The bloom is off the rose in Season 3, which I found repetitious, predictable and over-produced. That often happens with successful TV series. There is a challenge since the young actors have reached an awkward age where it's hard to portray them as kids and you certainly want to avoid addressing their emerging sexuality head on. But what they've found as a solution (kissy-face) is really tedious. The young actors as well seem lazy in the application of their craft which was the hallmark of Season 1. They've fallen back on the McCully Culkin school of Home Alone screaming and mugging. It was particularly disappointing since they are so affecting ins the first two seasons (a "Material Girl" sequence in a mall with Millie Bobby Brown is really stomach curdling). The older actors fair better but they really aren't given much (new) to do.

The plot assumes a lot from the viewer. Talking around the subject, there are a whole cadre of actors present that we really don't know why they are there. In material such as this (sci-fi) there needs to be some kind of internal logic that either we don't question or is explained. I had a lot of questions and zero was explained.

We do get some cringe-worthy, stomach turning special effects and some new or extraneous character actors that really up the classiness of the production. Many are dispatched in a way that I regret. I'd like some of them to carry over to season 4. There's a dazzling addition of Maya Hawke who is given a central role paired with Joe Keery (to his benefit; their chemistry--which has a surprise--is wonderful) plus a late appearance by Gabriella Pizzolo (and she's worth the wait). Priah Ferguson given screen time that is worthy of her gifts. Her performance is fresh, droll and she needs to be put in charge of teaching our familiar group of nerds how to hold the screen. She's wonderful.

For me, the final episode redeems a lot. It's really smashing and beautifully edited. It also is a worthwhile payoff to all the bloat we've sat through in the previous episodes of season 3. I thought this entire season could have been boiled down into a 2 hour feature and been much more satisfying. Let's hope the writers learn a lesson and give us much more than traveling down endless hallways for very little purpose.