What Do Stranger Things Season 3's Episode Titles Really Mean?

Stranger Things Season 3 is coming in 2019, and now Netflix have released the episode titles to tease the new run of episodes.

The title teaser, which is very similar to the one they did ahead of Season 2, plays out like the usual title credits, revealing that there'll be eight episodes this time around - one fewer than Season 2, which presumably means they'll be going back to basics after the badly-received episode 7 - and what they'll be called.

As ever, the episode titles aren't obvious, but could hold some clues as to what to expect from Stranger Things when it returns for Season 3.

Suzie, Do You Copy?

This could be about a new character that we've yet to hear about, or perhaps even Maya Hawke's character. She was previously said to be called Robin, but it's possible they've changed that to Suzie.

Alternatively, given that it reads like a radio message, it could be a codename. That would very much fit with where Eleven is, and her using that for communications so no one figures out what's going on.

The Mall Rats

Starcourt Mall was the focus of the first Season 3 teaser, so it's clearly going to be an important location in the new episodes. Aside from the fact Steve is working there, we can assume that Mall Rats refers to Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas hanging out constantly at the Mall and getting up to some mischief. It'll likely have some double meaning though - as most of these will - so it could be referring to the company behind the Mall and their true objectives.

The Case of the Missing Lifeguard

Francesca Reale was cast back in May as Heather, a popular lifeguard at Hawkins community pool. It was reported at the time that her character would be the centrepiece of a dark mystery, and with this episode title, it's safe to predict just what that mystery will be. This series loves disappearances after all, and it looks like we'll be getting another one - with Heather perhaps being taken to the Upside Down.

The Sauna Test

One of the vaguest titles, but it's likely this refers to some sort of test to see if a person is infected. That could just be Will and the Mind Flayer, but it might also point to the larger plans for Season 3, given other titles like 'The Source' and 'The Bite' suggest some kind of disease or infection being spread.

The Source

Speaking of which, The Source should be where we get a really good sense for whatever is going down in Hawkins. This year is heavily influenced by the likes of George A. Romero, John Carpenter, and David Cronenberg, so The Source revealing the, well, source of the trouble and just what it is would make sense at this stage. This could be something parasitic, a la The Thing, or even more like zombies.

The Birthday

It's not all doom-and-gloom, as we're going to see one of the Stranger kids celebrating their birthday. At least, that's presumably what it means. Perhaps they'll even go to Scoops Ahoy at the Mall for a birthday ice cream. It'd be quite fun if this was Eleven's birthday being celebrated, which should make for an episode full of the heart the series does so well (with a dark twist, of course), but it could be just about anyone's.

The Bite

Like with The Source, this really suggests some kind of infectious threat. Given those Romero influences, could we see a new, zombie-esque monster coming from the Upside Down? It could also refer to some kind of trap being laid out, but the more monstrous option feels more likely here.

The Battle of Starcourt

The most obvious of the bunch - although we can bet it won't all be as it seems - The Battle of Starcourt tells us that s**t is going to go the f**k down in Stranger Things' third season finale. There'll be heroes, monsters from the Upside Down, and who knows what else, all fighting inside an 80s shopping mall.

Of course, there's always the chance the Duffer Bros will change some of these like they did with Season 2, but for now, bring it on!

What do you think the episode titles mean? Let us know down in the comments.