Euphoria Is Back (Season 3 Premiere)

Spoilers ahead for Euphoria Season 3, Episode 1.

When HBO announced Euphoria was finally returning, I was ready and eager to receive this final season. I wasn't prepared for just how surreal it would feel to be watching this show again in the year of our lord, 2026.

It's been years since the Season 2 finale. In that time, the world has changed, the cast has changed, the television landscape has changed—and honestly, so have I. I watched Season 2 every Sunday in 2022 from my smoke-damaged couch in the living room of my first Los Angeles apartment. I watched the Season 3 Premiere from my living room in Madison, Wisconsin. This made the whole experience feel nostalgic and uncanny at the same time.

That's probably the best word I have for this premiere: uncanny.

The Show Feels Different—On Purpose

Within the first few minutes, something felt off.

The pacing was slower. The dialogue often paused between lines in a way that almost reminded me of watching student films in college. Every sentence hangs in the air just a little longer than you expect.

The characters aren't living in the same emotional world they once were, and neither are we.

After such a long hiatus, Euphoria almost feels like it's introducing itself all over again.

Rue Is Still the Heart of This Show

No matter how much time passes, one thing hasn't changed: Rue (Zendaya) remains one of television's most compelling protagonists.

There's something almost cartoonish about the way she moves through danger. She'll make the most reckless decision imaginable with complete confidence, and somehow you're laughing one second and terrified for her the next.

Zendaya slips right back into this role like she never left. However, I’ve recently had weird feelings about Zendaya as an actor. I think part of the reason why it was so easy for her to slip back into the character of Rue is because she kind of plays the same character in everything that she’s in. Don’t come for me. I’m just calling it like I see it. Anyways, I digress. 

Sam Levinson’s strongest writing addresses the realities of addiction, and that's probably because it's the story he knows best. Whether you love or hate Euphoria, the series has always portrayed addiction with a level of honesty that makes it impossible to look away.

But Episode 1 left me with one huge question:

Is Rue actually sober?

We never really get an answer.

She's transporting drugs. She's making wildly impulsive decisions. But we don't actually see her using harder drugs, and that changes how I interpret almost every scene she's in.

If she's sober, some of her choices become much harder to understand.

I'm hoping the show addresses this sooner rather than later because it's one of the biggest questions hanging over the season.

How to Hold Up a Mirror

One thing I've always appreciated about Euphoria is that it doesn't just tell stories—it reflects the cultural moment we're living in.

Sometimes it's subtle.

Sometimes it's about social media.

Sometimes it's painfully obvious.

This premiere touches on everything from border politics to gender roles, online sex work, traditional relationships, economic pressure, and what autonomy looks like in 2026, specifically for women. Weird that Sam Levinson feels like this is his story to tell but whatever, let’s roll with it and see how this unfolds.

Watching Nate and Cassie's relationship this season, feels like watching a car crash in slow motion. It’s hard to believe what your eyes are seeing, especially as someone who knows how impossible the fantasy they're chasing actually is.

They're trying to perform this picture-perfect, traditional lifestyle, but financially and emotionally, the foundation just…it’s not there, babes.

When you look at our society objectively, even a picture-perfect, All American, white, bright, and light couple like Nate and Cassie are struggling to maintain the facade. They can’t comprehend anything less than perfection and a life that imitates something straight out of Hollywood because that’s all they’ve ever been promised. 

What does it say about America and this generation, if even the people the system is set up to uplift can’t make ends meet. Is it a reflection of Nate and Cassie’s moral failings? Perhaps. I think their relationship opens up a conversation about our country and current society and at the same time, invites an intriguing character study. For me, that's much more interesting than simply asking whether they're a toxic couple.

My Biggest Concern

Here's where I struggle.

Rue's queer identity has meant a lot to me over the years, especially as someone who watched the early seasons while still figuring out parts of my own identity.

That's why some of her characterization in this premiere felt off.

Without spoiling every moment, there were scenes where Rue's behavior didn't feel authentic to the version of her we've spent years getting to know.

The same goes for Jules (Hunter Schafer).

I'm genuinely curious where her storyline is heading, but I hope the season gives her something richer than another narrative centered around older men and exploitation. Hunter Schafer has helped shape Jules into one of the show's most fascinating characters, and I'd love to see that complexity continue.

Nate Is Still the Biggest Mystery

Speaking of complicated...

Can we finally decide what we're doing with Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi)?

Is his sexuality still part of the story?

Because if it isn't, that's a pretty major thread to quietly abandon.

Nate isn't operating as the terrifying and intense version of himself that he was displaying when we left off in Season 2. Even though there has been a time jump, I hope the show addresses what led to his change in demeanor. I  can already feel that simmering possessiveness beneath the surface.

He's still deeply insecure.

Still obsessed with control.

Still emotionally volatile.

The premiere hints that all of those traits are about to explode again.

Messy

Maybe I missed having a Sunday night show that gets everyone arguing online.

Or maybe Euphoria still has that strange magic that makes it impossible to stop thinking about it—even when it's frustrating you.

After all these years, I wasn't expecting this show to feel exactly the same.

Honestly, I'm glad it doesn't.

It's weirder.

It's darker.

It's more divisive than ever.

I plan to stick with it and analyze episode by episode. I anxiously await to see how it all plays out and comes to an end.