Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly heard of *Euphoria*—the series created by Sam Levinson that has been embroiled in more controversy than acclaim. But hey, you and I both know that it got off to an incredibly cool start and gave rise to a generation of future Hollywood icons. What began as a series about drug abuse and the kind of dysfunction that entails gradually transformed into a show obsessed with sex.
Anyway, given that the series is now over half a decade old—even before the third season has premiered—we all know we’re in need of a refresher. However, given all the craziness that has unfolded since the first season aired, along with the tragic loss of two very popular and beloved cast members—Eric Dane and Angus Cloud (RIP)—you probably don’t want to sit down and rewatch the entire first two seasons before diving headfirst into the third. So, with a *spoiler* warning in place, allow me to help you recall everything important you need to know before watching the third season of *Euphoria*.
Director: Gunasekhar
Writers: Gunasekhar, Krishna Hari, Nagendra Kasi
Stars: Saandip, Mohammad Anas, Rajasekhar Aningi
Rue is our 17-year-old protagonist. She also serves as the series' narrator, which is why everything feels exaggerated and highly dramatized. The series opens with her return from rehab, after her sister found her overdosing and was left traumatized by the experience. The key thing to remember is that Rue and Gia (her sister) are quite close, and Rue does not want her sister to end up down the same path she did. Rue’s addiction stems from having been heavily medicated throughout her childhood due to uncontrollable Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Over the course of the series, Rue suffers a kidney infection, gets entangled with drug dealers, and also strikes up a friendship with a recovering addict named Ali.
Rue is also the best friend of Lexi—Cassie’s sister—and essentially acts as a silent observer; however, at the start of the series, their friendship was already deteriorating due to Rue’s addiction. Yet, throughout the first two seasons, we witness how that friendship is rebuilt between them; it all culminates when Lexi stages a play about all of Cassie’s friends, implicitly revealing the truth about Nate in front of the entire school and unleashing monumental drama between Maddy and Cassie. But for Rue, this was the first time she felt truly *seen* as a normal person by someone she knew—which is why she was able to rekindle her friendship with Lexi.
On the other hand, Rue nearly ends up being forced to take fentanyl after going to Fez and Ashtray’s place in search of more drugs, landing her in the orbit of Mouse—the major drug kingpin from the first season. But Fez saves her, as he appears to be the only person who genuinely cares about her. Tragically, Ashtray loses his life in a shootout during the first season, and—of course—they can’t bring Fez back either, so that is where that storyline ends. But this is not the end of Rue’s chaotic struggle with drugs. Shortly thereafter, she ends up finding Laurie—the "mother" of all the dealers. Laurie, naturally, gives Rue the drugs she craves, but also offers her a job so she can pay off her debt. The job involves selling $10,000 worth of drugs, which Laurie hands over to Rue in a suitcase. But wait! In the meantime, Rue has met Jules—the love of her life. At first, they became friends, but Rue quickly realized that she didn’t want to be *just* friends with Jules—and that, in reality, she was romantically obsessed with her. But Jules is a free spirit; she doesn’t want to feel tied down—especially by someone who pins their entire happiness on her—so she ends up holding back her feelings a little. Jules cares deeply for Rue, and—although she wants to try pursuing a romantic relationship—it is clear that she does not feel comfortable doing so, precisely for this reason. Furthermore, Rue asks Jules to run away with her—something Jules has longed to do since the series began—but Rue backs out at the very last moment. However, in the second season, the duo brings a new guy into their lives—and we all know that never ends well. Elliot appears to be the type of guy who is present, quite literally, solely to add fuel to the fire.
As is often the case in series depicting trans individuals in relationships with cis partners, it is frequently the trans person who holds higher expectations regarding physical intimacy, while their partner appears almost asexual by comparison. In this instance, too, Rue does not prove to be particularly affectionate; consequently, Jules seeks out other avenues to feel more valued. On this occasion, that validation comes from Elliot—who also uses drugs with Rue and is, in essence, the catalyst for her relapse.
