Stranger Things season three
As predicted, it took me just over a week to finish binging season three of Stranger Things, even with my slightly slower start due to vacationing with the fam. There is so much jam-packed into this latest installment that it's hard to completely consolidate my thoughts, so I've broken them down into a couple of segments below. Enjoy my hot takes, if you will, but don't worry, I don't reveal any major spoilers. If you'd like no hints whatsoever into what transpires, however, perhaps steer clear of the rundown for now until you've finished your watch.
Our cast continues to grow: One of the biggest challenges the creators of Stranger Things are dealing with in season three is the ability to balance screen time among the many stars and fan favorites from the series. I wasn't thrilled with the show's decision to keep characters in pretty distinct groups for the first handful of episodes, but fortunately around episode four, the groups converge, making for a much more interesting second half for the season. The best groupings? Steve (remaining a favorite in my heart), Dustin, Erica (Lucas' brother, who gets to continue to flex her comedic skills in an expanded role) and newcomer Robin ( the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke!). These four are standouts throughout the season, serving up a nice mix of comic relief and serious drama as they enter into further danger at the mall. The downside of this pairing is that Dustin spends much of the season separated from his core friend group, and without him, Lucas, Will and Mike continue to argue, as their friendship changes with age. I felt like this plot line never quite landed. Will is never quite given enough to do and these arguments never reach a conclusion that feels like part of an arc. As Will and Lucas fade into the background, Max takes a larger role and feels like a much more integrated part of the cast (in season two, her presence felt very forced to me). She bonds with Eleven and it's fun to watch these two ladies interact. In fact, it's fun to watch any two ladies interact on this show, which struggles regularly to pass the Bechdel Test, despite being stuffed with characters...
Angry Hopper: Much of the internet's reaction to season three has involved an indictment of Hopper's characterization. In season two, I remember being taken aback by the chief of police's angry streak, but in season three it's upped even more. I didn't feel like it was a huge departure from the Hopper of seasons past, but the difference this season was his anger (which seems to step from feeling out of control as a parent) never goes through a proper emotional arc. Hopper never opens up (like the way he does towards of the end of season two, when he tells Eleven about his daughter) or has a proper heart-to-heart with Joyce, his main scene partner in the season, which would have made his fits of screaming feel like part of a character journey, instead of played for laughs, which is what it appears the Duffer Brothers intended. Unfortunately, watching a man scream at the women and men in his life for eight episodes straight isn't too appealing. Bring back dancing Hopper!
This series may be set in the 80s, but the ladies of Hawkins are running the show: I was so excited to see my favorite power ladies taking center stage yet again. Eleven is potentially even more badass in some epic fight scenes than she was in the first two seasons. Nancy is dealing with sexism at the local newspaper but fights back every step of the way, even when her boyfriend tells her she's overreacting (he later apologizes). Joyce has a nice break from being constantly panicked about the safety of her son and instead gets to take a more active approach, by investigating mysterious magnets and politely interrogating Russians. Robin is the one who pieces together large parts of the mystery that she, Dustin, Steve and Erica are trying to solve. Max helps Eleven take control of her relationship and powers. Not only do the women do a lot of the action in the series, but they also get the credit. As disappointed as I always am to see the lack of female directors and writers tied to Stranger Things (this season has only one episode written by a woman and none directed by one), I'm impressed by the power the women of the show wield.
As Seen on Screen
May marked the 10-year anniversary of the Glee pilot, and with that news hook in mind, I started to see stories and interviews from the cast popping up everywhere. I used to watch the Fox musical series when it aired. My viewing dropped off around the end of season four, most likely because the show yet again did something so ridiculous that I could not look past it. Glee was a hot mess, delivering inspiring stories and songs one week and problematic interpretations and sexist storylines the next. Periodically I'll come across Twitter threads discussing the show's many outlandish turns. Remember when there was a gas leak in the school and everyone turned into a puppet? Remember when Rachel bailed on staring in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl in order to pursue a TV career? Remember when Will Schuester would not stop performing inappropriate numbers with his high school students? I could go on and on. Despite all of this, Glee delivered some incredible musical numbers throughout its six-year span. As I've recently gone on a performance throwback binge on YouTube, I'm sharing my fond memories with you here. Please enjoy my favorite performances from problematic fave, Glee.
