Reach For the Stars: Stranger Things 3 "Chapter 8: The Battle of Starcourt" Season Fianle

The season finale of Stranger Things 3 didn't disappoint at all but left some questions and grabbing the tissues. Here's a recap!

As El is in severe pain from the mind flayer, Johnathan uses a knife to cut it out, but El can't take any more of that pain and uses her powers to pull it out and throw it where the appearance of Joyce, Murray, and Hopper stomps on the sucker.

The gang develops a plan; the kids run to Murray's place while the grown-ups stop the machine. But they will need someone who knows where to go, which leads to Dustin using his Cerebro to stay connected when Hopper, Joyce, and Murray are underground.  But just as things go to plan, Billy and the Mind Flayer come to the mall.

Hiding from the Mind Flayer, the team split up as El, Mike and Max go one way and the others go to another. When Johnathan and Nancy fix the car, Billy is charging with his to ram, but Steve stops him just in time, and the rest drive away with the Mind Flayer chasing after them.

When El, Mike, and Max get outside, they spot Billy and make a run for it. But they couldn't stop Billy and took out Max and Mike but a powerless El and took her to the middle of the mall for the Mind Flayer.

Just when the Mind Flayer gets back and is about to take El, Nancy, Lucas, and the rest of the high-power fireworks to hurt the creature. Billy holds on to El, but El figures out the key to stop him and bring the honest Billy back, memories of his mother soon after Billy sacrifices himself to save El and dies.

As Hopper and Joyce await Murray to shut down the power, Joyce sets up a date night with Hopper. When Murray shuts down the power, Joyce and Hopper try to get the keys from the safe, but the codes aren't accurate. That's where Dustin's girlfriend comes into play, but before reaching the code that they need, Dustin and Suzie must sing their song. They got the code and the keys, and just when they were about to shut down the machine, the biker came in, and they two went at it.

They fight near the machine; he stops the biker and tosses him into the machine. There, Hopper is stuck, and Joyce turns both keys and stops the machine that explodes, taking not only the people who came in, the mind flayer, but also Hopper.

Just as everything is over, Dr. Owens returns with reinforcements, but it is too damn late. As Joyce reunites with Will, El is looking for Hopper and sees Joyce and knows that he didn't make it. Three months later, Joyce, Johnathan, Will, and El leave, making some emotional and funny moments. El tells Mike that she knows what he said to Max and that she loves him, too. Dustin gets made fun and Mike and Will not only forgive one another but will not play D&D with anyone else.

But the most complex scene comes when Joyce finds Hopper's speech, and El sees her reading. El reads the speech about how to grow up and all but how she has helped him see the light through the darkened tunnel. As soon as she's done reading the message, everyone gives their tearful and laughable goodbyes.

Steve and Robin get a job at Family Videos, but Steve needs some help from Robin to get the position. Back to the Future is not about a son going back in time to sleep with his mother.

The episode ends with a mid-credit scene in a Russian prison and two guards who take someone else to battle with the Demogorgon. But also they have an American too! HOLY SHIT!!!! Could Hopper be alive? Who's the American prison in Russia?

The season finale was every bit amazing with its intense and emotional writing and performances. The moments shine with Billy sacrificing himself to Joyce and Hopper and even El, Mike, and Joyce. That speech that El reads was the tearjerking moment of the season. I had to grab a coke cola. Not only does Millie Bobby Brown give an outstanding performance, but also Wynona Ryder and David Harbour. This episode was the best season finale scene in Season One and probably the best season so far.

This finale leads me to my next question: will a season four exist? Netflix has a horrible track record for canceling shows after three seasons. I do believe that Netflix will give Stranger Things a season four, and this could be the final season, with what the Duffer Brothers have mentioned about a four-season plan. To all the fans out there, we must keep the renewal hopes alive.

Overall, I give this episode a 10/10. And the Season is a 9.5/10.

You can catch Stranger Things 1, 2 and 3 on Netflix now.

