As we kick off episode 3, the government rears its head, visiting Sam Owens (from season 3) in search of El. The military thinks she must be responsible for the gruesome deaths in Hawkins. Owens claims to have no idea where El might be, but he actually helped Joyce get her out of Hawkins for her protection.

Out in CA, El is arrested for attacking Angela at the skating rink, but on the way to jail, Owens arrives with a bunch of government agents and takes custody of El. He promises that he has a way for her to get her powers back and tells her that Hawkins is in danger again. El agrees and they head off into the CA desert.

Joyce and Murray fly to Alaska to deliver Hopper’s ransom, while Hopper works on his own escape plans to be ready when the ransom arrives in Russia.

In Hawkins, Nancy teams up with Robin as they search for more information about the mysterious Victor Creel. They track down newspaper articles from the 1950s where he blamed his family’s murders on a demon, which they believe to be Vecna. 

Jason is certain that Eddie is responsible for Chrissy’s death and he organized the basketball team on a manhunt to capture him. Lucas has second thoughts about his ties to Jason and eventually ditches the team, warning Dustin that they are looking for Eddie. 

Some connections start to come together as Max remembers that Chrissy was visiting the school counselor prior to being killed by Vecna. She discovers that Fred was seeing the counselor as well, and she manages to steal their files from the counselor’s office. The team learns that both Fred and Chrissy were suffering from PTSD, very similar to Max. At the end of the episode, Max has a vision of Vecna calling her name and a grandfather clock. 

Watch it or Not?

Definitely watch it! This season is getting good.

5 out of 5 stars.