Content warning: This review contains mentions of sexual violence.
This review contains spoilers.
Bold, glittery makeup and comically inappropriate costumes. Ethereal vocals over electronic beats. Drug addiction lit by an orange-blue complementary color scheme. “Euphoria’s” aesthetic went beyond the show itself — it was striking, instantly recognizable and culture defining.
“Euphoria” Season 3 premiered April 12, more than four years after the Season 2 finale. It looks, sounds and feels entirely different, but it’s just as riveting as before.
A lot has happened between Season 2 and the long-awaited Season 3, which takes place five years after its predecessor. The 2023 Hollywood writers strike delayed the season’s release, leaving space for “Euphoria” stars like Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi to grow their careers far beyond the show.
The passing of cast members Angus Cloud and Eric Dane also cast a shadow on the new season. This was further exacerbated by alleged behind-the-scenes drama among the actors and production crew, and composer Labrinth’s messy departure, which he announced via a cryptic Instagram post slamming the show.
Season 3 swaps East Highland High School for drug cartels, strip clubs and Hollywood. It feels more like Grand Theft Auto than the teen drama we’re used to. But the themes are similar: drug addiction is replaced with drug trafficking, while its raw portrayal of vice gets grittier.
Episode 1 begins with Rue (Zendaya) crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in a car, which she is forced to abandon atop the border wall. She is paying off her debt to drug dealer Laurie (Martha Kelly) by being a mule for her, addressing a major unresolved plot line from Season 2.
With the help of Faye (Chloe Cherry), Rue smuggles drugs by body packing — swallowing balloons full of fentanyl and pooping them out. In classic “Euphoria” fashion, the show doesn’t hesitate to depict how graphic and disgusting it is, but it’s shot so beautifully that it almost looks chic.
Only Zendaya could have opened the series. She is so immediately compelling, and she disappears into Rue like no time has passed at all. Zendaya does not need “Euphoria,” but the show absolutely needs her.
The color grading, desert setting and new title card scream Wild West. But when we follow other characters like Cassie (Sweeney), the show’s aesthetic more resembles “Cocaine ’70s.” These shifts feel a little incohesive: It’s hard to pull off retro in a show with so many modern plotlines.
Before I get any further, the elephant in the room — and the biggest problem with Season 3 — is the soundtrack. Labrinth’s score was integral to the show, and his replacement, Hans Zimmer, has not replicated his effect. Given how aesthetically different Season 3 is, I wouldn’t expect the same sound, but Zimmer’s compositions are forgettable and only remind me of what’s missing from this season.
The season’s other major arc revolves around Cassie and Nate (Elordi), who are getting married. Nate struggles to run his father’s real estate business, while Cassie decides to become an OnlyFans influencer, in part to pay for their ridiculously gaudy wedding.
Sex work is a major theme of the season: Rue eventually escapes Laurie to work in a strip club, Maddy (Alexa Demie) reunites with Cassie to help launch her OnlyFans career and Jules (Hunter Schafer) is a consenting “sugar baby.”
“Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson has faced criticism for the fact that the only major female character not involved with sex work is Lexi (Maude Apatow), who is trying to make it in Hollywood as an assistant.
I think people may have forgotten this is nothing new for “Euphoria.”
In Season 1, Kat (Barbie Ferreira) starts an OnlyFans, Cassie’s nudes get passed around at a party and Jules is secretly filmed having sex with Nate’s father. At least now these characters aren’t in high school.
On the other hand, Season 3 is kinkier and more sexually violent.
I appreciated the cross-cutting montage in Episode 4 of Cassie partying, and Kitty, a stripper, servicing a group of men, drawing parallels between sex work and Cassie’s self-image. However, the way Kitty is treated in her scene is overly brutal and exploitative, undermining what is conveyed about Cassie by splicing the two scenes together.
The show’s breakneck pace and multiple plotlines make boredom impossible. But the constantly changing stakes are sometimes fatiguing and jarring: It’s hard to care about Lexi navigating Hollywood when Rue is getting shot at.
There are plenty of elements to criticize about the new season, but on the whole, it is decently well executed.
Surprisingly, the time jump was handled elegantly. Most of the characters have become believable adult versions of themselves, despite some of their career paths.
Maddy, who works as a talent agent, is a particular highlight. She’s just as driven and passionate, but more mature than she used to be. I am rooting for her success the most out of anyone.
All the actors feel committed to their roles, except for Elordi. He does not convey nearly enough anger and menace as he did in previous seasons, and without clear reason. I hope he is making us wait for it and will eventually snap with a bigger payoff later. Otherwise, his performance will have simply been lackluster.
The show is also cinematically gorgeous, mostly thanks to the decision to continue shooting it on film. Nate and Cassie’s wedding episode was a whirlwind of garish set dressing, obscene outfits and tension bordering on psychological horror. It did so much that it felt a little disjointed, but I had to admire the vibrancy and composition of the scene of Cassie crying while twerking on Nate.
“Euphoria” Season 3 doesn’t feel like the old “Euphoria,” but it is still wildly entertaining. Such a culturally important show deserves a real ending, and so far, I’m not disappointed.
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