HOLY SHIPS!: Stranger Things 3 "Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum"/"Chapter Seven: The Bite"

"Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum" 

Oh man, shit just got real in this episode. Here's a recap!

Just as Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Erica learn what the Russians are doing, they open up the door to the upside-down. Soon, they would get busted; Steve made sure that Dustin and Erica escaped without harm. The Russians interrogated Steve and Robin and veveninjecthem ted with the truth serum. But by the time the boss knew who they were, Dustin and Erica made a distraction to get Robin and Steve out of there, too. Tissues, please.

 After making a deal with the scientist, Hopper has had enough of it and gives him a choice of either leave or stay. You would have thought this would be Hopper's biggest mistake, but it turns out that he was right. They learn of the secrets of this machine called the key that opens up the cups upside-download. Of course, that freaks both Hopper and Joyce, and they approach the government for help. 

After saving Nancy from the mind flayer, Elusese uses her power to locate Billy. But from where he's discovered, that could be where he and the mind flayer wanted. El uses her power to discover what happened to Billy; instead of going through the actual events, she starts seeing parts of his past that always make him hiss today. Asarns where the source of the mind flayer is, Billy sends El to another part of what will happen when the mind flayer takes over. Eventually, El got out of there, and just as the residents of Hawkins were at the town fair, they all got to the factory where the mind flayer was and disintegrated to make the mind flayer grow. Holy Fuck!

This episode was another on-the-edge-of-your-seat kind of thrill. Not only did we see our character learn about the mind flayer's plan, but Billy's backstory of how he got to be who he is today. And after that, I still don't have a good connection with the character and believe he'll probably die.  I thought Erica stood out way better in this episode than in the previous episodes this season, and the relationship between Dustin and Steve got even more heartwarming. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

"Chapter Seven: The Bite"

OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!!! OH MY GOD!!!!

As El and the gang figure out that the Mind Flayer is coming from them, they are just in time before it starts attacking Hopper's house. But as El fights the tongues-tongues, she gets bitten and dragged towards the flayer. Mike and the rest hang on to El as Nancy and Lucas try to stop it, and just as El is released, she snaps the Flayer's head in half, and they escape.

El is badly hurt, but as the gang tries to find stuff to help her, Lucas and Will find something that could help with a bit more firepower in fireworks. Just as Mike talks to El and tries to tell her that he loves her, Dustin finally reaches them through their walkie-talkies.

While communicating with Mike, Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Erica hide from the Russians at the mall's movie theater of Back to the Future. Just as Dustin comes back asking Erica for batteries, Robin and Steve, who are high, leave and soon not only get sick but share some deep feelings, Steve having feelings for Robin and Robin having feelings for another woman. Both are on good terms anyway.

Hopper and Joyce got a dose of reality from Muarry by sleeping with each other and getting it over. They stop at the fair to find the kids but are hunted by the biker and the Russians. Alexi gets killed by the bikers, and Hopper diverts them to the funhouse, where Hopper not only redeems from fighting one of the guys but escapes with Joyce and Muarry.

As Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Erica are hiding from the Russians, when you think that they are goners, El saves the day by throwing a car at them. But as everyone catches up with what they know, El is hurt very badly, and Mike and the gang see the severe wound and a wormlike creature in her leg. El screams with pain!

This episode tugs at my heart with emotions and throwback to Back to the Future. Millie Bobby Brown was excellent, and the scenes with Finn Wolfhard were terrific and so heartwarming. Alexi's death was expected, with him helping with Hopper and Joyce. Strong character development with such strong writing, as well. The episodes get better and better, and the season finale sure feels like something big is going to happen. Overall, I give this episode a 9.5/10.

You can catch Stranger Things 3, available on Netflix now!