In the first season, we are introduced to the most stereotypical of athletes: Nate Jacobs. Nate has his issues; specifically, when he was 11 years old, he discovered his father's secret stash of video recordings featuring him with transgender sex workers. As you can imagine, this did him no favors; in fact, now a high school student, he has evolved into a bully who, furthermore, expects women to be pure and hyper-feminine. However, he dates the most rebellious and feared girl in school: Maddy. Although petite and feminine, she is also a strong-willed young woman who answers to no one—not even Nate.
There is a scene in the series where she wears an outfit he dislikes, prompting him to scream at her in front of everyone, hurling every manner of insult her way. This provokes her into insulting his family at the carnival, and ultimately, he ends up strangling her. One might assume Nate would be arrested for assault, but he manages to evade charges by framing the 21-year-old man who had sex with Maddy when she was still a minor (something she did in an attempt to make Nate jealous).
One might think the matter would end there, but while Nate and Maddy continue seeing each other in secret—like a twisted version of Romeo and Juliet—Nate begins seeing Cassie, Maddy’s best friend. This unfolds after they hook up in a bathroom during a party, just as Maddy needs to use that very same bathroom (yes, it is an iconic moment). When Maddy discovers the pair's relationship, one would expect her to explode with rage—but she doesn't. Instead, she truly loses her temper when Lexi premieres her play: Nate is exposed in front of the entire school, and the production turns out to be, essentially, a mockery of both him and Cassie.
Cassie even gets up on stage and tries to make the whole affair revolve around her as well (which was, in essence, Lexi’s objective), but Maddy saves the day by slapping her across the face. Furthermore—and most bizarrely—at the beginning of the series, Cassie was in a relationship with a legal adult; however, the guy got upset upon discovering that Cassie was a sexually active human being... and all because it was Nate who showed him a video of her with her ex-boyfriend! I know, there’s a lot going on at once. But, essentially, Cassie and Nate are also trapped in that cycle of breakups and makeups, just as Maddy and Nate were; apparently, that is Nate’s standard dynamic.
I don’t think this is going to lead to anything major, but I felt it was important to mention that Nate was infatuated with Jules—with whom he communicated via an app under the alias "shyguy18"—but he ended up blackmailing her with a photograph because he feared she would publicly expose his father’s double life. Ironically, it was he himself who ultimately sent his father to prison, after handing over to the police the hard drive containing all of his sex tapes. In reality, Cal loves Nate, but he carries his own baggage, and Nate remains a detestable human being. Jules engaged in a sexual relationship with Cal as part of her process of exploring and affirming her own femininity. It is highly probable that this is also the reason why the relationship between Jules and Rue didn't work out. However, now that they are adults, things could unfold differently. Conversely, when it comes to someone like Nate, I suspect he will continue to use Cassie as if she were nothing more than a doll.
On the other hand, throughout the series, Fez and Lexi grew very close, forming the only romantic storyline we were all dying to see; however, Fez’s situation is far from ideal, and toward the end of the second season, absolute chaos ensues. Just as Fez was getting ready to leave for Lexi's play, a shootout with the police erupted at his home; it was there that Ashtray lost his life and Fez was critically wounded, left lying on the floor and bleeding. Amidst this chaos, a character named Faye—who quickly won over the audience—appeared, attempting to prevent Fez from being blamed for Mouse's murder.
However, Ashtray ended up killing a man (Faye's boyfriend, Cluster) and subsequently opened fire on the police officers when they stormed the premises. Despite Fez's desperate attempts to stop him, the young boy was ultimately shot and killed. That said, I have no expectation that Fez will return to the series, given the passing of the actor who portrayed him; therefore, there is a high probability that we will simply be informed that he died in the hospital, or something to that effect.
It is anticipated that the third season of *Euphoria* will feature a significant time jump, in which all these teenage characters will have matured into full-fledged adults.
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