Stranger Things Season 3 centers on the kids navigating summer romance, the new Starcourt Mall, and a secret Soviet plot to reopen the Upside Down gate beneath the mall, leading to the Mind Flayer possessing townsfolk (the "Flayed") and forming a giant flesh monster, culminating in a massive battle at the mall where Billy sacrifices himself, Joyce seemingly closes the gate (losing Hopper), and the Byers family moves away with a powerless Eleven, all while a hidden Russian base continues its oper