Why does everyone hate Season 3? *spoilers*

I thought it was a perfectly good season, along with 2. Sure, the Duffers broke our hearts when Eleven dumped his ass. (And don't get me started on the Hopper fakeout. :D ) And the Neverending Story Theme was hella random. But 3 was one of the most colorful seasons, and it answered a question that had been on my mind after watching the Season 2 finale: Will there be tension between Eleven and Max? Will they ever be friends?

Everybody had great moments to shine, and we were introduced to Robin. Also Steve's hair was a bit lighter than in Season 1. Also, can we appreciate the fact that the Red Power Ranger of all people dropped the show's first F bomb?

Okay, yes, the Hopper fakeout. They even went so far as to play Peter Gabriel's version of "Heroes," which had previously played when they discovered the decoy body that was "supposed" to be Will. (Cue the ugly-crying.) At least with Season 1, I knew Eleven wasn't dead * because Nickelodeon's Space Cases had done the same switcheroo two decades prior when Jewel Staite had to leave the show. (Fun fact: Catalina was replaced by her friend, Suzee, previously thought to be imaginary or invisible. Coincidence?)

*Curiously, the Duffers' original plan was to kill off Eleven. Nowadays, such a thing would be unthinkable, though it's certainly been teased/baited (Season 3 finale; "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab"; "Papa"; "The Piggyback").

What's supposed to be so bad about Season 3?