Code Red: Stranger Things 3 "Chapter Four: The Sauna Test"/ "Chapter Five: The Flayed"

Episodes Four and Five of Stranger Things 3 take exciting television to another level. Here's a recap!
"Chapter Four: The Sauna Test" 
Code Red! Repeat we have a code red!! Mike, Lucas, Will, Max, and El reunite to talk that Will believes that the mind flayer is back. Eleven believes that it's Billy, because of the psychic encounter with Heather. They spy on Billy at the pool and set up a plan to trap him and see if it's true. More to come later.

Meanwhile, Hopper is recovering from his beatdown with help from Joyce. Joyce tells him that the guy was riding a motorcycle and that gives Hopper a clue to someone that might know who that stranger could be. It leads to the meeting with Mayor Klien with a nice chitchat that leads to who not only the guy is but who he works for, StarCorp (the owner of the mall). Apparently, the company wants to expand to the east side of Hawkins, which leads to near the old lab.  Joyce and Hopper rush to find one of the houses.

Robin finds a way to get into the other side of the building, through the vents. Instead of Dustin going in because he's getting too big, they go with Erica. After coming to terms with her, she gets to the other side and opens the door. There, Steve opens a box, but what's inside is a mystery, and it's not Chinese food. Just as they are about to leave, the doors close, and what apparently is a room turns out to be an elevator going all the way down.

After checking on their source, who was eating fertilizer, Nancy and Johnathan are fired from the paper. After an argument about each other's living styles, Nancy gets encouragement from her mother and goes to check on the elderly woman. She noticed that her heart rate was spiking higher and higher. That was due to the fact that the mind flayer connection with Billy, who gets trapped in the sauna by Mike, El, and the gang.

Soon it turned into some serious shit between Billy and El as Billy almost choked her to death. Mike saves by whacking him with a bat, but El stops him before he can get his hands on Mike. El throws Billy through the wall and soon runs away. But that won't be the last time. As Billy recovers his wounds, he and Heather see other Hawkins' residents in line for their Mind Flayer master.

This episode was literally off the channel. It not only had me on the edge of my seat but also had my heart rating pretty high. That scene with the kids and Billy was one hell of a scene that had all the chills, thrills, and action, plus the dialogue was great!! Also, Joyce and Hooper were good, but the moment I very much enjoyed was Nancy and her mother talking about knocking down the wall against the men. All in all, I give this episode a 9.5/10.


"Chapter Five: The Flayed" 
As Joyce and Hopper make it to their final house search on the list, they find an undercover basement with two Russian scientists working on something. Just as Hopper questions them, the biker comes in hunting for them. Hopper cuffs the two and just as the bike makes his way down, Hopper aims his gun to the guy's head. The biker quickly attacks Hopper and not only beats the crap out of him again, but Hopper also returns the favor by knocking the guy's knee with a monkey wrench.

Hopper brings the scientist along and demands Joyce to drive. The scene was totally hilarious and thrilling. But as the truck took a couple of bullets from the biker, the truck soon blew up, and the three walked later to Seven-Eleven and stole a car to meet with an old friend.

Meanwhile, Dustin, Steve, Robin, and Erica not only sneak their way out but learn what the Russians do by opening up the door to the upside-down world. Oh boy!

Just as Nancy watches Mrs. Driscoel's moment, she calls Johnathan to ask him about Will. Soon they join Will, Mike, El, and the gang to head back to the hospital. There, Nancy and Johnathan tried to release Mrs. Driscoel, but she was nowhere to be found in her room til Tom showed up all bloody and started to go after them. But just as they escape from Tom, Bruce is out there too and he goes after them.

As they try to run, Bruce gets to them, taking out Johnathan til Nancy stabs him in the back, which leads to her running away with him. But it was when she thought of using the fire extinguisher to knock Bruce out, which also led to Tom getting the effect. Just as Nancy and Johnathan finished both of them, their bodies melted and walked to each other to combine to a giant mind flayer.
While that was going on, Mike and El seem to be on good terms.

