What the heck is happening on Euphoria (2019- )?
Photo courtesy of Joshpopov/Wikimedia Commons
Jacob Elordi currently plays Nate in Euphoria (2019- ). He has actually managed to return for seasons three of the series, unlike a concerning large amount of the cast.
The hit television show Euphoria (2019- ) was all anybody could talk about in 2019 with the release of the first season with a star-studded cast in the first seasons full of actors like Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Eric Dane, Jacob Elordi, Angus Cloud, and Hunter Schafer, according to IMDb.
Season three of the show recently started airing on Hulu, with new episodes releasing every Sunday night. With such a large time jump in between the airing of the seasons, many different casting decisions have been made both by choice and by necessity. Unfortunately, Eric Dane, who plays the character of Nate’s dad, recently passed away after fighting a battle with ALS at just 53 years old, as seen in an article from TMZ. They were still able to film a few scenes with the actor before his passing, with some already being aired in the first few episodes. They cover some of the ALS symptoms in the show under the illusions that his character has been drinking alcohol.
But this leaves fans wondering: was this always the intended plot? Dane is not the only character that fans are missing; Angus Cloud, who played Fezco, overdosed in 2023, as seen in an article on Variety, but he has so far been kept alive in the show under the cover of a 30-year prison sentence. Fans have conflicting opinions about this, largely due to a romantic plotline that was developing with his character at the end of the first season. Many fans were rooting for his character to end up with Lexi, who is played by Maude Apatow.
There have been many other cast changes between the seasons, with a few actors choosing not to return, despite the show being a show-stopping success. Fans have known since 2022 that Barbie Ferreira, who plays Kat Hernandez, would not be returning to the show, rumored to be because of behind the scenes tensions and turmoil, according to an article on /Film
Another character I am personally sad to see go is Ethan Lewis, who was played by Austin Abrams. His character provided some much-needed comedic relief in the previous season and had a very impactful presence, despite being a side character.
The large time jump between seasons also had an effect on the plot of the show. The first season follows the characters through high school, while the recent episodes show more adult versions of the characters, many with careers and marriages. I think it is hard to take some of the characters seriously, as the last time we saw them they were still immature high schoolers.
A few of the scenes so far have been a little bit unreasonable, with characters acting completely different from the last season or even with just insanely crazy plot points that feel ridiculous. I found myself hating the show at first, critiquing everything crazy that was going on. But I had to remind myself that the first season, which I enjoyed very much, showed high schoolers doing drugs and committing crimes and still showing up to school the very next day.
A show does not necessarily have to be accurate to be entertaining, and that might be part of the fun. There have been multiple ridiculous things happening in just the first two episodes, and with the way things are going, there are sure to be many more in the upcoming episodes. I will be tuned in every week for the shocking drama, and you should be too.