Top 10 Stranger Things Season 3 Moments

There was no shortage of couples and almost-couples on this season of “Stranger Things”, and it seemed everybody except Will had somebody to moon over. But Mike and Eleven have always been the heart of the show, as great as all the other pairings are. In the midst of the finale’s tragedy, and after dancing around the subject for days as Mike tries to win El back, El finally steps up and tells Mike she loves him too, leaving him stunned. Unfortunately, this doesn’t bode well for them, as Joyce takes on the responsibility of raising Eleven as she moves the Byers clan away from Hawkins altogether.

Things were a little rocky for these two initially; with Jonathan not buying that there was anything to worry about with the rats. Nancy is proven right and the two reconcile on their way to visit Mrs Driscoll, but things only get worse from here. Trapped with two of the Mind Flayer’s superhuman lackeys, the pair have no way to alert the others of what’s happening, leaving them to fight Tom and Bruce. It makes for an intense showdown and they’re clearly outmatched – but not outsmarted. They defeat the goons simultaneously, but impressive as this is, it does cause them to dissolve and form the mini Mind Flayer they can’t beat alone.

We all had our doubts that Dustin’s “hotter-than-Phoebe-Cates” genius girlfriend actually existed, especially when Cerebro didn’t manage to connect with her in the season premiere, but nobody was sad to be proven wrong. While this scene did break up the action a little, with Hopper stuck in the Soviet base waiting for the code, it was a welcome reprieve from all the darkness of the finale. They perform a duet of “The Never-Ending Story” together, and while this does cause Max and Lucas to make fun of Dustin later, it’s one of the show’s sweetest moments. And since Suzie does know Planck’s Constant, it’s a win-win.

#7: Hopper Fights Mayor Kline



Sleazy mayor Larry Kline was at the top of everybody’s hit list after he strong-armed Hopper into arresting a group of protestors. After Hopper tries to negotiate with Kline by threatening to stir up a scandal, Kline manages to beat him at his own game but makes the mistake of commenting on Hopper’s deceased daughter. In a fistfight, Hop clearly has the upper-hand, and it becomes Joyce’s responsibility to stop the secretary from intervening. This isn’t all that’s in store for Kline, however, as in the penultimate episode, Joyce plants a nasty sucker-punch on him while Hopper fights the Russian hitman in the fairground.

#6: Operation: Child Endangerment



Lucas’s little sister Erica was relegated to a punchline in the first two seasons, pointing out what “nerds” he and his friends were, so it was nice to see her promoted to a main role this time around. The only one small enough to fit in the vent at the back of Scoops Ahoy, they’re forced to negotiate for her help, and … since she drives a hard bargain: lands herself a lifetime supply of ice cream in the process. She becomes an invaluable asset as they sneak into the Russian base, with no shortage of one-liners as she helps defeat the red invaders. You can’t spell “America” without “Erica”, after all.

#5: Max & El Go Shopping



It wouldn’t be the 80s without a makeover montage, and season 3 finally gave us one. After Max’s introduction last season, she and Eleven didn’t initially warm to each other or have many interactions at all. Seeing the two girls bond instead of being stuck with the boys is definitely refreshing, and they take to Starcourt with “Material Girl” playing in the background – is there a more fitting song? El’s new, brighter wardrobe sticks all season, as does her new-found friendship with Max, and the scene ends with her triumphantly dumping Mike after he lies to her about his grandmother being sick.

#4: Murray Yells at Joyce & Hopper



They’ve been dancing around each other for however-long, and things come to a head in season 3 as they find themselves teaming up to investigate the mystery of Joyce’s fridge magnets. They eventually end up in cahoots with Alexei the Russian scientist and Murray, the only person nearby who can speak Russian. After Murray previously played matchmaker for Nancy and Jonathan, he’s back to his old tricks as he gives Joyce and Hop what-for when they won’t stop bickering. He tells them to either shut up or pull over and sleep together, saying what we’ve all been thinking.

Introduced in season 2 as the resident 80s’ bully, Billy’s a character you love to hate. Already sadistic and cruel, he’s certainly the most formidable of all the Mind Flayer’s foot-soldiers, almost killing the kids in episode 4 and then siccing the Mind Flayer on them in episode 7, destroying Hopper’s house in the process. But at the eleventh hour, El manages to get through to him as he’s about to kill her, and after being moved by the memories of his mother he sacrifices himself to save her. We never expected to care so much about Billy, though his heroic death left Max destroyed.

After getting his heart broken by Nancy in season 2. We all thought things were looking up for Steve when he started to bond with his Scoops Ahoy colleague, Robin. In the end, things weren’t to be in that department, because of the reveal that Robin didn’t have a crush on Steve, she had a crush on a girl who couldn’t stop staring at him. After three seasons, we finally have a “Stranger Things” character confirmed to be LGBT+, and unlike other new characters, she survived the whole run of the season. Hopefully, we get to see a lot more of her in “Stranger Things 4.” Sucks for Steve though, he’s now 0 for 7.







Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few Honorable Mentions:





Steve Striking Out





Hopper Teaches Mike Respect







Antique Chariot






The Byers Moving







Makeshift Surgery

No death on “Stranger Things” has been as distressing as Hopper’s, made even more painful by Eleven discovering the heartfelt speech he was supposed to give her and Mike in episode 1. Trapped on the wrong side of the Russian key machine, Joyce is forced to close the gate to the Upside Down and he resigns to his fate. Or, does he? Hopper-sceptics have pointed out that we don’t actually see him die on screen, and the post-credits scene briefly mentions “the American” being held in a Siberian Prison. Did Hopper go through the gate before Joyce closed it? But then how does the Upside Down dimension link Hawkins to Siberia? Only one-way to find out: Bring on Season 4.