amongst the dynamic duo of Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin, which has proven to be a fantastic pairing of characters. Then, Billy will likely be taken over by the Mind Flayer at some point. Given the fact that he has already proven to be an evil character, this is a scary prospect – Billy could potentially be a willing host. Finally, the Mind Flayer will do everything in its power to destroy the kids, their friends, and everyone. It should make for a classic, gory, fun, spreading, sad, and bigger season.
Stranger Things 3 is out on July 4th!
