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If there's anyone qualified to tell you how to watch Stranger Things 3,Gary Eberhart Archives it's the people who made it.

We're just days away from Netflix's long-awaited return to Hawkins, Indiana — and while little is known of the season's overarching plot, we can tell from the vibey trailers that there are malls to be crawled, sleeves to be puffed, ice creams to be scooped, and (presumably) lives to be saved.

Oh, also Billy as a lifeguard. I mean.

With eight episodes confirmed for the new season, running roughly an hour a pop, fans are sure to spend a huge chunk of their Independence Day weekend reveling in the Upside Down. But what's thebestway to wade through all that patriotic, '80s sci-fi goodness?

"I was up until four o'clock in the morning. It was a nightmare."

We asked Stranger Things stars David Harbour and Winona Ryder, aka Chief Hopper and Joyce Byers, how they thought we should plan our viewing this holiday.

"I think you can watch episodes 1, 2, and 3 at a more leisurely pace," advises Harbour. "But once you hit 4, I think you're in for a five-hour evening."

Emphasizing the season's gradual increasing of the stakes and slow-burn plot payoff -- a model that made both Stranger Things 1 and 2 exceptionally bingeable -- Harbour cautioned viewers against committing to more than they can handle in one sitting.

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"What I did this year was I watched the first four when [Netflix] sent them to us, but then when I got the last four I watched them all in one night," says Harbour.

"For me, the arc of the season happens in such a way that once you start episode 4, I don't think you can stop. The way that episode 4 rolls out into episode 8 is so beautiful, and I really could not stop. I mean, I was up until four o'clock in the morning. It was a nightmare."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

But Harbour stressed that he thought the show was made better through bingeing, at least for the latter half.

"It makes the finale all the stronger to see," he adds. "The story really kicks in, for once we really see what we're dealing with, you see this whole dance, and then the finale just hits you in the face."

SEE ALSO: 'Stranger Things' star David Harbour on why he feared Season 3 could jump the shark

Ryder seconded the need to enjoy the show's end as a block, adding that viewers particularly eager to get started watching on the day of premiere should triple-check their Netflix account status beforehand.

"I remember when the first season came out, Netflix raised the price that day," recalls Ryder.

"It was like $9.99 or something, and then it went up. So when I went to watch the show, it told me like, 'Sorry, you can't.' And of course, I was like, 'Seriously?! Oh myGod.'"

TL;DR: Check your credit card info, press play, and when you get to episode 4? Strap in.

Stranger Things 3begins streaming July 4 on Netflix.

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