Euphoria Season 3: Review

To say that this season has been overshadowed by controversy would be an understatement. From reports of Zendaya and Sam Levinson having a falling out, to Labrinth backing out of the project in a public way, to Sydney Sweeney becoming the face of conservative America in between seasons, to certain cast members not returning to finish their story, it's a miracle that Euphoria season 3 actually ended up being made. But it did, and, although somewhat begrudgingly, most of us tuned in to watch this story come to a conclusion.

If you were a late teen or a young adult when the first season of Euphoria came out, you'll remember the impact it had. People became obsessed with it. The aesthetics of it, the incredibly real and raw story, the characters who we ended up caring about very deeply, Euphoria wasn't just a show, it was a moment in time. People were throwing Euphoria-themed parties, everyone was trying to recreate the make-up looks, you really just had to be there for it.

So, for those of us who cared about this show deeply, it's been a bit of a heartbreak to see the shit-show the last season ammounted itself to be.

One thing is for certain, though: there is a lot to discuss and analyse about this season of Euphoria, so let's get straight into it.

We'll start with the positives.

It's still (somewhat) entertaining.

The worst sin a show can commit is to be boring, and "boring" is never a word I would've used in the past to describe Euphoria. This season, although lacking the storytelling strength the previous two had, still had its moments and its entertainment. The first half of the season was probably the best, and I'll admit that I was interested in a lot of the storylines we were presented with. The story picks up a few years after graduation, so we get to see what all the characters have been up to and what has become of their lives. Jacob Elordi who plays the infamous Nate Jacobs gets arguably the most interesting subplot of the season: he owes a lot of money to some really bad people, and we get to see the downfall of him and his marriage as that debt comes crashing down on him.

Zendaya and Coleman Domingo

Listen to me carefully. These two are some of the best actors working at the moment. Zendaya did not win two Emmy awards for her portrayal of Rue Bennet for nothing, and Coleman Domingo is not a two-time Oscar-nominated actor for nothing. In spite of the shaky script and storyline they were given, in spite of the show itself losing its magic at times, Zendaya and Coleman Domingo gave it their absolute all, both delivering an absolute tour-de-force with their acting performances.

The tribute to Angus Cloud

This was a small moment, but a heartwarming one. In the season finale, Rue has a vision of her and Fez in a field, and we get to see an unused scene of Zendaya and the late Angus Cloud. In a lot of ways, Fez (and Angus himself) was the heart and soul of this show, and maybe part of why the show failed to regain its magic this season is because he wasn't in it anymore. You can feel his absence not only in the story itself, but also in what his absence means to the rest of the cast. Including him in the finale is a touching gesture and one that managed to bring a few tears to my eyes.

And now, for the negatives...

So many of the OG characters are underutilised (or completely absent)

We must remind ourselves that this show started as a story between two main characters: Rue and Jules. Yes, Rue was always the central focus of the story, but her journey was inseparable from Jules's, and you couldn't really tell Rue's story without telling Jules's as well. Hunter Schafer not only brought an incredible character to life, but also became a meaningul figure for trans women everywhere, offering a beautiful and important form of representation. So where the hell was she this season?

Jules has maybe seven or eight scenes throughout the entire season, and none of them are important or relevant to the story at all. She's completely sidelined and underutilised, and it's a real shame, as her character could've (and should've) played a much more significant part in the way the story wraps up.

Some other characters don't even return: Barbie Fereira who played Kat is not in this season, and neither is Storm Reid who played Gia, Rue's sister.

Oversexualising of its female characters

Someone has to tell Sam Levinson that not all the female characters he writes have to be sex workers. And no, there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing sex work. But when half of your season is just oversexualising your female characters, showing them naked, making Cassie's characters become an only fan creator who does adult baby content, maybe it is time to look in the mirror and ask yourself some questions.

Euphoria has never strayed away from showing real bodies or graphic sex scenes, but they always served a purpose to the story. In season 3, they simply do not, and at times it really felt more like I was watching porn rather than an actual television show.

It just didn't feel like Euphoria

When it's all said and done, that's really the easiest way to describe this season. It just didn't feel like the Euphoria we once knew and loved. Maybe it was the lack of Labrinth's score, maybe it was the change in colour palette, maybe it was that the storyline just became too big and too convoluted for its own good, but watching this felt like i was watching a completely different show.

It's clear that many were not satisfied with the way the show ended. Zendaya has not posted or really spoken about it at all in the media, and there were several reports that she was deeply unhappy with how Rue's story ended. And given how much she poured into this character throughoug the years, who can blame her?