Ep 1. Chapter One: Suzie, Do You Copy?

Set in the summer of 1985, Stranger Things season 3 begins with an eerie scene at a government facility in Russia. Meanwhile, in Hawkins, Indiana, the gang has grown up a bit and is all set to enjoy their summer vacation. As usual, Eleven and Mike are deeply in love and are prone to public displays of affection, much to the annoyance of their friends. Dustin returns from his “camp” with a mysterious radio tower kit from Cerebro, which he set up in his basement to communicate with his girlfriend, Suzie, who lives in Utah. Lucas is trying to get Max interested in Dungeons and Dragons, but she seems more interested in shopping and spending time with Eleven. Will, who was traumatized by the events of the previous seasons, is still grappling with his loneliness and feels a sense of loss as his friends have moved on.

Things start to take a dark turn when a group of lifeguards at the community pool start to notice something unusual in the drains. Billy Hargrove, who moved to Hawkins with his family, is also working as a lifeguard. We see a glimpse of his abusive father and his troubled past, which seems to have shaped his personality. Nancy and Jonathan, who are interning at the local newspaper, start to investigate the strange happenings, much to the chagrin of their pompous boss. Will, who seems to have some sort of telekinetic connection to the “upside-down,” senses that something is off. He also feels a sense of dread when he finds an old wooden fort that he and his friends built in the forest, which he had forgotten about.

Meanwhile, Steve is working at the local ice cream parlour, Scoops Ahoy, where he meets a new character named Robin. She seems to be his intellectual equal and is clearly smitten with him. However, Steve’s ex-girlfriend, Nancy, seems to be struggling with the fact that she is still in love with him. While they are working, they hear strange sounds coming from the storeroom, which they investigate. What they find is a rat that has seemingly exploded, leaving behind some strange goo. This seems to be connected to the strange happenings at the pool, and Nancy and Jonathan set out to investigate.

At the same time, Eleven starts to have strange visions of Billy, which seem to be related to the strange happenings in the town. She also discovers that she can no longer use her powers, which worries her and Mike. As they try to figure out what’s going on, Dustin’s radio tower starts to receive strange transmissions in Russian, which seem to be connected to the same facility we saw in the opening scene. As they try to decipher the messages, they realize that they need Suzie’s help, who is apparently a genius when it comes to radio transmissions.

Overall, the first episode of Stranger Things season 3 sets up a lot of plot threads for the upcoming season. It is clear that the events of the past two seasons have left their mark on the characters, and they are all struggling in their own ways. The strange happenings in the town seem to be a continuation of the supernatural elements from the previous seasons, but with a different twist. The addition of new characters like Robin and the continued growth of the existing characters means that there’s a lot to look forward to in the rest of the season.