Very fun,refreshing show with a strong sci-fi backbone for us old X-file fans. ST seems to connect with a very wide audience and is no more just "teen" entertainment than 'It' was. I am perhaps one of the lucky viewers to have been near that age in 83'-85' & had discovered D&D as a teen.The show nails early 80's without forcing it into all scenes & often feels like a strangely HD old series you somehow missed....Cringed seeing those awful striped tube socks again at Starcourt so,yeah perhaps a little more horror in this for some of us who had blocked that stuff out . It's clear by now the writing,casting,acting,& execution of all 3 of this series seasons is top notch & an example for others to learn from.It's streamlined story telling yet never seeming rushed,with flawless threading of storylines & careful attention to their own laws of their universe. As with any popular work in any creative medium,some directions they take won't be loved by every different person,but most of what I see is praise. Even the usual people looking for flaws,anti-popular,or with a very narrow,specific taste seem to be a tiny minority,no split audience here. A hidden strength I feel for ST is that even for the supporting cast they have shown great character choices so far,especially deciding to give Bob Newby/Austin a bigger part while sticking to his ultimate fate & thus a truly heartfelt impact on into season 3. And then there's Steve.With him they actually bucked the 80's trope of spoiled popular jerks to be realized,overcome & discarded by our main character(s). He made a stand-up guy turn-around last second of season 1 that kept him around on borrowed time it seemed. Then it felt like the show stayed with him just until we could see him hit rock bottom before exiting the story as it felt like his time was long overdue, but strangely he wound up tagging along by a tiny thread of happenstance(maybe a decision due to comedic chemistry with Dustin?)then being drawn into a new role of reluctant hero with truly redeeming qualities as we find ourselves rooting for Harrington vs a new,far more menacing version of his old self near the end of season 2. It was like a fully realized Jaimie Lannister complex arc in GoT,not ruined,like if the Duffer bros had him promise Nancy he'd watch the kids,then later tell Dustin & gang they weren't worth staying for so gotta get back to his old a-hole friends to go party,then leaving b4 Billy shows up next scene... oh,later some trees molded by the tunnels fall on the party killing him(sorry,still too soon)...Anyway,he's a far more interesting 'big brother 'character to the kids now, a proven monster hunter of sorts in their eyes.With the shared experience he grew as a person & bonded with them as he moved forward from Nancy,though he may be dealing with the realization that he may have peaked in high school,I just started S3. Billy is not mentioned enough in reviews, he's a great 'human' antagonist to contrast with the supernatural ones.From his unexpected but delightful scenes flirting with the frustrated Mrs.Wheeler to the brutal reminders that people can be in some ways just as bad a monster to some.I felt as much dread for our group when he showed at Will's house as the Demi-Dogs.Yet the show even gives the wonderfully portrayed Billy a sense of depth & manages a touch of sympathetic understanding as we see how his violent father aggressively demasculates him. I'm glad he's a main character so far in 3.The show has just enough well written romance,humor,& regular drama to make the horror & supernatural feel real. Just like slower clean acoustic parts in metal music can make the heavy fast parts seem heavier. Without the balance it would be just a another dull horror or sci-fi done before no matter the quality.This formula works.The changes in the threat each season works as well,taking inspiration from diff horror/sci-fi films then applying the shows rules for each season is a great idea.