Pulp Fiction

IS STRANGER THINGS 3 the best season of the series yet? Many fans seem to think so, judging by the ecstatic social media chatter. The Netflix 1980s-inspired sci-fi hit series debuted on July 4 amid a big global buzz of anticipation, but Season 3 seems to have shed the dark tone of Season 1 and 2 to embrace a whole lot of goofiness amid the strange goings-on.

So goofy, in fact, that climactic life-and-death sequences involving a giant spider monster hammering the little town of Hawkins, Indiana, have to be put on hold so that characters can horse around, have heart-to-heart talks, woo each other in the most frustratingly roundabout way, and break into the theme song of The NeverEnding Story.

Admittedly, the goofiness serves the purpose of making the characters more humorous and charming. When Stranger Things debuted in 2016, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and his friends were tween nerds addicted to Dungeons & Dragons board game and behaving awkwardly around girls. By Season 3, almost all of them have sprouted into full-on teenagers experiencing self-discovery and romanc…