Stranger Things Season 3: 5 Things That Changed After Season 2 (& 5 That Stayed The Same)

Every season of Stranger Things evolves into something new, but what about season 3 felt the same to earlier seasons, and how did things change?

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Each new season of Stranger Things brings significant change for viewers to adjust to. This is to be expected, as the show is featured around the lives of a group of young kids–kids who come closer to adulthood with every episode shot. Season one was a bunch of adorable young rascals who found their childhood board games become more of a reality than they ever expected, and by season two some of the group began arguing over girls, seeing their interests start to shift.

With season three came the biggest change so far, with the kids becoming not so much kids anymore, but teenagers. They have girlfriends, they don’t care about games like they used to, and they are more focused on the mall than riding around town on bikes seeking their next adventure. However, as much as things changed between the second and third seasons, there are some aspects of the show that stay the same.

10 Changed: The Mall Is The New Hangout

Up until season three, the mall didn’t exist in Hawkins. But just as the arcade became the new cool place to be in season two, the Starcourt Mall emerges as the hangout of season three.

The show makes a point of emphasizing the growth of capitalism in the US throughout the eighties, and the way this impacts the daily life of teens–making viewers wonder what season four will introduce.

9 The Same: Will Is The Timid One

Will makes a reputation for himself as being the odd guy out in the group–even though it’s not exactly his fault, considering it’s hard to tell how much of his personality in the show is a result of having undergone extremely traumatic experiences in the Upside Down.

All the same, in season three Will continues on as the quiet one in the group, and the only one not interested in dating.

8 Changed: Dustin Has A Girlfriend

Dustin might be the only one who compares to will when it comes to being the odd guy out, but he has an easier time functioning socially because of his humor and his interests that he shares with other kids, for example, romance.

Dustin is as romantic as any other kid his age, and in season three he even gets a girlfriend–a great contrast to season two, when he can’t get a girl to look his way no matter how hard he tries.

7 The Same: Hopper Is Stubborn

Hopper proves himself to be as stubborn as ever in the third season. His parenting approach when it comes to Eleven is an echo of the second season, where viewers see him losing his temper often and pretty much always approaching issues with a stunted level of emotional maturity.

He sticks to his guns more often than not, as evidenced by how he deals with Eleven and Mike’s romance–basically, by not dealing with it, but shouting at it until it goes away.

6 Changed: Jonathan Outranks Nancy

Nancy isn’t the most popular girl in school in the early seasons, but it’s a known fact that Jonathan is widely considered the bottom of the social totem pole. This changes in season three when the two have graduated high school and entered the real world, where they work together at Hawkins Post.

Now, Jonathan is respected because he’s a working man, and Nancy looked down upon because women’s work isn’t taken as seriously in the professional world, causing conflict in their relationship.

5 The Same: Billy Is A Bully

Billy doesn’t get much time to advance his character in season three before he is possessed by the horrific Mind Flayer, making his personality a difficult thing to gauge as it’s under an influence.

For the brief time viewers do experience Billy as himself, however, his attitude seems unchanged from season two–he is completely self-interested, and nothing Max says about him later implies that he has changed his bullying ways. Not to mention that, in a way, his possession makes him the greatest bully of all, as he is the villain of the show.

4 Changed: Steve Isn’t A Player

Steve pretty much loses Nancy in season two, and his character undergoes some changes starting at the end of the season when he spends time with Dustin and effectively becomes the babysitter of the group.

But it isn’t until season three that he undergoes a drastic change, diverting completely from his it-guy status both in looks and occupation, trading his tight jeans and groupies for a sailor outfit and friends that are children.

3 The Same: Nancy Defies Conventions

In her subtle way, Nancy is always going against the grain–although as the show goes on she gets less and less subtle and eventually just plain assertive, growing into her own and embracing who she is.

However, the core part of her character is always there, hearing the voices that try to put her into the box of the submissive, predictable lady and defying it at every turn, like when she sets out to find reveal the truth about Barb or refuses to drop the rat mystery.

2 Changed: D&D Isn’t Cool Anymore

Dungeons & Dragons is a precious theme in Stranger Things. It’s the featured activity in the very first episode of the show, with Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Will enthusiastically playing together in Mike’s basement for what he later reveals to be over ten hours.

But in season three the group loses interest in D&D, swapping it for the drama of dating life. This transition is marked through Will’s difficulty to adapt to the change, being the only one who hasn’t moved on.

1 The Same: Hopper Loves Joyce

Hopper’s love for Joyce is not made explicit in seasons one and two, but all the signs are there.

Hopper appoints himself Joyce’s protector, and even fondly references their days in high school when they would smoke cigarettes together–implying a romantic connection between them that they both blush about. Season three is simply the final open admittance to the feelings he always had.

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