"The Flayed" was such an outstanding episode from beginning to finish. I couldn't get enough of Joyce and Hopper in this episode as both Ryder and Habour's chemistry is amazing. The rest of the cast performances were also amazing with each playing such a role in the episode. If there was one issue that I had in this episode; it had to be the scene sequence of the mind flayers melting from their human bodies. But overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Stranger Things Season 3 available on Netflix now. 

It's Not Over: Stranger Things 3 "Chapter Three: The Case of the Missing Lifeguard"

HOLY SHIPS!!

The third episode of Season Three of Stranger Things really has put some miles on not only the storytelling; but how scary it has gotten since the first episode of this season.

As El and Max have a sleepover at Hopper's place; they play a different version of spin the bottle which El uses her powers to see what certain people are doing. After getting Billy, El notices something unusual when she saw Billy and Heather, the lifeguard. Soon they try to find Billy at his house; which he wasn't but found empty bags of ice in the tub and Heather's lifeguard bag. More to come later.

After a disappointing dinner, Hopper gets a visit from Joyce, who thinks something is going on once again and tell him about the magnets falling off. It soon turned into an adventure at the old lab again but also had a moment where they confront certain things like Joyce redoing her house to move out of Hawkins. Also, Hopper tells Joyce about why she should stay and the difference between what she has here compared to him.  But soon they hear something and as Hopper searches; he gets his ass beat up by the mysterious biker, the one that was seen at the mayor's office.

As Dustin and Steve look for Russians at the mall; Robin cracks the code that the Russians are in the mall. Soon they spy on a truck that's dropping off packages that look funny as there are bodyguards with guns.

Through this season, Will has been the only one that doesn't want to let go of what his group has had, but the times they are a changing. After trying to get Mike and Lucas to play D&D, it didn't go the way he had hoped and ran off. It turned into one of the saddest moments so far when Will looking back at the times with his friends later destroys everything in his clubhouse.

After putting together a good investigating story; Nancy gets shut down by the editor but also gets made fun of as well. Her and Johnathan get proof of the rat but when they visit that elderly woman's house they had found something that they never expected....the woman eating fertilizer.

After finding Heather's bag, El and Max head to the swimming pool to find her but apparently, she didn't come to work. So El uses a photo of Heather to see where she is located; which lead them to her house. There they see Billy eating with Heather's parents, one of the editors of the paper. After seeing that Heather is okay; El and Max leave. But evil Billy remembers who El was and soon gets Heather's parents killed by Heather. While Will gets another feeling and this time he tells Mike and Lucas that he's back.

So far, three episodes in and the season have really gotten better. The Hopper and Joyce story was so good; along with Will, who really stole the moment of the episode with a nice performance. So many twist and turns and even moments that really had me jumping off my seat. Looks like the upsidedown monster is back and boy this time it's not playing around this time. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Season 3 of Stranger Things available now on Netflix.

Reunited And It Feels So Good: Stranger Things 3 " "Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy?"/"Chapter Two: The Mall Rats"

"Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy?" 
God Bless Netflix! The third season of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things has released its episodes and it wasn't a disappointment at all. 

It's June 28, 1984, and the Russian military is trying to reopen the gate to the Upsidedown world but failed to do so.  A year later, in Hopkins, Dustin is back from camp; Steve is working at an ice cream shop, "Scoops Ahoy," but gives Mike, Will, Max, and Lucas access to sneak into the new mail theater. Not to mention that things with Mike and Eleven are going very well in their relationship and making Hopper's lie a living hell.  

But something has been sprung once again, as Will has been feeling the hair-raising feeling about it once again, but doesn't tell anyone. After a short power outage, things get weirder when rats run together to a factory, where they die in pain and explode. 

Nancy and Johnathan are working at Hopkin's newspaper. Their relationship is on good terms but Nancy's job as an intern is all good. She gets turndown badly for an idea for a news story from a group of men.   

