Over this long hurricane break, I finally finished the Netflix original award winning series, Stranger Things. As most people know, Stranger Things revolves around the disappearance of Will Byers in the town of Hawkins, Indiana. Stranger Things currently has three seasons, all streaming on Netflix. In fact, Stranger Things has been streaming since July of 2016. I always told myself I would start Stranger Things eventually, but I never seemed to get around to it. The rest of my family watched the third season of the show while I was on vacation. When I got back they insisted on watching it with me. I finally agreed and Stranger Things is now one of my favorite shows.
The cliffhanger at the end of the third season left fans mourning the loss of a few beloved characters. Max’s stepbrother, Billy, was killed by the Mindflayer in the final moments of the epic battle in Starcourt Mall. Although Billy was awfully jerky to the kids of Hawkins throughout season two, it was clear that he had a tortured past which caused this behavior. Billy’s character arc arrives at the same time as his death, he accepts his fate and apologizes to his step-sister for the way he’s treated her. This final moment feels both untimely and fulfilling for Billy’s character.
Another surprise for fans was the possible death of police chief Jim Hopper. Hopper is my personal favorite character and his ending surprised me the most. For all three seasons of the show, Hopper acts as a father figure to Eleven, a huge support for Joyce, and a savior for the entire town of Hawkins. Hopper seemingly perishes at the same time as the Russian device is blown up, however, the series ends with a Russian soldier referring to ‘the American.’ Fans believe that this small line hints at Hopper’s survival after all this time.
However, without question, the best part of Stranger Things season three was the introduction of the Scoops Troop. With the addition of Maya Hawke, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke’s daughter, as Robin, both Robin and Steve Harrington’s characters develop greatly. Robin offers Steve what he’s needed since season one, a friend. Steve is always so distracted by finding himself a girlfriend he fails to realize what he really needs to focus on. And of course, Dustin and Steve’s relationship only strengthens in this season. Fans see a major character development in Steve from season one, partly through his relationship with the kids in the show.
