Stray thoughts on Stranger Things, Season 3, Episode 1, “Suzie, Do You Copy?” Spoilers follow!
1) Maybe I just wasn’t feeling particularly observant, but what I enjoyed about this season’s cold opening was not realizing these scientists and military gentlemen were Russian until they started speaking. I think there’s a neat little subtext there; that much as the cold war was a conflict of ideologies, there were commonalities of ultranationalism, and the lengths that the Soviets and the US went to in trying to conquer the other were at-times equally corrupt and violent. I also think there’s a degree of playing against type here, Stranger Things could be in danger of falling into a pattern of “Lab does something evil, town is harmed, characters prevail, etc.” so mixing it up with the Soviet Union is interesting.
2) It’s a testament to Millie Bobbie Brown and the writers that we get very subtle evolution in the way Eleven interacts and speaks with others now. Her voice is more confident, her diction more complete. It’s a good, immediate way to show the evolution that has taken place since Season 2.
3) It’s a tiny thing, but I frigging LOVE that nobody moves from the escalators during the power outage. Definitely took me back to Mitch Hedberg: “Escalator. Temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience.”
4) Bob: gone but not forgotten. Because, as Sean Astin knows all too well: GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE.
5) I am living for Dustin’s mother’s matching top and earrings.
6) A few things on “Billy: Mrs. Robinson Sexcapade.” First off, I will NEVER understand why Season 2 chose to put Billy in high school along with Steve Harrington. It really added nothing, but what it DETRACTS from here is my level of disbelief in Karen Wheeler having the hots for him. Dacre Montgomery, who plays Billy, is 24. Both Joe Keery, who plays Steve, and Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan, are older, but believably skewed younger. Dacre Montgomery…does not. I dunno, it just bothers me that Karen Wheeler would literally get hot for a high school graduate. PLUS, aging Billy up past High School makes the fact that he still lives with his parents even sadder for him.
Then there’s Billy’s first line of the season: “HEY LARDASS!” So like…I feel like this is played for laughs? But honestly, are we supposed to believe that Karen, who is a great parent to a nerd and his nerd friends, would still find Billy hot when he’s casually screaming at fat kids? I dunno, I guess I just need more to sell me on her even considering this. Yes, Ted Wheeler is the living embodiment of a sad trombone sound effect, but like…surely there are other, less shitty men that Karen would think about boning?
7) Joyce is always right. Always.
8) It’s so bizarre to think about newsrooms packed to the BRIM with reporters - even a backwood small town like Hawkins! These old white dicks giving Nancy shit have no idea what’s waiting for them down the road in the 2000s. That said, if you’re gonna get a professional douchebag in the house, getting yourself a Busey is absolutely the way to go.
9) Steve’s kind of skeezy hitting on customers could be seen as a backslide to Season 1 Steve, but honestly this kind of tracks with the advice he was giving to Dustin at prom night. Plus new character Robin taking the piss out of him is on point and a good way of showing the audience that we are meant to roll our eyes, too (the premature marking of another failure on the white board is the perfect cherry on the cake).
10) Me, seeing rats running: “ooo! Very pied piper!” Me: literally seconds later: “Ooo! Very Parasite Eve!” I am nothing if not a repository of useless pop culture references.
11) A great detail: Karen Wheeler does the back stroke with her face above water so she can preserve her makeup. I admit it: Cara Buono can ABSOLUTELY get it. I hope I look 1/10 that good in 15 years. I don’t even look that good now.
12) Also great details: Lucas keeps up his prior “military” aesthetic established with his slingshot and camo duds in prior seasons. Here he’s rocking what looks like a French Foreign Legion Desert Kepi, and what looks like an American military canteen. The greatest part about this, though, is that while Lucas is into the aesthetics, he isn’t into the practical application, as Max notes when Lucas chugs their water.
13) I enjoy the quick-cuts for Joyce’s evening in. Quick cuts are a great film shorthand for mundanity and routine, and they’re well deployed here in service of Joyce’s life in trying to cope with Bob’s death.
14) You know…this might be the rare occasion where I’m actually on Hopper’s side in how he deals with Eleven? Mike is being a total prat, and needs to be knocked on his ass this time. Hot take!
15) Less hot take: it’s interesting how this opener structures things a lot less around Mike. The characters most directly engaged in the “mystery” this episode are Nancy and Dustin. Well, and Billy, in his own way ;)
16) Fun fact: apparently in the scene where Karen reconsiders going to the motel, Cara Buono requested that they add little Holly on Ted’s lap. Before it would’ve just been Ted, asleep in the chair, but we all know that *sad trombone* would’ve been way less impactful. All this said and done, I’m glad they IMMEDIATELY resolve this creepy Mrs. Robinson stuff. If they dragged this out for longer, it really would’ve hurt Karen’s character in my view.
17) Whatever’s in the steel mill, it’s moved from rats to Billys. So…a lateral move at best? BOOM GOT IM
18) I’m enjoying the themes being set up here: things are changing, and our characters are struggling to keep up. Hopper is finding it hard to adjust to Eleven dating and becoming a woman. Dustin finds his friends no longer want to just hang out. Joyce is having to re-adjust to the loss of Bob, and all the promise of moving away from Hawkins that came with him. It’s an interesting thematic place to be, but I do find the immediacy of the mystery not quite as compelling as in Season 1 or 2. Season 1 was a simple question: where is Will Byers? Season 2, much as I didn’t like the tangential episode with Kali, set up an expanding universe very neatly. Here, things are bit murky with Russians and Billys and Malls. We’ll see what comes next…
Tune in Wednesday for Episode 2, “The Mall Rats!”