After an over four-year wait, HBO’s modern classic TV series Euphoria officially premiered its third season on Sunday, March 12th. The one-hour episode, titled “Andale,” set the tone for the season with a jam-packed audience shock factor that fans and critics are definitely surprised with, but probably not in the way the show expected.
When the inside looks, teasers, and trailers first dropped, fans were already calling out the 180-degree direction change the show was taking before it dropped. The internet was buzzing with confusion about the plot points and the transformations the characters have gone through after graduating high school.
The subject surrounded by the loudest uproar was the reaction of the show cleansing itself of the iconic, colorful, glittery aesthetic.
While this vibe was also muted in Season 2, the hate is more so coming to the new aesthetic of the show now, which brings a “Western, bleak energy” to support Season 3’s adult-life storyline. According to Sam Levinson, life after high school is so dry it has to be set in a desert.
Now, after Episode 1’s premiere, we’re blessed not only by that Texas Christian family but also with the fans’ mixed reviews of this episode’s drama. Let’s unpack what happened:
The initial opening minutes of the episode focus on Rue and her adventures as a drug mule for the drug dealer, Laurie (AKA “Rue, you owe me money”), to pay off her debt.
To say the least, fans weren’t prepared for the graphic scenes of Rue and Faye smuggling substances over the border and the details of what came after involving a spaghetti dish and dogs.
OBRlENSFlLMS on X reacted, “the balloon scene in euphoria will be a skip for me every time, gawd I almost died,” while another user, shadeismygame, put a clip of a scene, captioning, “this was so disgusting to watch, but I’m still tuned in for next week!”
Sydney Sweeney’s character, Cassie, while not as disgustingly graphic, is still the subject of talk amongst fans, one X user going as far as to label her scenes in Episode 1 as a “humiliation ritual.”
While fans agree that Cassie venturing into adult content wasn’t a total reach, the main issue comes from the “demeaning” depiction of her dressing up and performing in this episode, which makes viewers uncomfortable.
X user CNShottie said a scene between Cassie and Nate “paint[ed]” shades of self-aware satire, and another fan, WeezerKino, was awed by one of Cassie’s lines: “Watching Euphoria Season 3 premiere and Cassie really said I’m not having a Ghetto wedding, what…”
Though judging from the next sneak peeks for future episodes, this episode is only a peek at Cassie’s future controversial scenes coming up.
Fans are also surprised to find themselves agreeing with Nate the most out of all the characters, since he switched from his usual toxic demeanor. xeuphoriadaily on X said “In Season 3, when Cassie publicly embarrasses him, he barely gets angry and simpers after her.”
Other fans have noticed details about Nate’s look and change in voice that remind him of his role as Elvis in Sofia Copolla’s Priscilla. “the spirit of elvis jumped out for a sec #euphoria,” goldcccc posted on X.
As for the overall tone of the show, a popular joke circulating on social media is fans labeling this new season as the new Breaking Bad, from the bold yellow font, desert setting, and, of course, focus on substances, within the first 20 minutes of the episode.
Euphoria’s lack of its typical moody music playing in the background of scenes didn’t go unnoticed by fans either. Labrinth, the main musical artist in Euphoria’s previous seasons, pulled his music from the show just a few weeks before the first episode aired. Fans pointed out that the plot may feel less driven without his music filling the void.
watchwithdiya let her frustration be known on X, “Labrinth WAS Euphoria’s sound.” She goes on, “you can’t separate his music from Rue or the show’s impact.” Others went so far as to overlay Labrinth’s newly released music over the episode’s transitional scenes on TikTok.
Fans aren’t alone in their concern with how the series might progress. The first half of the series scored a low 45% on Rotten Tomatoes by critics.
Going into Episode 2 this Sunday, fans are eager to see what Euphoria has in store for them, and whether the last season can live up to its name, or if the show has veered off its successful path for good.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest!