Note: This story contains spoilers from “Euphoria” Season 3, Episode 1.
HBO’s “Euphoria” returned for Season 3 with a bang, dropping viewers into a new California-centric reality for its main cast, all of whom have had some big changes since we last saw them in East Highland in Season 2.
The Season 3 premiere wastes no time in addressing the time jump, with Zendaya’s first line as Rue saying, “A lot of people ask what I’ve been up to since high school, and honestly nothing good.”
Check out the biggest updates for Rue, Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie, Jacob Elordi’s Nate, Alexa Demie’s Maddy, Maude Apatow’s Lexi and Hunter Schafer’s Jules from the “Euphoria” Season 3 finale below.
Rue
The Season 3 premiere opens with Rue “somewhere in Mexico” getting some help for her car to start before heading to the border, where she faces some more car trouble as she literally gets stuck on the border into the Texas. She eventually ditches her car and heads out on foot into Agua Dulce, where she stays with a religious family under the guise of being a student journalist named Ruby, hoping to “expose the pure evil that’s pouring across our border.”
One of the family’s many daughters later drops Rue off at the bus station, bringing her to California, where she greets Laurie (Martha Kelly) who asks for her car and says she’ll “add it to [her] tab.”
Flashing back to a few years after high school, Rue explains that Laurie and her henchmen found her while working at a smoke shop and told her that, with interest, she owes her over $43 million, but she’ll settle for $100K. “And that is how I became a drug mule,” Rue explained, before seeing her learn to swallow sealed bags of fentanyl in Mexico and driving across the border, eventually taking Faye (Chloe Cherry) with her. Once back, the duo would excrete the drugs.
Rue explains that after Fezco’s house got raided, Laurie left East Highland and went into business with her cousin and nephew, which seem to serve as surrogate family for Rue, who’s become their No. 1 mule. In the off time, Rue drives Ubers over Los Angeles, where she reunites with Lexi.
She also keeps seeing her sponsor Ali (Colman Domingo), with whom she confides about her new spiritual journey.
Lexi
When Rue greets Lexi at her LA apartment, Lexi is as put together as always, and, of course, out of the loop about Rue’s real work. Rue also tells Lexi she should call Fez (Angus), who is in prison for 30 years after the raid, explaining his absence from Season 3 after his untimely death.
Rue explains that Lexi has been working in Hollywood on a nighttime soap for industry legend Patty Lance (Sharon Stone). While she’s been relegated to assistant tasks, her suggestions are taken seriously by her boss
Cassie and Nate
Since high school, Cassie has moved to, as Rue puts it, a “right-wing suburban bubble” we can only guess is the equivalent of Orange County. Cassie is producing racy content for TikTok that Nate, who has since taken over his dad’s construction business, has an issue with.
Cassie’s motive to make money immediately becomes clear: she’s not getting everything she wants for the house and their upcoming wedding as Nate builds in Southern California. His big project is a retirement community by the ocean.
After looking enviously at Maddy’s Instagram, Cassie gives Nate an ultimatum over a candle-lit dinner: he condones her OnlyFans account so she can pay for the florals of her dreams, or they postpone the wedding. He agrees, but makes her promise she won’t show her face and her bust at the same time.
Maddy
Lexi and Maddy cross paths frequently in Hollywood, with Maddy working in management, representing influencers and a few actors, including Dylan Reed, who stars on the soap that Lexi works on. At this point, she’s only an assistant, though, meaning her wage is much smaller than the 10% made by her boss.
Jules
While we don’t see Jules in the Season 3 premiere, Lexi tells Rue that Maddy told her Jules has been working as a sugar baby.
Rue’s adventure
Things shift for Rue when she goes to deliver drugs to Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and stumbles into a house party she can’t resist but joining. She quickly connects with Alamo and even asks for a job at his strip club. Everything is going swimmingly until a girl overdoses on the drugs brought by Rue, but Rue promises she didn’t have anything to do with it.
Alamo tests Rue’s luck by shooting an apple on top of her head, though, luckily, he shoots accurately, giving Rue the laugh of her life.
“Euphoria” Season 3 premieres Sundays on HBO.
The post ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Premiere Recap: What Has the Cast Been Up to Since High School? appeared first on TheWrap.
