into a nostalgia-filled show that brings blatant and obscure references whether it is within the world itself or its storytelling elements. Season three was no different by having tons of direct references to iconic sci-fi films and TV series. In one of the major storylines of the season it blends elements of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Alien and Dawn of the Dead. The other combines aspects of Red Dawn with The Terminator and Indiana Jones. This isn’t including the direct imitation of many iconic shots from some other series including Jurassic Park, Star Wars and even having Back to the Future as part of the season’s narrative.

This continued use of 80’s nostalgia is seen also through the soundtrack, which again feels like a character in itself. Theheavily synthesized music creates an immediate connection to the decade it was born in while setting the perfect atmosphere for the story. However, while the nostalgia is great, it feels like the overuse of imitation rather than references to classic sci-fi causes this season to feel a little less original than the ones before it. The repetitive use of a face-less, voice-less one-note villain shows a series that is going through a cyclical story of “bad supernatural enemy faces off against a group of quirky kids.” This mixed with the overly used and completely unoriginal trope of a secret Russian base hidden in America to set up a secondary villain makes the tension of a true villain character this season fall flat.

Thankfully, the series manages to mask this