Nate (Jacob Elordi) and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) in HBO’s ‘Euphoria’ season 3
HBO
The third season of HBO’s Euphoria is a mess—more so than usual.
To be fair, Euphoria has always been messy and a bit incoherent, but something has been lost in the third season.
The drama series that once captured the zeitgeist suddenly seems out of touch, the characters devolving into caricatures.
Nate And Cassie Are Boring Now
Episode three of Euphoria’s third season,“The Ballad of Paladin,” features its own “Red Wedding,” as the long-awaited union between Nate (Jacob Elordi) and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) ends in bloody violence.
Nate is bungling his late father’s business, and owes more than half a million dollars to Naz (Jack Topalian), who teaches Nate a brutal lesson on the most special day of Cassie’s life.
It’s not quite as compelling as it sounds, because the electric dynamic between the two is no longer there.
The toxic couple were drawn together during season two, their forbidden love affair fueling much of the drama, as Cassie was practically driven insane with guilt and lust, a willing slave to Nate’s domineering narcissism.
In the third season, that’s all gone. Cassie’s selfishness is no longer bubbling beneath the surface—it’s out in the open, and Nate no longer has the same poisonous hold over her.
The complexity of the two characters has faded, and their relationship has become significantly less interesting. In fact, all of the characters seem flattened, even as their storylines grow more dramatic and ridiculous.
Rue (Zendaya) began the series as a teenage girl with an addiction, woefully unprepared to interact with dangerous drug dealers.
In season three, Rue unwillingly joined their ranks and graduates into an arms dealer—it’s a bit much for a character who was always troubled, but fairly grounded.
The Internet Is Making Fun Of ‘Euphoria’ Season 3
Moments from the show are still going viral and inspiring memes online, but notably, the joke is often on the show itself.
Social media users are often mocking the third season of Euphoria, rather than discussing the impact of the latest plot twists.
A standout scene from season two featuring Cassie hiding in the bathtub became a popular meme because the moment was so tense and memorable.
In contrast, a season three scene with Cassie dressed as a dog and Nate halfheartedly tugging her leash drew criticism from fans, who proposed that Jacob Elordi didn’t seem to care.
Another scene featuring Maddy (Alexa Demi) getting hired as an assistant using sheer confidence was also mocked, with one user captioning the clip: “How my parents think you get a job in 2026.”
Another of Cassie’s OnlyFans scenes, featuring Sydney Sweeney dressed as a baby, sparked online backlash, with some commentators reckoning that such content wouldn’t even be allowed on the platform.
OnlyFans model @emkenobi tore apart the scene in an X post, criticizing Euphoria creator Sam Levinson for not doing his research.
“As insane as this is, what’s even crazier to me is if Sam Levinson actually did any research about OF, he’d know this content violates the TOS and would never have been allowed on the platform,” she wrote.
“OF is very strict about the content and words it allows. Anything referencing age play is automatically flagged and banned.”
Part of the problem with Euphoria season three is the time jump, with the characters having left high school behind and growing into their new roles as dysfunctional adults.
The cast was always too old to play high school students, but the unreality was part of the appeal, and the setting forced them to face each other every single day, fueling bitter feuds and spilling secrets out into the open.
‘Euphoria’ Has Lost The Vibe
The glittery makeup, colorful lights and jaw-dropping set design ensured that those first two Euphoria seasons (particularly the first) were shrouded in a dreamy haze.
The ridiculous melodrama felt rooted in solid characterization, and the plot would spiral off into unexpected directions, either blowing up or left unresolved.
It doesn’t help that the show’s distinctive soundtrack has gone away, with the previous composer, Labrinth, announcing his resignation from the show with a strongly worded Instagram post.
Labrinth has been replaced by Hans Zimmer, who has given the show a more conventional soundtrack. It’s not bad, but it’s not the same.
Euphoria was always flawed, but it was unique—the show now looks and sounds like everything else on television.
MORE FROM FORBES
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2026/04/27/euphoria-season-3-has-officially-lost-the-plot/
