The three sub-plots that stole the show in 'Stranger Things' Season 3

SPOILERS AHEAD 

I really didn't know what to expect from Season 3 of Stranger Things. That ending tease to Season 2 aside, everything had wrapped up pretty neatly and I was interested, but also wary, about the direction the Duffer Brothers and co. would take the series in.

On the whole - I was impressed. Though there were faults and perhaps some of the series' nadirs in the first few episodes, more in terms of the balance of tone, and some of the writing - not a fan of making Hopper into an entitled goofball, and a little bit of teen romance goes a long way -, it remained compelling in its slow burning yet never slow pace, a feast for the eyes and ears, consistently humorous and ultimately quite emotionally compelling. 

Crux to the show's popularity is undoubtedly the character dynamics, and I have to say that in this department the show did not disappoint, despite a few odd exclusions (no Will and Jonathan Byers scenes frankly makes the latter seem really redundant). The kids remain as electrifying as ever in their interactions forever, whether it be just shooting the breeze or planning how to once again deal with the Upside Down. The connection between Mike and Eleven, though a bit soppy, did end up going somewhere, and Joyce and Hopper, though it took a while to get going, ended up being rather heartfelt and impactful. The highlights of the season in this regard, however, ended up being in somewhat expected yet unexpected places.

'Dude! You did it! You won a fight!'

First off, I'm so glad they did not forget about the glorious chemistry between Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). The two are simply a delight in every scene they're together in, and credit to the Duffer Brothers for realising this and yet not overplaying this note. It just simply felt natural for the two to once again be lumped in together with some madcap scheme that somehow ends up becoming contingent to the plot. Even through some of the rough patches of the earlier episodes, I have to say Dustin's plans saved the day and grabbed my attention back every time.

It would be too easy to perhaps just do the same thing as last season with these two characters, but I loved the subversion this season of Steve being more hapless than ever and yet subsequently all the more endearing, as well as actually being so enthusiastic about joining in with the antics of Dustin. The way the series has developed Steve from jerk jock to endearing schmuck has been perhaps the highlight of the series' arcs, and credits to not only the writing, but Keery for pulling it off. 

"I can't believe I'm gonna die in a secret Russian base with Steve 'The Hair' Harrington."

As icing on the cake - or perhaps, a whole cake in itself - was the inclusion of Robin (Maya Hawke). The way the series integrates new characters so seamlessly into the storyline is commendable, and this particular choice of giving a new sparring partner for Steve and Dustin was inspired. Hawke's performance was easily the highlight of the season for me, and I loved every scene we spent with her Robin. Sarcastic yet affable ice cream server to intrepid translator, the more she got involved with the Stranger Things storyline the more absorbed I was with her character, to the point that I started to care about her predicament even more than some of the more firmly established characters on the show.

Her big scene in the bathroom with Steve, which took on a direction that not only was unexpected but also made complete sense, was perhaps one of the best written, directed, and acted scenes in the series so far, and I have so much respect for how they pulled it off, making it feel organic, unforced and very, very moving. 

'Hopp, he did ask for cherry...'

Speaking of moving, how about that random Russian scientist we met in the first scene who we'd most probably expect would meet a gruesome and satisfying death by the series end? Alexei (Alec Utgoff), or 'Smirnoff', ended up being one of the biggest surprises for me in the season. Not only was it such an effective way of essentially humanising the 'enemy', by showing a scientist who was pretty much an innocent pawn in their game, finding such joy in the simple things in life. Alexei was one of the funniest parts of the season, and honestly brought much needed life into some heavy exposition scenes, and his eventual departure was I'll admit a truly saddening moment, up there with some of the most moving deaths in the series.

'Seven feet...'

If that was unexpected though, what they ended up doing with Billy (Dacre Montgomery) absolutely floored me. I'll admit that in the previous season I'd found the character a bit extraneous, a bit of a caricature, but this season made sense of it all. Billy was, frankly, quite terrifying here as a sort of 'minion' to the Upside Down, through Montgomery's physical performance and some excellent, genuinely creepy sequences showing how being possessed by the Mind Flayer makes him both stronger than ever while also revealing the character's inner fallibilities all the more. This all builds up to Billy being the unlikeliest hero of all. Which if you'd told me this last year I'd have scoffed at you, but the execution of this was I have to say, the most emotionally resonant scene in the finale for me. See, I still love the show for the original reasons - Eleven's story, the soundtrack, the visual creativity - but it's nice to see it also surprise me with new things to be delighted by at every turn.