Stranger Things season 3 premiere recap: Suzie, Do You Copy?

Stranger Things 3 is here! “Suzie, Do You Copy?” features Cold War intrigue, a reawakened Mind Flayer, and a flummoxed Hopper. We’ve got the recap!

“Suzie, Do You Copy?” delivers fan service and pays off Stranger Things 2 arcs. It also establishes where our heroes are in relationship to each other. A new mystery poses some of the same questions from seasons one and two while promising to threaten Hawkins in a whole new way. It’s fun to be back in this world, but by the end of the episode, a lot of the character development from Stranger Things 2 seems to fade away. And, all the heroism and sacrifice that went into closing the gate last season seems to be undone before the opening title card. Let’s recap.

Love is in the Air

Mileven is no longer best known as an edit on Instagram or as a heavily retweeted GIF on Twitter. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Eleven (Millie Bobbie Brown) are now an inseparable and adorable couple. Eleven appears to need to continue to lay low. That’s no problem. Mike is over all the time. When he leaves for the night, he an El talk via walkie-talkie. Mike is full of life. El is elated. Sure, they kiss virtually all of the time they’re not talking to each other. But, Mike and Eleven are finally together. They’re finally allowed to be young kids having fun in the summer.

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Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink) are still together. They continue to be the two most grounded and mature members of The Party. They tease each other, always appear to be on the same page, and seem to be genuinely supportive of each other. That made me smile. Especially in contrast to poor Will (Noah Schnapp) who sadly proclaims to Joyce (Wynona Ryder) that he’s never going to fall in love.

One of the first updates that Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) drops on his return from science camp is that he has a long distance girlfriend named Suzie who lives in Utah. The Party’s first activity is to walk to the highest point in Hawkins and assemble Dustin’s homemade, X-Men inspired radio dubbed Cerebro in order to hail Suzie. She never answers, an as the couples and Will leave for the night, Dustin wonders if Hawkins passed him by while he was away.

Stranger Things — Credit: Netflix

Karen (Cara Buono) is not going to let life pass her by. After some heavy flirting poolside, Mrs. Wheeler decides to hook up with Billy (Dacre Montgomery) at a Motel 6. Wow. They really will keep the light on for you. The red light. Karen decides not to go when she sees her husband being a doting dad to their daughter.

Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Johnathan (Charlie Heaton) are together as a couple and as co-workers. They both work at the Hawkins newspaper. Johnathan is a photographer and Nancy is a gopher. Meanwhile, Nancy’s ex Steve (Joe Kerry), is trying to mac while selling ice cream at the Start Court Mall. He’s hampered by his sailor uniform, which covers up his best asset: his hair.

Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce have switched roles. Last season, Hopper helped with Will while he was undergoing evaluation. This season Joyce is helping Hopper talk to Mileven in hopes of getting them to spend time apart and set boundaries. All of the goodwill and patience Hopper seemed to gain at the end of last season is gone. He can’t take the never-ending date going on with Mileven. Meanwhile, Joyce still keeps dates that she used to have with Bob. This night, it was lasagna and wine with Cheers. Why won’t Sam and Dianne get back together?

Back Door Mind Flayer

Back on June 28, 1984, Russians attempted to open The Gate. It failed. They gave themselves one year before trying again. Meanwhile, the exorcised Mind Flayer returns from being dormant dust on the floor of a steelworks. This is likely due in large part to some advancement by the Russians. First, it lures a bunch of rats, who are promptly melted and destroyed. I’m guessing that the Flayer needed flesh and blood. Rats often worked as food n flashback scenes in Angel and in the original Hellraiser.

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The Mind Flayer needs a host. Will’s Up-Side-Down-Tingle repeatedly kicks in, but the Mind Flayer settles on Billy. This really messed up his hook-up with Karen. The last time we see him, he’s been attacked and chased by the Mind Flayer. Cornered by shadowy figures, Billy is confronted by his doppelganger. Uh oh. What are we in for this season?

Did you enjoy the Stranger Things 3 premiere? Were you happy to see The Party sneaking into the movies to see Day of the Dead? Let’s discuss in the comments!

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