Stranger Things 3
The Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen and Iain Paterson.
Starring Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Dacre Montgomery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Cara Buono
There’s so many ways Season Three could have gone wrong. The kids get chased by an unspeakable blob from Dimension X. The kids are all at or past their “cute kid” sell-by date and are in at least their middle teens. And there are Russian Commies who seek to raise an unspeakable evil because Russian Commies. Leonid Brezhnev wants Cthulhu to help raise tractor production or something, I don’t know.
The things from the Upside Down are an integral part of the show and can’t really be replaced by Mr. Wilson (“Hey, Dennis, get off my lawn”) any more than Batman could have Joker walk into a propeller and be replaced by Bouncer, the human super ball. (Yes, there was a Batman villain named Bouncer, a true Tom Brady type of ball). Cary Elwes makes a good villainous politician, but he could not replace Bodybags the Snarler (Upside Down Monster needed a name). Elwes is a delirious addition to the series, and you’ll have the most fun watching him get beaten up since the time he took on André the Giant.
The kids are all in the throes of adolescence and sticking out in funny places, and the show-runners were smart and didn’t try to pretend they were still ten years old. Lots of raw edges and insecurities, but still very recognizable as the same kids from Season one. If season two had a significant drawback, it was that some of the kids’ portrayals hit sour notes: Eleven was a failure as a goth hipster, and Dusty was a major dick who got his cat killed, nearly ended the world, and lied about it. The cat and the world. He was a real dick.
The Russian Commies were wildly stereotypical, lacking only copious vodka and tanks in the town square. Slavic baddies through and through. But then, be honest: the Americans are just as stereotypical; not all kids are D&D nerds, and most adults had enough dignity to not dress like that. The Boris Bros fit right in with the 80s theme. Better red then dead, team USA! Grunt! Grunt!
So how did the series work out?
Beautifully.
The kids are sincere and heartfelt, and have the same charm and rough edges that made the first season such a smash hit. Similarly, the adults are more real, and having seen them save the world twice already, much better prepared to treat the kids as full-fledged humans. (Except for Police Chief Jim, in the role of frantic father). Even Jim mellows out by the end.
The series has always had considerable humor, but this season has a crop of moments that are flat-out hilarious. Ever since An American Werewolf in London, when we learned you could combine comedy and horror, many have tried and most have failed. But this works extraordinarily well.
Winona Ryder must have asked for her character to be slightly less nuts this year, so she does a lot less scenery chewing and a lot more actual acting, which she can do quite well. And does.
There are a number of new characters. Priah Ferguson plays 10-year-old Erica, Lucas’ kid sister, who is a cross between Matilda and Shaft. Brett Gelman is terrific as Murray, a wild-eyed hairy guy who speaks Russian and has a brain. Perhaps the most powerful addition to the cast is Maya Hawke as Robin, resourceful princess of snark. And the best addition from season two, Sadie Sink, is the irrepressible skateboarder Max, and emotional anchor for the kids.
None of which detracts from the fact that the show is suspenseful, intense, gory, horrifying and terrifying. And funny. Did I mention it was funny?
Now on Netflix.