How Euphoria Season 3 Becomes The Worst Season So Far
Euphoria season 3 has been a disappointment in many people’s eyes. The new season debuted with a historic low of 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. Three episodes later, its RT score has dropped to 40%. It’s clear that the season has been a miss rather than a hit, despite having several scenes going viral.
The third season does something the previous two didn’t. It intentionally establishes a tonal mismatch from the previous seasons while drastically shrinking the cast. Many viewers also find it hard to connect the characters in season 3 to their previous high-school selves.
Creator Sam Levinson’s core idea is solid—people don’t always stay the same after high school. Once they enter the real world, things change. And as many high school reunions have shown, people don’t always turn out the way we picture them. It makes sense that Euphoria season 3 almost feels like it breaks character arcs—the main characters are never meant to continue their arcs predictably.
Nate inherited his father’s business, and like many sons who discover that the business isn’t as easy as their fathers made it seem, Nate ran into trouble. His encounter with reality grounds him in a way that makes high-school Nate feel like a totally different person, and that makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is why he stayed together with Cassie. The two had a very unstable relationship in season 2, and the way they function now as an engaged (before the wedding episode) couple doesn’t seem to reflect their dynamic.
What’s great about Euphoria season 3 is that, individually, each character arc works. They are reliable and almost truthful to the characters.
Laurie finding Rue and weaponizing the situation to make her work as a drug mule is also a clever storyline. How Rue seems to have cleaned up her act, on the other hand, isn’t fully explained. While in the show, Rue explained that she hasn’t been sober since her addiction was at the center of the first two seasons. The shift from her being an active user to being part of the industry is something the show didn’t explain.
Jules’ development may have been the best in the season. From a struggling artist to a sugar baby, her creative pursuit hit reality in a brutal way, and what she realizes is that talent and passion sometimes don’t pay the bills. Money can be easily earned if she knows the right people.
Individually, the characters’ arcs in season 3 do make sense. However, together as a whole, the show seems to drift more into the territory of a dark comedy. The lack of smoothing the audience into the adult roles is one of the biggest reasons why season 3 turns out to be a disaster. Unrealistic and cringy scenes only make it worse.
