3 Reasons Euphoria’s Final Season Was a Let Down

I was a senior in college when Euphoria premiered, and I’d never felt such an overwhelming nostalgia for or an innate connection to a TV show. My friends and I would have detailed conversations about which character we were most like; I claimed Maddie because of her intense loyalty to her friends and “doesn’t understand the meaning of ‘no’” attitude. They each had qualities that I’d seen in myself or others, which I believe is why I became attached.

We threw themed parties, carefully applying the rhinestones and glitter tears to replicate the character’s iconic makeup. My best friend and I were sat every Sunday when a new episode of season two dropped and made TikToks together about it after. I listened to the soundtrack on repeat.

Every Zillennial remembers where they were when they first watched the carnival episode in Euphoria season one, anxious and awestruck. They remember the rotating room scene. They remember Nate and Maddie holding hands in the hallway after he gets arrested. They remember Jules staging an intervention for Rue in her kitchen. They remember Thunder KitKat and “Wait, is this f—cking play about us?” So, after years of anticipation for the third and final season, how did the show manage to lose its passionate core audience? Below, how Euphoria season three betrayed Zillennials.

Why Euphoria felt special to zillennials

The impact of the show goes beyond the culture-defining moments and memes. In my opinion, the real meaning came from the sense of community it fostered among my generation. It wasn’t even that the characters were very relatable (nobody learned a single thing at Euphoria High School), but pieces of them and their storylines reflected real subjects with an unabashed rawness: The way it portrayed mental health and addiction, sexuality, the internet, devastating love, and toxic relationships was fresh and poignant. It got Zillennial humor right. Its stunning aesthetic, the deep cool tones and haze, felt like a dream. It was a defining moment for Zillennials coming into adulthood and beautifully balanced escapism with potent realism. Yes, it was melodramatic—but that’s high school.

Why Season 3 didn’t resonate

Its extreme sexualization and sensationalism

The main point that comes up when assessing why this most recent season didn’t land is its use of extreme sexualization and sensationalism. While a defender might argue this serves as commentary on American culture, it doesn’t feel like it was done with sensitivity. Rather than critiquing the male gaze, it indulges in it: The term’s original definition explains how media and the arts depict the world through a man’s lens, reducing women to “mere spectacles for male enjoyment.”

The way sex work is portrayed is cartoonish, prioritizing shock value over all (a theme of the season). In the exact words of the definition, the women are viewed as “mere spectacles” with no glimpse into their interiority. Though the first two seasons feature graphic sex scenes, they typically serve to deepen the story and enrich character arcs. While Euphoria initially drew in Zillennial women with its willingness to tackle different forms of femininity, it became uninterested in continuing to do so.

The characters felt one-dimensional

On the topic of character arcs, and I know I’m not the only one with this question: What the hell happened? In season one, the episodes opened with backstories for each main character, diving deeply into their childhoods and offering insight into how they ended up the way they did. It quickly built up a complexity for each of them—and then didn’t do much with it.

“We originally felt seen and portrayed with care, but then Zillennials were suddenly lazily reduced to the perceived flaws of our generation.”

Nate used to be one of the most calculated TV villains, and it seems like he underwent a full-on lobotomy upon graduating high school, desperate and mindlessly getting chased around by a loan shark. Jules felt like an afterthought, which is an absolute injustice, considering she was such a core part of the story’s pathos from the start. Cassie, Maddie, and even Lexi lost almost all of the redeeming qualities that made audiences fall in love with them, becoming one-dimensional. I also personally missed the moments of tenderness among the girls and the exploration of female friendship. We got a small taste at Nate and Cassie’s wedding, but it did not suffice.

In an attempt to perhaps say something meaningful about Zillennials, it flattens them. This feels like a personal blow because of the stark switch-up. We originally felt seen and portrayed with care, but then Zillennials were suddenly lazily reduced to the perceived flaws of our generation. It’s judging us for the very thing the show does: exploiting people for views.

It abandoned what we loved about the show in the first place

There are a handful of elements that technically worked. However, something was missing. The makeup was gorgeous and impressive, but bleak. The Western aesthetic was well executed, but it didn’t evoke Euphoria. Complete with corny shootouts, Coca-Cola ads, and obvious metaphors like snakes eating rats, it didn’t lasso any emotions out of me (sorry). Upon finding out that the creative direction of season one came from the mind of Petra Collins, who was hired by HBO to dream up the show’s world before getting let go because she was “too young,” it makes sense that nothing ever quite lived up to that iconic feel. And I can’t even talk about the lack of Labrinth (no disrespect to Hans Zimmer).

All of these details paint a picture of a defining time in our lives as Zillennials, during which we were transitioning into adulthood. It became a part of our collective identity, a reminder of a simpler time. But like the show’s dismissal of Petra Collins for being Zillennial herself, it ditched these themes in favor of shock value.

“The magic of Euphoria came from its aesthetic, heart-wrenching relationships, and honest exploration of difficult themes, most of which were sacrificed in the name of an exaggerated depiction of my generation.”

I understand that, as a filmmaker, you want to say something new. You don’t want to be repetitive and uninteresting. I also understand that it’s been over four years since the last season came out, and a lot has changed in that span of time, including the cast and the audience. But for a show that felt like it really understood a generation, you’d think it would grow alongside it.

The end of a euphoric era

Without spoiling: In the finale, Rue envisions herself laughing with Fez, her high school self in the back seat of the car watching Jules ride by on her bike, and hugging her mom in their childhood home. She’s yearning for another time—and sadly, that’s how I felt watching this season.

It’s been confirmed that Euphoria has officially come to an end, and honestly, despite my original love for the show, I’m glad for that. The magic of Euphoria came from its aesthetic, heart-wrenching relationships, and honest exploration of difficult themes, most of which were sacrificed in the name of an exaggerated depiction of my generation. My best friend and I didn’t watch or even bond over the season together, and I honestly had to force myself to get through it. The first season of Euphoria will always remind me of a time in my life that I treasure, but the characters I fell in love with are gone. The tagline used to be “feel something.” Unfortunately, for the majority of this season, I did not.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bryce Jones, Contributing Writer

Bryce is an LA-based journalist and freelance writer. She formerly worked as an editor at Better Homes & Gardens, covering topics ranging from lifestyle and food to entertainment and mental health. Her words have also appeared in Polyester, Cosmopolitan, Apartment Therapy, and more.

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