Hopper asks for help from Joyce about Mike and Eleven's relationship, even getting some moments that are clear that they should be in a relationship with one another. After giving Hopper what to say, she not only turns him down for a visit to help him out but stays home and reflects on what she had with Bob as she watches a rerun episode of Cheers. As for Hopper, the talk didn't go the way he had planned; instead, he did it his way by talking to Mike while driving him home. 

After Dustin's reunion with the group, he tells them that he's met this girl at camp and invented the giant communication radio called Cerebro. But after hours, it seems that Dustin doesn't have a girlfriend from Utah; but instead gets a communication from the Russian military, who seems to have opened the door to the Upsidedown. As  Billy is about to pick up Mike's mother for a little late-night swimming lesson, he gets into a mysterious accident with something that literally pulls him into the factory. 

I very much enjoyed this episode from the beginning to the end, as it had both the balance of where we left off since the season two finale to where we are going into this season. The character development was good, with some moments being so awkward at times, mainly Billy hitting on Mike's mother. But it was overshadowed by moments from Mike and Eleven, Hopper and Joyce, and even Mike, Eleven, and Hooper, which was hilarious. I think we might need to tell Hopper to take some time to have a cup of coffee and contemplation. Plus the music was perfect in this episode. I think that what we're in for this season could be even bigger than what our characters will face. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.
"Chapter Two: The Mall Rats"
Hearts are broken, power is used, even cracking the code and that's just the tip of the iceberg in this second episode of Stranger Things. 

I'm just going to come out and say it; Eleven and Mike have broken up. After that talk with Hopper, Mike tells Eleven that he can't see her at this time because of his sick grandmother. But with the help from Max; Eleven learns that it's all a lie. After hanging out with Max at the mall, Eleven "dumps (mike's) ass." 

Meanwhile, Hopper is on cloud nine with the whole Eleven and Mike thing. He tells Joyce and asks her out (not a date) for dinner. But instead of meeting him for dinner, she seeks an explanation for the recent events of magnets falling at her house and works by asking for help from the kid's science teacher. So she missed dinner with Hopper. Even worse for Hopper, he gets asked by the Mayor, who approved the mall in town, to get rid of the protesters because they didn't have the permits. 

Dustin and Steve reunite and it feels all so good to see these two back together. Dustin tells Steve that he intercepts a message from the Russians. They try to crack the code and even get help from Robin, Steve's co-worker. Soon, they were able to crack the message with what seemed to be nonsense sentences. But as they leave Steve figures out something from the message, the music as it would be playing in a mechanical horse ride. The message doesn't seem to be from Russia but from Hopkins. 

Nancy and Johnathan are on the news scoop. They investigate the call from an elderly woman, who tells them that she has seen rats eat her ferderizilers. But not to worry, she kept one of them in a cage. Just as Nancy gets a tip from another place about rats, Johnathan leaves just when the rat not only explodes but escapes the cage and house too. 

Billy has not been himself in this episode; he did meet a twin of his in the upsidedown. Mike's mom tries to talk to him, but he dumps her off not to mention his co-worker at the pool, who is taken back to the old factory where she's getting the same treatment as Billy did. 

"The Mall Rats" was a very thrilling, intense, and fun episode. I just ate up the Eleven and Max story as they hang out at the mall and their montage was just so good. Couldn't argue that the Dustin and Steve scene was a real scene stealer in this episode. The show as really turn the level on this season up. Does anyone feel that Steve and Robin would fall in love during this season; or will Robin die by the end of the season? Very good character development and the writing was really good. Overall, I give this episode a 9/10.

You can catch Stranger Things Season 3 available now on Netflix with Seasons one and Two available now

Bonding: Life In Pieces "Clean Pens Grandma Guys"

From a scary grandma to a guy's party, here's a recap of last week's episode of Life In Pieces.

When Greg and Jen hire a cleaner, it turns out to be the same cleaning lady who has been cleaning Joan and John's house since Greg was born. But here's the thing: she doesn't clean the house but sleeps while working. Jen learns that Joan does most of the cleaning after the cleaning lady is done and that the reason why they've kept her is that she irons John's pants so well. Jen fires the cleaning lady, and soon Greg and Joan decide to fix the problem by cleaning up themselves.

