We have a problem with "Euphoria" 3 And maybe Its cast too

Who would have ever thought we would lose interest in Euphoria. The series written, directed and produced by Sam Levinson was a moment. It was perhaps the moment. It confirmed the stardom of Zendaya, opened the doors to new stars like Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi, and carved out a hybrid between writing and music video, social analysis and pure representation that turned it into a phenomenon with its own audience and a clear aesthetic that still lingers today.

That the moment of Euphoria had however run its course was evident to many, if not everyone. And the fact that the reasons are intrinsic to those that made it successful shows how even an audiovisual product can encounter the risk of expiration, even without a date printed on the packaging. What is more unexpected is how short its freshness lasted. Much of this is due to the accusations received by its creator Sam Levinson. His The Idol, the series following Euphoria starring The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, amplified the accusations that had already followed the creator during the previous show.

A controversial return

The alleged gratuitousness of sexualization and violence in Euphoria, as perceived by some, is the same one reintroduced and pushed further in The Idol, where the female perspective of a pop star crushed under the weight of show business expectations is suffocated by what has been described as the expression of a male gaze that indulges in its own perverse fantasies. It is a growing discontent toward Levinson that the third season of Euphoria has had to carry on its shoulders, hovering over the project with the grace of an elephant in the room there is a problem, or perhaps there is not but it is now too late to fix it, and so the atmosphere feels very, very strange.

The time gap between the end of the second season and the third, with everything that has happened in between, is another reason for skepticism. The confirmation of Euphoria’s return in 2022 was followed by four years of waiting between its announcement, production and release (streaming on HBO Max, and in Italy also on Sky). Four years in which everything happened, during which the mainstream opinion of the series shifted, its actors reached major fame and above all it no longer feels believable to anyone that the actors behind Rue and the rest of the characters truly wanted to come back to shoot it.

“Fuck Euphoria”

It was Zendaya’s schedule that had to be coordinated more than anything else with the series’ shooting which, as far as her character is concerned, were very quick. But also the alleged reaction on the red carpet at the premiere with Levinson and the missing photo there is a video in which she seems to tell him she does not have time to take it or the rumors suggesting she left early all contribute to a not particularly relaxed atmosphere that then reflects onto the show.

Also Jacob Elordi did not give interviews on the carpet, while group photos with the entire cast are lacking. And it is worth remembering that a few days earlier Labrinth, musician and composer who won a Grammy thanks to the series, vented on social media with a blunt “Fuck you Euphoria”, later explaining that his music will not be featured in the third season and that the withdrawal of his material is due to the inappropriate behavior of some people once again Sam Levinson being the main suspect.

Has Euphoria become boring?

A tense atmosphere surrounds the return of the series. And with some of the names in its cast, audiences are far more excited for their other projects than for this third season. Which, judging from the only episode released so far on the platform (episodes will be released weekly), reflects the heaviness that surrounds it. Zendaya’s Rue cannot stay out of trouble and this feels like a poor narrative regression after the conclusion of her arc in the second season. The storyline between Elordi/Nate and Sweeney/Cassie gives off repelling vibes it is almost ironic that the character is described as someone comfortable in her suburban right-leaning bubble, much like the actress herself has recently been portrayed. Meanwhile Hunter Schafer does not even appear, likely arriving in the second episode.

There is therefore little to say except that we will try to keep watching the series and see whether the hole it has dug for itself is really that deep. Although the feeling, already from the first episode, is one of mild annoyance, like a subtle but persistent irritation beyond the aforementioned disinterest. It is like talking to a friend who tells you about their latest mistake only it is always the same one and after a while you just pretend to listen.