Glee put together some knock-out mash-ups throughout the years, but my hands-down favorite was season three's combo of Adele's Someone Like You and Rumour Has It. Remember when Idina Menzel started a rival glee club at McKinley High School with Santana, Mercedes, Brittany and other ladies from New Directions? Does that make sense? Not really, but it gets us this incredible number.
Speaking of rival glee clubs, Vocal Adrenaline, led by Jesse (Jonathan Groff), was the main competition for New Directions during season one. In the season one finale, Groff delivers a show-stopping performance of Bohemian Rhapsody (unfortunately it is randomly intercut with Quinn giving birth to her child, which was a choice) sure to anger Rachel.
New Directions doesn't quite achieve Vocal Adrenaline-level of choreography and performance, in my opinion, until their season three performance of Paradise by the Dashboard Light. Yeah, it's a weird song, but it's filled with impressive moves that highlight each member of the cast. It's also a true testament to Cory Monteith's talent and vast vocal improvement throughout the course of the series. Lea Michele is excellent as always.
Glee can be split into two parts, the part before Darren Criss joined the cast and everything after. He's undoubtedly one of the biggest breakout stars from the series, no doubt because of his ability to continuously deliver amazing performance after performance (and also because of his adorable romance with Kurt). His first song on the show, as part of the a cappella group the Warblers, was a beautiful all-male version of Teenage Dream. The audience (and Kurt) instantly falls in love with Blaine. Outside of Glee, Darren writes and arranges music himself, so I was delighted when the creative team on Glee let him use his own arrangement (and included live vocals!!) of a slowed-down version of the pop song in season four.
Amber Riley (Mercedes) and Naya Rivera (Santana) never got to shine in group glee club performances as much as they should have. But when these two sing together, it's always amazing. In the season two episode, Duets, they perform a rousing rendition of River Deep, Mountain High, that I still love to listen to.
We'll close it out by giving some love to Lea Michele, who is mostly absent from the songs featured above. She delivered a number of memorable performances throughout the show's run, but perhaps my favorite is Don't Rain on my Parade. While the rendition doesn't do anything particularly groundbreaking, it's an amazing showcase of Lea Michelle's talent. And fit into the narrative of the show (their set list was stolen! they have to perform songs they've never rehearsed before! Mr. Schuester is suspended so he can't be there!), it lands perfectly.
Haven't You Heard?
As most of you know from reading this newsletter, I'm an avid fan of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour and the show's beloved host Linda Holmes. I've been talking about her book, Evvie Drake Starts Over, since it was first announced over a year ago. On a cozy trip back to my hometown, I curled up on my parent's couch and devoured the story in pieces, a little bit every day. Evvie was the perfect read for this occasion. The novel (which has been dubbed a beach read and romance by many summer book lists, and I don't really think it fits neatly in either category) tells the story of Evvie, a woman who was planning to leave her verbally abusive husband but her exit is interrupted with news of his death in the opening pages of the story, and Dean, a former Yankees pitcher who has the yips. Dean is looking to escape the big city life and moves up to mid-coastal Maine to rent out the apartment attached to Evvie's house. These two lost souls are thrown together as they both try to cope with the different directions their lives have taken. Dean ponders what he'll do next, while still silently attempting to throw strikes with pinecones in the background. Evvie tries to start over, while living a lie by pretending she is grieving the loss of a man she did not care for. While Dean's journey has some more natural milestones built into it (doing a media interview, coaching a local sports team, etc.); Evvie's is more internal. I sometimes found myself frustrated as Evvie focused on helping Dean, rather than helping herself, but as the book went on I appreciated that the story really took its time with her journey. Deciding a next step and trying to live a more honest life are not easy things to tackle, and I'm so glad the book didn't force her growth along for the sake of plot development. Instead, Evvie takes small steps along the way, while also opening up to Dean, figuring out her changing relationship with her best friend Andy and getting back into her work while taking it in a new direction. Evvie is an optimistic story depicting the power of choosing better for yourself and the people who love and support you along the way. Enjoy!
Required Reading
The creative mind behind the Scavenger newsletter (not to pepper you with links, but sign-up if you don't subscribe already), Michelle Delgado, is starting a new indie magazine called Summerhouse. The digital and print publication will cover Washington, DC's DIY arts and culture. You can learn more here and sign-up to receive updates and articles before the official launch next month.