After watching Antiques Roadshow, John decides to turn in those pens that he's given the kids during his time as an airline pilot that could be worth a lot of money. After disappointing John, Greg, Heather, and Matt hunt for the pens, but without any luck,k they find a set of cells on eBay. As they told John they found the pens, they realized they bought the ones John put on eBay for $700. That did make John pretty happy.

Matt and Colleen's son is scared of Joan. Joan thinks it's anxiety, but Colleen believes it's just a phase and that he'll get over it. But she learns that the real reason is that the witch in the story looks like Joan. Colleen confronts Joan about it, and she tries to deny it but accepts and walks away after sweeping up candy on the floor.

The fight of the year is about to start, and Tim invited the guys for a guy's night at his house. But the only person who shows up is Matt, and it turns into one weird and awkward night for the both of them as Tim tries to take off his pants and starts the margarita machine, which takes four hours. But as soon as the fight begins, it's over within 15 seconds, and Matt tries to leave but comes back, realizing that no one is coming to Tim's party. He comes back and takes a photo to show off to Greg.

"Clean Pens Grandma Guys" was an excellent episode, but it didn't live up to the previous episode as hilariously funny. It was a split 50/50 of perfect and okay stories in this episode. The good ones were John's pens and Tim's guys' night. The character development was good, as did the writing. As for the scary grandma and the cleaning lady stories, it just seems a bit predictable at times. But the humor was there at times. Overall, I give this episode an 8/10.

You can catch the one-hour series finale of Life in Pieces tonight at 9/8c on CBS.

Admitting a Problem: Life In Pieces "Letter Promise Adult Seventy"

From a well-thought-out promise to a family divorce, here's a recap of Life In Pieces.

When Matt and Colleen celebrate their son's acceptance to Lark's school, they take Greg and Jen out to dinner to repay them for the letter they had sent. One little problem: they didn't write a letter. Greg and Jen try their best to not only accept the dinner but also try not to go all out, but after sharing a bone with his brother, Greg admits to Matt that he didn't write the letter. Soon, the dinner would be covered by Jen and Greg after.

Sophia confronts her mom and dad about their promise: if she could do all the chores on the list, she could get a pig. Tim and Heather try to talk Sophia out of getting her that pig and get her to agree to get a cell phone instead. But Sam tells them they have been played by Sopha as getting a pig was a plan to get a cell phone. Tim and Heather go with Sophia's program and get her the pig that she always wanted, even if it does leave a mess in the house.

Clementine confronts Tim about a problem with Tyler lumping his left testicle. That worries Tim, and I chatted with Tyler about getting it checked out. But at dinner, everyone learns about Tyler's problem, even Heather, and Tyler finally goes to the doctor. After seeing a children's doctor, Tyler meets with a doctor for adults and learns that it's just a cyst, but he also gets a rectum check. Welcome to adulthood!

John learns the terrible news about his parents; they're getting a divorce after 70 years. John gets Joan to help him get them to stay together by having dinner and remembering the good old days, but that backfires. John learns why they have been together for 70 years and that they thought he would have died during his time as an air pilot. After talking to Joan about it, John returns to see that his mother has died at the dinner table. As Joan gets word about the planned service for John's mother, John remarks about their marriage that could surprise his parents.

"Letter Promise Adult Seventy" was just another witty, hilarious episode, making me laugh from the beginning to the end. As the Greg'Jen/Mat/Colleen story was excellent and funny, it didn't hold up to the other stories like Sophia and her parents, even Tyler going to the doctor and John's parents. The writing was so damn good in this episode. It's probably one of my top favorite episodes of the season. Overall, I give this episode an 8.5/10.

You can catch Life In Pieces on Thursdays at nine or 30/8:30c on CBS.