After the incredible wait that saw us protagonists after the official announcement occurred on New Year's Eve, finally on July 4th we returned to Hawkins for the third time. Stranger Things 3 overlooks Netflix July 4th, the date around which all the events told in these eight episodes also revolve. The Duffer brothers continue their show of tension, complicated personal relationships and a lot of 80s pop culture, holding hands until an ending that, for how it is structured, has made some think that this could be the last season. .
July made me a promise
As already mentioned, the events come to life during the first days of July, about a year after the events that shocked the Indiana town. The life of our favorite nerd group finally seems to have found its balance, but when the Upside Down and its creatures are involved, "balance" is a word destined to disappear from the vocabulary. The threat, however, will take shape from "this side": all the events of the past seasons in fact have not gone unnoticed, and the idea of a new world to take over will unleash the main events of this third season. Hawkins too, in a certain sense, is experiencing a marked dualism, which in many ways is linked to today's reality: the opening of a shopping center, the StarCourt, with the bulk of the population that inevitably goes to this place for their purchases, and with small family-run shops that are closing one after the other in the town center. Without going into details to avoid spoilers, know that from here on a chain of events will begin, destined, as usual, to involve Mike, Eleven and all their friends. Between old and new acquaintances the plot unfolds in a homogeneous way, without sudden accelerations or unclear scenes due to limited directorial times: the circle opens and closes therefore in a coherent way, enriched by four sub-plots which are woven in a parallel way, to then find a union and cross for the grand finale. Were the promises kept?
So many emotions
Absolutely yes. Following the path already begun during season 2, Stranger Things 3 strongly wants to focus the magnifying glass on the emotions of the protagonists, not only from a narrative point of view, but also from an empathic point of view. Taking into account in a painstaking way what can be the reactions of children and adults of that historical period - clearly also taking into account their present and past experiences - the Duffers are particularly keen to give us a precise introspective picture of each of them. Mike and Eleven struggling with their first crush, Hopper with his newfound paternal instinct, Will with his trauma linked to the loss of interest of his friends (compared to previous seasons) for those games that in previous years occupied most of their days. These are just a few examples: in fact, know that between ups and downs you will find yourself coming up with ideas and re-evaluating different characters, but above all that each of them will have a fundamental role in the story. Among the most important innovations is the introduction of a new character who better than others will be able to breach your interest: Robin, Steve's colleague, who, almost for fun, will be involved in the whole affair.
Returning to emotions, it is important to underline what in Stranger Things 3 are highlighted, because on more than one occasion even their very soul will be laid bare, with the applause of making us forget, for a few moments, that we are talking about characters and not about "real" people. We also do not deny you that you will be dealing with moments of real emotion. You are warned.
A united cast
There is no doubt that one of the strengths of Stranger Things both the cast, with great confirmations of the past and young promises that after the third season can be considered a little more. The great cohesion between them, even beyond the camera, was fundamental to create a group that is always understood, synergistic at the right point. Although everyone, without exception, has been able to give their best (with only Caleb McLaughlin - Lucas - subdued for narrative reasons), to share the armchair for the best interpretation of this Stranger Things 3 are the multifaceted David Harbor (Hopper) and surprise (but not so much) the incisive Dacre Montgomery, who in the role of Billy was able to really give his best in every single scene.
