My roommate and I were so excited to start the new season of Euphoria that, to refresh our memories of the hellscape that were seasons 1 and 2, we re-watched both. The music and aesthetics were superb, and I had completely forgotten some of the plot twists (Nate having his dad arrested with a loaded gun in his pocket…). The moment comes to start the new season, we press play and… oh.
There are some positives, so I won’t be a complete negative Nancy, but I will say I am a disappointed Deena.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
The positives I guess…
The things this show doesn’t skimp out on are the settings and aesthetics. The show’s cinematography is unmatched; it makes you feel you are truly there. The outfits and makeup? I mean, who could deny the artistry and talent it takes to have such extravagant character aesthetics that pop on screen?
Now onto the things that just didn’t land.
Rue’s career choices
Rue is a drug mule…. girl, what the hell. This plot feels like the ultimate turn for the worst for a person with an addiction. Rue’s story was so complex, with her self aware understanding that though her father’s death turned her whole life around for the worst, she would’ve been an addict regardless.
She had this back-and-forth of being a bad person to the people she loved, while also loving them more than herself at times. Rue didn’t get the chance to explore the ‘thing’ she’s good at, or what she could have loved more than drugs. Now, she is a drug mule going back and forth to Mexico and once again, lying to her friends. To be blunt, this plot feels like a caricature of a person with an addiction.
lobotomized Cassie and Nate
Cassie and Nate are some of the most NPC characters I’ve ever seen this season. From guns blazing in the season 2 finale with their intense love affair, to them now acting completely dull and brand new.
Cassie has fully leaned into the bimbo-blonde stereotype with her acting oblivious in half of the scenes, while Nate is the most dull I’ve ever seen him.
The thing that makes Nate Jacobs, Nate Jacobs, is that he is scary as hell. Now, he has no essence of edge, truly it feels like another dimension where Nate’s dad wasn’t a total pedophile and felon, and Nate lived his frat guy life of dartying and ChatGPT-ing his English homework. I get it, it’s been 5 years, people are meant to change, but they shouldn’t be close to a stranger of what they used to be. Cassie, no matter how fake she was all throughout the two seasons, was multidimensional and sensitive, while Nate felt like this looming character that could get you at any moment if he felt like. Now they feel like an essence of themselves. It’s like they were writing new characters, someone whispered their names in the other room, and that was enough to call them Nate and Cassie. Truly the la crois version of themselves.
sex work or subordinate
All of the female characters are now in sex work or in subordinate roles. There is nothing wrong with these career choices in reality, and again, most of them are 22/23, so I don’t expect girl boss CEOs either. But damn, we got a drug mule, a stay-at-home wife becoming an OnlyFans model, a sugar baby, and two assistants. Wouldn’t it make sense to have Lexi in Grad school or Rue attempting (emphasis on attempting, we all know she isn’t an angel) to give back to the systems that helped her? It makes obvious sense not to have everyone be at their full potential at 22, especially with this fun bunch, but at least one of them could’ve been doing well for themselves.
The baby pose
I know the baby posing of Cassie is aimed to make fun of and bring attention to the usual predatory nature of porn within the male gaze, but this goes too far. If dressing as a dog, drinking from a bowl, and dressing as a baby in a compromised position don’t make your skin crawl when you have to act it out, maybe a re-evaluation is needed. Satire and doing the thing you’re trying to make fun of are two different things. Satire creates reflection in things people may overlook. This is not satirical; we all (hopefully) know dressing as a baby for the sexual interest of grown people is bad. This is just predatory.
Overall…
In general, I’m pretty disappointed. It felt like I watched a completely different show with the only similarity from the past seasons being their names. I hope I get proven wrong in these upcoming episodes, but I don’t think I will.