The anticipated third season of Netflix's "Stranger Things" kicks off July 4th. courtesy of creators Matt and Ron Duffer.
As with previous seasons, the Upside Down will be explored for the eight-episode sequel, with our young and old protagonists provoked and impacted along the way. There are also mall, Cold War and carnival backdrops, bracketed by generous, summer warmth. Sounds sweet...
To extend the ambiance, our humble, Hawkins, Indiana characters return: Millie Bobby Brown as El (aka Jane Hopper); Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler; Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler; Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair; Nicole Ferguson as Erica Sinclair; David Harbour as Jim Hopper; Noah Schnapp as Will Byers; Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers; Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers; Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler; Sadie Sink as Maxine Mayfield; Darce Montgomery as Billy Hargrove; Joe Keery as Steve Harrington; Paul Reiser as Dr. Sam Owens; and good ol' Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, who (per advanced insinuations) has a juicier part this time, though I think he pretty much devoured the scenery with his weird pet in Season 2, don't you?
Joining the gang is Maya Hawke as Robin, Cary Elwes as Mayor Larry Kline and Jake Busey as Bruce: the latter two horror/fantasy-film veterans. (Supposedly, the Duffer brothers sculpted Bruce for Busey, inspired by his role in Peter Jackson's "Frighteners". Even so, Bruce appears more journalistic than murderous, unless that's just a ruse.)
For better or worse, the founding gang has aged, which means for the kids, they (and we) will likely experience growing pains. Would moodiness and mush work as the emphasis? Aren't the gooey monsters supposed to be the show's adversarial crust? Ah, heck, I'm probably worrying over nothin'. The Duffers surely wouldn't screw with success. I mean, it's not like they've handed the reins over to Kathleen Kennedy.
The bottom line: I've no notion how Season 3 will fly. I can only presume that the favorable, '80s nostalgia will prevail: you know, those references to Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, Tobe Hooper, Richard Donner...Stephen King. (I wouldn't mind a little hellraising Clive Barker woven in there, too, but hey, I ain't callin' the shots here.) Sources dare to declare that "Fletch" figures into the tapestry, as well as Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: peculiar additives, but they could click if handled right. Maybe...
I just don't want things to get strained. If there's even the slightest trace of slippage, I trust the Duffers would throw in towel. I (and I'm sure most viewers) would rather see a shorter, quality span than something remembered for being beaten into the ground. In other words, it wouldn't hurt to give the concept a nice, long rest, and then in a few years, the kids could return as adults to fight a new day: no "It" recasting required. Capeesh?
Netflix/the Duffer Brother's "Stranger Things" won over folks with its Stephen King/Steven Spielberg/Tobe Hooper/Joe Dante/Richard Donner formula. Heck, that's why we've gotten a sequel. Of course, many of us have a natural hankering for the weird and wonderful, especially if the content is blessed with quality characterizations. Without question, in this age of sometimes overbearing bang-bang thrills, something small yet enchanting is most appreciated and despite a sequel overflow, worthy of continuation.
To clinch the pot's peculiar sweetness, Netflix has reinstated a terrific cast: Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers; Noah Schnapp as Will Byers; Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers; David Harbour as Chief Jim Hopper; Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven (yeah, like any of us thought she'd remain absent); Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler; Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler; Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas; Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin; and leaping into the action, Sean "Lord of the Rings/The Goonies" Astin as RadioShack manager Bobby Newby and Paul Reiser as Dr. Owens. (Many are wondering if Owens will be a more-or-less congenial equivalent of Mathew Modine's Cronenberg-ish Dr. Brenner. Time will tell, but Reiser's link to "Aliens" alone justifies his enigmatic inclusion.)
The new serial kicks off on Halloween '84, with our Hawkins, Indiana-based, boy heroes masquerading as the Ghostbusters. How apt! It doesn't take long before they're mimicking (at least to a subtle extent) their cinematic counterparts. Indeed, more other-dimensional interference has struck and to spice it up, more '80s ambiance saturates it.
The latter is another reason why "Stranger Thing" hit a chord with viewers. The time frame is presented realistically and never once spoofed. Therefore, the characters' participation in it, particularly the kids, stays identifiable, whether one experienced the '80s or not. (For the record, the show's approach distinguishes it from something like Donner's "The Goonies", which though an '80s product, presented its cast with garrulous oafishness. I do realize some fans would argue that the Neflix series contains more than a few nods to that excitable youth fest; but in my estimation, Season 1 leans more toward Joe Dante's "Explorers", with sprinklings of Fred Dekker's "Monster Squad", than Donner's hit.)
In addition, where Season 1 exudes a Richard Matheson "Little Girl Lost", Hooper/Spielberg "Poltergeist" atmosphere (with its ghostly permeation and resulting entrapment), advance publicity implies an "E.T." influence for the follow-up. Yep, it appears we'll befriend a little, otherworldly entity in this new undertaking. From that, we can also infer there will be as much a continuation of "Twilight Zone" and "Outer Limits" in the revived plot as Stephen King. (Personally, I'd love to see "Stranger Things" explore at length the Upside Down realm, and I also believe a similar tactic would work for a "Poltergeist" sequel/prequel.)
Right now we can only guess if this Duffer Brother extension will match the original, but the odds favor success; however, I also hope its probable success doesn't make the phenomenon so huge as to overshadow its fictional content. Season 1 commenced with little fanfare, but built a faithful, grassroots following. Once that was achieved, "Stranger Things" then became an award-winning, mainstream sensation, with political tangents and grandstanding attached.
For some, that might be cool, but for me, such baggage becomes a distraction. I hope Season 2 strives to please its original audience, instead of appeasing any hollow clique that latched on later. Awards and peer acknowledgement are swell (and in this case, deserved), but those fringe benefits don't guarantee viewership from start to finish.
"Stranger Things 2" begins Oct 27, where all episodes can be binge-digested. Thank you, Netflix.
