21 months after Stranger Things 2 debuted on Netflix, the thrilling series has returned for a third season of nostalgia-driven horror. Stranger Things 3 once again takes place in Hawkins, Indiana, but it’s now the summer of 1985, and a new mall has just opened in the small town. As in previous seasons, the dynamic of the lovable group of friends has continued to evolve, but so has the evil that lurks in and around Hawkins.
Unlike Stranger Things 2, which was one episode longer than the first season, Stranger Things 3 only contains eight episodes. Considering that the second season was marred by an episode that probably should have been left on the cutting room floor, the decision to return to the original length is probably for the best.
Speaking of Stranger Things 2, reviews were somewhat mixed when the acclaimed series returned in 2017, but early reviews have been far more effusive for season 3. The Guardian calls it a “joyful return to form,” while the BBC says it “beat the big-screen blockbusters at their own game.” And while I don’t take much stock in Rotten Tomatoes TV show scores, 96% positive reviews from critics and a 91% audience score speaks for itself.
Here’s what our sister site IndieWire had to say about Stranger Things 3:
If Season 2 was too serious, too dark, and too fractured, Season 3 is pretty fun, very bright, and streamlined to deliver sensory overload. The Netflix original still remains trapped by the genres it pays tribute to; content to play out the same outdated archetypes of yesteryear and play off the beloved films that were brought to life from untethered imaginations. But as far as 2019 blockbusters go, “Stranger Things 3” delivers in a lot of the ways “Game of Thrones” did not — like a candle in the window, after a cold, dark winter’s night.
I know that many of you have a long weekend, so what better way to spend that time than locked away in your home bingeing Stranger Things? You know, after all the 4th of July festivities with friends and family, of course.
