Stranger Things Season 3 Episode 3 Recap – The Case of the Missing Lifeguard

Free of Girls

Max hangs out in Eleven’s bedroom and they talk about their relationships. El feels a slight regret after dumping Mike but Max assures him that he’ll be running back begging for forgiveness. She thinks it would be fun to see their reactions, so El decides to spy on them with a blindfold and the radio. El finds Lucas and Mike questioning what he did wrong. Lucas tells him to relax and stop rationalizing because women act on emotion, not reason. They’re a totally different species. Will invites them to play D&D, but the two aren’t interested and they start goofing off. El laughs as Mike burps and Lucas farts to one-up him.

Hopper comes home drunk and barges in on El’s room to open the door but finds Max there, who’s upset that he didn’t knock. Max says she’s here for a sleepover, and her parents already know. Hopper apologizes and smiles, heading back to the living room to watch TV and relax. Max and El then play a roulette game where they spin a bottle and spy on the person whose name it lands on. The second spin goes to Billy. El sees Billy’s banged-up car and follows him as he’s kneeling on the floor. She hears a woman scream and takes off the blindfold as Billy seems to sense her.

The next morning, Will wakes up his two friends with loud music. They see him all dressed up as Will the Wise as he proclaims that this day is “free of girls”. He then shows them his new campaign’s premise, where a group of villagers are under attack from an evil force.

Mysteries Brewing

Joyce goes to Hopper’s shed in a hurry to show him that all of the fridge magnets aren’t working. She starts explaining her findings with Clarke the night before but Hopper interrupts and scolds her for not showing up for dinner. She suggests that this isn’t a coincidence, and the lab could be making a new project that could put them all in trouble.

Hopper doesn’t take it seriously and thinks she’s just deflecting because she’s afraid to have dinner and open up. Joyce ignores him and leaves with the intention of going to Hawkins Lab.

El asks to visit Max’s house to check on Billy, worried about the things she discovered the night before. Max goes into Billy’s room but he’s not there. They then go to the bathroom to find the tub full of ice. El discovers blood in the cupboard. Inside, they find a lifesaver’s cap and a bloody whistle.

Nancy pitches her story about Mrs. Driscoll’s concerns and the rabid rats to the news room. More reports have come out from other residents who found missing supplies. Some of which includes fertilizer, pesticides, cleaning supplies and the like. The men make fun of her and say her story has potential for a Nancy Drew novel.

A Broken Party

While Robin continues translating the Russian transmission on the counter, Steve and Dustin are downstairs looking for possible spies. Steve gets distracted and starts looking for girls. Dustin tells him to stop looking when Robin’s right in front of him, but he says she’s not his type due to her oddities. Dustin advises him to find someone he wants to hang out with like he does with Suzie. Steve argues that Dustin was only able to score a girlfriend because of his advise.

Will plays the DM for Lucas and Mike, who both seem less enthused and distracted. Suddenly the phone rings. Mike eagerly answers but is disappointed when it’s not El, but some telemarketer. The two are worried about their girlfriends. Will tells them the game isn’t over, but Mike jokes that they’re sacrificing themselves to let the game be done and save the villagers in the process. Will snaps and storms off with his stuff despite the rain. Mike apologizes, saying his campaign is good but they’re just not in the mood anymore. Will accuses him of ruining the party so she can share spit with some stupid girl.

Mike tells him El is not stupid and that them having girlfriends is something that’s bound to happen. They won’t just stay in his basement all their lives and play games. Will leaves, still disappointed.

El and Max go to the local pool and show the cap to the workers. One of the guys says is Heather’s, who had bailed on her shift today. El sees her picture at the bulletin board and rips it away. The two of them go to the bathrooms and drown the sound out with the showers. El searchers for Heather and finds a red door in her vision. Heather emerges from a bathtub full of ice and asks for her help, before getting dragged under the void.

The Spies

Hopper and Joyce enter the abandoned Hawkins lab using bolt cutters to check for any activity. They reach the area where the gate was once located and find that everything has been sealed shut. Joyce sighs, thinking that she’s being paranoid. Hopper says he feels it too and is trying his best to let her feel safe in Hawkins. He already knows that she had been planning to sell their home. They hear a sound in the distance, and Hopper goes to check it out.

Dustin spots a shady looking man with a duffel bag and thinks its their guy. They follow him to the upper floor, but it turns out he’s just a workout instructor carrying a boom box.

Meanwhile, Robin finds a delivery guy from a company called Lynx, and connects it with the “silver cat” in the message. She then scans around and finds more clues. Not long after, she cracks the Russian code.

Max and Lucas go to Will’s house to apologize, but he isn’t there. Will is at Castle Byers, looking through the memorabilia of his party. He thinks its all stupid and starts tearing the whole castle apart.

Nancy and Jonathan enter Mrs. Driscoll’s home since nobody would answer. They hear a screeching in the basement and find her feeding on the fertilizer.

Dustin, Robin and Steve find a Lynx truck delivering boxes full of questionable stuff to the mall. The Russians find them spying but they manage to escape.

He’s Back

Hopper follows the other presence at Hawkins Lab but ends up getting beaten to the ground by a Russian, who then leaves in his motorcycle.

El and Max visit the home where she found the red door, only to discover that they’re in Heather’s home. They find Billy and her parents having dinner at the dining table. Eleven asks him where she is, but Heather appears holding a tray of cookies. Billy asks El to introduce herself and a stare-down ensues. Max makes an excuse that they were just checking in on Heather since she didn’t show up to work. Billy claims they’re taking the day off to nurse her back to good health. Heather adds that she’s feeling so much better.

Billy stares at Max and El as they leave, remembering the moment when the gate at Hawkins is sealed. Mike and Lucas reach Will, who stands up and ominously says: “he’s back.”

Heather’s mom knocks over the wine and feels a bit lightheaded. She falls and lies flat in the living room. The dad checks up on her but Heather also knocks him out with a wine bottle and subdues him with chloroform handed over by Billy.

Our Thoughts

Lots of creepy stuff and good jumpscares in this episode. Rating: 3.9/5