‘Euphoria Sundays’ – Episode 1, ‘Ándale’ Review
The time has finally come: the third season of HBO’s hit show “Euphoria” has begun its rollout. A show that used to captivate audiences, gathering around their TVs as new episodes released on Sunday evenings, has now been chewed, swallowed and thrown up to be merely pieces of what it once was. (Which, by the way, take this as an emetophobia warning for this episode.)
The next seven episodes of the season will be released at 8 p.m. every Sunday until the expected finale on May 31.
Following a quick feature showing a dedication to Eric Dane, who played Cal Jacobs, after he died in February of this year, viewers are immediately thrown into the story, showing Rue Bennett (Zendaya) speeding across the desert. In the most ridiculous scene in the series’ history, Rue attempts to drive over a ramp to get over the Mexico-U.S. border wall, gets stuck and climbs out of the car as it sits teetering atop the wall.
Why is Rue crossing the border? She is now a drug mule for Laurie (Martha Kelly), attempting to pay off her debts from the previous season. Rue is lucky Laurie is a very mellow person because never have I seen a portrayal of someone scamming a drug dealer out of thousands of dollars and living to get away with it.
In a bizarre reveal, Rue shares that she also drives for Uber and crashes on the couch of her old friend Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow), who is now juggling a personal assistant job on the set of a soap opera. Fezco (Angus Cloud), a previous main character, is briefly mentioned in one of the girl’s conversations as it is revealed he is serving 30 years in prison. It’s a brush under the rug way to excuse the character’s absence following Cloud’s death in 2023.
The other Howard sister, Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), is said to be living in a right-wing suburban bubble, a hilarious fact given the infamous image Sweeney has made for herself over the past year. Despite the characters breaking up at the end of season two, Cassie and Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) are now engaged in season three.
If the insane acting portrayed by Elordi was part of the reason you loved this show, get ready for disappointment. Elordi’s character has done a complete 180 in his behavior. No longer is he angered by the slightest things or blackmailing anyone in his way. Situations that would have made Nate punch a hole in the wall in previous seasons are now met with a cool and calm conversation, martini in hand.
Many are left highly anticipating the coming episodes for what becomes of Jules (Hunter Schafer) and Rue. While Jules does not make an appearance in this episode, she is mentioned by Lexi saying she is a “sugar baby” now.
Overall, the first episode of season three is a letdown. With half of the original cast gone and musician Labrinth dropping out from creating the usually intoxicating soundtrack of the show, this is not the same “Euphoria” we saw in 2019 and 2022. There are many questions left unanswered in this episode: Is Rue sober? What happened to Ashtray, the brother of Fez? Why is Rue all of a sudden a womanizer?
Sam Levinson, the show’s creator, has a lot of explaining to do — and I am not sure he has the answers.
