"American Pie" at the end of episode 3 confused me. It sounded a bit rockier and polished, and I was trying to think who else recorded it (apart from Madonna, later, obviously). It is credited to Don McLean on Tunefind so I guess it is the original...
Up to episode 7 now and it's running out of steam, the story's unfolding to nothing much and no apparent jeopardy for the characters means we have to accept ridiculous action, at time it looks like a comedy spoof.
I just finished season 3 last night. I consider this a BIG letdown after season 2 and I really can't understand anyone preferring S3 to S2. Never understood the hate for S2 anyway. ST3 turned the series from being a creepy retro horror mystery to being a mashup of 80's action movies. Russians, unstoppable killer goon, Tech That Must Be Turned Off To Save The World, endless unrealistic fight scenes, it had it all, and most of it was bad. Did anyone believe that Jonathan and Hopper, having received the repeated beatings that they did, would still be able to walk? Actually most of the characters should have been unable to stand after their initial beatings but Jonathan and Hopper are the two most extreme examples. There's no way that the whole Dustin/Susie thing works except as a parody. So what happened to El's powers? Did the monster just slither off with her AA's or something? I think the characters of Robin and Erica were equally ridiculous and annoying. So anyway, ST3 takes my new-ish favorite TV series and turns it into a bad repeat of a Jean-Claude Van Damme or Arnold Schwarzenegger film plus kids. Kinda like Kindergarten Cop Goes To Hell. It doesn't help of course that I just hate 80's action movie tropes. And it looks like the next season is going to continue to be The Russian/American Battle For Control Of The Upside Down, or Who Wants To Be Eaten First?
I'm assuming season three is a homage to all of the rotten sequels which came out in the 80s. It sure felt like it.
I enjoyed all three seasons, but it does feel like the whole thing is now running out of steam fast. I hope they don't flog this show to death.
I enjoyed Season 3 and liked the character growth and seeing the kids growing up this season. I think they should do one more Season and be done with it though.
I do worry somewhat that they have overplayed their hand with this season. They've got so many powers involved that it'll take the U.S. military, the Avengers and an army of elves to end this. A buncha teenage kids ain't gonna cut it.
Just finished season three and it was bingeworthy, at times funny and sometimes quite exciting, but most of the times it’s SF-tv by-the-numbers. I’m not a fan of horror; I get scared far too easily....but this monster and the quite gory effects did almost nothing for me. Amusing stuff, nothing more.
There was definitely a switch from the eldritch\spooky\scary style to the grotesque. Toward the end I was getting sick of looking at dirty vomit with arms and legs, it wasn't nearly as terrifying as the Mind Flayer.
I'm 3 episodes in and like @dkmonroe I find the character inconsistencies and contrivances distracting. And after the events of the last two seasons, you'd think everyone would be a lot more vigilant about any little thing that might be different. The mystery and weirdness are gone.
Got through it all. Visually, it was a tour de force. I think this is one of those cases in which the spirit of the first season can never be realized over again for several reasons, but mainly due to the popularity of the program, and as a result, there are accompanying sky-high expectations that can never be met. With all of that, I was still highly entertained by the season, it made sense, and left some thoughtful openings for whatever the future holds. I rate it 8 out of 10 stars, and I believe that this can end in convincing fashion if they contain it to four seasons.
I loved it. Completely different vibe then 1 & 2 and I was ok with that. Had zero problem with the homage/ripoff/whatever. I think the references are kind of fun (My kids missed half of those references - too young), although the product placement stuff is annoying but I guess somebody's gotta throw some money into NetFlix's coffers. Random thoughts: Hopper was wayyy too angry throughout, Will & Lucas underused. Mike is annoying AF but he's always been that way. I thought the actor who played Billy did a great job. As mentioned, the visuals were awesome. I'm looking forward to season 4 already...I'm thinking the next movie they might pinch is Rocky 4
Just finished season 3. Whew, the final two episodes were awful. I mean, it's eminent death and these people just bicker, bicker, bicker. Once that notion took hold, I couldn't shake it and it only got worse. Was there a reason El lost her power? I never got that one.
Feels like they are trying too hard. I dont think they are being extra campy on purpose. I think they have become parodies based on awareness. What seemed fairly natural and easy, now looks like they suddenly became aware that they are big time. Which sucks. Because thats what made this show cool. It felt familar but also very different. Made you feel like "Hey! Now this would have been really cool back in the 80s!" Now its like "Gawd, they are really trying to capture the 80s huh?"
Yeah the entire Hopper and Joyce back and forth felt fake and pushed. In the first season you felt the desperation of a mother fighting for her child and nobody believing her. Her craziness was something relatible. In season 3 shes about to embark on saving mankind in a russian outfit while exchanging cheesy lines with the getting in touch with my feeling sherrif man. Oh hes also in a russian outfit. Cheesy. And not in a good way.
Probable contrived series reason: Either the implanted grunge creature sapped her power intentionally (and thus giving meaning to the idea that the creature was prepared for her) or she overextended herself in the battle with the creature and it tapped her out. Either scenario suggests that she'll regain her power eventually (the Mind Flayer likely expected her to not survive the battle if her power was sapped for a limited period). Probable actual contrivance: They wanted someone else to save the day at the end of this season, and thus it was Joyce (and Hopper, but mostly Joyce) who got the honors. Oh, and New Coke, the Official Beverage of the Upside-Down.
I found the potential nice scene with the two kids singing 'Neverending Story' marred by the use of autotune, but that might be me.
The autotune really bugged me as well. Plus the entire episode turned from suspense to musical comedy at that point. I half expected the entire cast (and the monster) to stop what they were doing and join in, all singing and dancing. They usually do a good job inserting comic relief into scenes, but they went a few steps too far this time IMO.
