We're still processing the season-two finale of Stranger Things. Sure, things ended on—spoiler warning—a positive note at the Snow Ball, but we have a feeling the crew isn't finished with the mysteries of the Upside Down just yet. (Um, remember that haunting last shot of the Mind Flayer?) And then there are the blossoming romances: Eleven and Mike! Max and Lucas! Puppy love has honestly never looked cuter. There's also Nancy's love triangle with Jonathan and Steve to think about, not to mention the adorable and unexpected friendship between Dustin and Steve. Plus, what the hell is going to happen between Joyce and Sheriff Hopper? It's only a matter of time before they get together, right?
As we said, there's a lot to think about, and our questions will be answered sooner rather than later: Season three of Stranger Things hits Netflix on July 4, 2019. We talked to the cast and scoured the Internet to find out what's ahead—here's everything we know.
1. The official trailer. It's summertime in Hawkins, and the gang is spending lots of time at the pool—Billy is a lifeguard!—and the mall, where Eleven is awestruck by the retail of it all. We also see a few new characters, like the town's mayor (Cary Elwes) and Steve's coworker (Maya Hawke). Hopper and Joyce are obviously back too, along with Steve's excellent hair and his burgeoning friendship with Dustin. Oh, and creatures. Of course there are creepy creatures.
Watch the full trailer below:
2. Season three will start off with a "clean slate." That's what the Duffer brothers, the creators behind the show, told The Hollywood Reporter. Remember, the Upside Down has been closed, so that danger isn't looming over the characters anymore. But there's the issue of that pesky Mind Flayer hovering over the school, which is certainly going to cause some trouble. Ross Duffer told THR, "They've shut the door on the Mind Flayer, but not only is it still there in the Upside Down, it's very much aware of the kids, and particularly Eleven."
3. Expect to see more of Erica, Lucas's iconic little sister. “It’s cool because she’s more than just Lucas’s sister: She’s her own character," Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), tells Glamour. "Erica has so much flavor and personality. It’s awesome.”
4. Max and Eleven start to bond. "We’ve only ever really seen boy power [on the show], which is so important to have those boys [and their friendship]. We can’t degrade those boys. They’re so amazing...but this season we need to see the girls onscreen," Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, tells Glamour. "It was so important for Stranger Things to embody that girl power and what other way than to have Max and Eleven, the most two powerful forces, come together? It was so important.”
Sadie Sink, who plays Max, adds, “I love that you get to see two girls who are both powerful in their own way get along so well. At the end of season two, I wasn’t really happy where they left Max and Eleven’s relationship. I thought it was going to go in the direction of pitting them against each other and having a weird rivalry or something. It was nice not to have girls that are fighting. I’m just glad that they’re able to kind of guide each other and be role models to each other in their own different ways.”
5. There is more flirtation between Billy and Mrs. Wheeler. One of the funniest scenes of season two involved a flirtatious moment between Mike and Nancy's mom and bad boy Billy. Turns out, that's not a onetime thing. "You will see that side of her explored," executive producer Shawn Levy tells Glamour. "We have much more story for Karen that is linked to her discontent and her dissatisfied sexuality. In the end, there wasn’t room [in season two] to service all the ideas. Some ideas got punted to next season and maybe beyond, but we’re not done with Karen Wheeler and her failing marriage.”
Adds Cara Buono, who plays Mrs. Wheeler, "[Mrs. Wheeler and Billy] do have great chemistry, and there’s attraction, this very sexual attraction."
6. We have the episode names. They are, in order: "Suzie, Do You Copy?," "The Mall Rats," "The Case of the Missing Lifeguard," "The Sauna Test," "The Source," "The Birthday," "The Bite," and "The Battle of Starcourt."
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7. And a look at the poster. Fans think it may even contain some clues about the season ahead. Look for yourself:
8. The women take center stage. "I feel like everyone, from Joyce to Nancy to even Erica and Robin, all the women are starting to think for themselves and take action," Buono says. "They have to be persuasive. I think that in the context of our life now, this idea of speaking out and speaking up and being heard and not backing down...I think that’s a really great theme of this season."
9. Nancy battles sexist coworkers. Nancy's summer job interning for the local Hawkins newspaper isn't the dream role she probably expected. "It’s so relatable for any woman," Natalia Dyer, who plays Nancy, tells Glamour. "I’ve often been asked lately if I drew from any particular experiences [to play this story], and I’m like, ‘Just being a woman in the world, like you can draw on that pretty quickly.' Nancy has grown a lot, and it really helps her speak up and find her truth and sense of justice and dignity. It’s like she realizes it’s her right to be here and be respected and be a human and be heard and not degraded."
10. Nancy's relationship with her mother, Karen, improves and matures. What happens to Nancy at work is a catalyst for these two to have better conversations. "In past seasons [the relationship] has been more of the teenager hiding things and pushing her mom away and her mom trying to be like, ‘What’s wrong?’ and Nancy being like, ‘Get out of my life!’" Dyer says. "But it was really nice to [see them bond].... It’s that thing when you’re down or you're sick or your heart’s been broken and not everybody, but a lot of girls are like, ‘I just want my mom. That woman in my life that’s number one.'"
11. Jonathan and Nancy start the season stronger than ever. "What’s nice in the beginning of this season is you get to spend some time with them just living a normal life and seeing that dynamic," Charlie Heaton, who plays Jonathan, tells Glamour. "And then throughout the season they have to kind of go on these investigative missions and you see the support they have for each other and what they do uncover. They do make a good team."
12. There are plenty of Steve and Dustin scenes to go around. Yes, their bromance is alive and well. "Our friendship...it’s really a partnership, truly," Joe Keery, who plays Steve, tells Glamour. "We’ve got the buddy thing. We both bring a different sort of thing to the table, and I think that’s why people kind of enjoy the partnership." Keery says Steve becomes "a better listener" this season, while Gaten Matazarro (Dustin) says his character "gains a sense of leadership and confidence."
13. Steve and Nancy shippers shouldn't hold their breath. Sorry, friends, it doesn't look like these two are getting back together any time soon. "I’m not sure if them being together would be moving each other forward or pushing each other back in the past," Keery tells Glamour. "I think it’s possible, but I’m not sure if it would be for good."
14. You'll see more of Billy in season three. Dacre Montgomery, who plays Billy, revealed to Glamour that we meet his biological mother. "I’m glad that story arc was built in," he says. "I was really happy about that." He continues, "Last season we had this nice moment with the dad where Billy is humanized, and the ending that is presented to Billy—to the audience, rather—at the end of this season is so fantastic."
15. Max and Lucas are in different stages in their relationship. “Lucas is taking the relationship very relaxed, and Max expects a lot more from him than she should," Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas, tells Glamour. "They’re not as in love as Eleven and Mike. They’re more on the chill side. They definitely appreciate each other’s company, but it’s a teenage romance for sure.”
16. Will and his friends are on two very different pages. Noah Schnapp says his character is a late bloomer because he was stuck in the Upside Down for so long: "Everyone was maturing and getting older and growing up, but Will was alone in the Upside Down and isolated. Once he got back, he just wanted to go back to how it was when he was a kid, when he was younger. And they don’t want to do that anymore. So he’s kind of excluded. He’s not ready to grow up.”
