Stranger Things Season 3 Recap

For Stranger Things Season 3, the Mindflayer was back in a different form thanks to some meddling Russians. The opening of the Starcourt mall intersected with strange behavior and eventual deaths throughout Hawkins. To close out our Stranger Things Season 3 recaps, we’re reviewing major story arcs of the season.

Scoops Ahoy!

Steve worked at an ice cream shop in the mall and became friends with coworker, Robin. With Dustin back from science camp and Erica Sinclair extorting as much free ice cream as possible, the four of them found the secret of the Starcourt mall. Underneath was a secret Russian-run laboratory conducting experiments of the Upside-Down variety. By trying to open the door, the Russians had inadvertently awoken the Mindflayer.

The Hawkins Post

Stranger Things Season 3 Episode 4 Recap

Nancy and Jonathan interned for The Hawkins Post but had completely different experiences. Struggling to be taken seriously, Nancy launched her own investigation into the weird behaviors of the town’s rats. Unfortunately, her boss, Tom, and his family were of the first to be converted into the Flayed.

Young Love

As the gang grew older, they had paired off and broken up as easy as the snap of a finger. Eleven and Mike dealt with an interfering Jim Hopper. Will, who just wanted to play D&D, struggled with the reality of growing up and not liking girls the way his friends did. However, he became instrumental to realizing the Mindflayer was back, and Eleven closed the gate again for good.

Magnets

Stranger Things Season 3 Episode 2 Recap

For Joyce, it all started when her magnets stopped working. While investigating the old labs, she and Jim ran into a bigger conspiracy involving the Russians and Hawkins’ mayor. After Bob’s death, Joyce had wanted to move away from Hawkins and start anew. At the end of the season, Jim’s death meant that the Byers’ and Eleven were gone, but in an after-credits scene, we learned Jim might not be dead after all.

If you’ve missed a recap or want to revisit the entire Season 3 of Stranger Things, check out our full list of recaps below.