So we finally know what Sam Levinson has been up to all this time… kind of. The official trailer for the long-awaited third season of Euphoria is finally here, and believe it or not, it looks like fun — or at least chaos. One of the two for sure.
The new sneak peek from HBO was released today, January 14, a little under three months until the season’s release date. In the teaser, we meet Zendaya’s Rue “a few years after high school” where life isn’t “exactly what [she] wished.” She appears to be working a dead-end job and potentially even dealing drugs when Laurie, the unassuming middle aged white mom kingpin from season 2, finds her and reminds her she has to pay up.
We also tap into what’s going on with the other beloved characters of the series. Nate (Jacob Elordi) and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) are engaged to be married and she has been sneakily filming risque “content” for online viewers while he’s away at work… until he catches her in the act. Maddy (Alexa Demie) speaks about Jules (Hunter Schaefer), who appears to now be a sugar baby, and remarks that she herself doesn’t do that even though many others do because she’s “not a f—king hooker.” Lexi (Maude Apatow) seems to be schmoozing with a bunch of men in suits at a large table in another shot, suggesting she might be making good on her creative talents from season 2. Plus, we even see Rue meeting with Coleman Domingo’s Ali Muhammed, so it appears she’s still relying on him for advice.
We also see a few new characters, namely a man who wears full protective gear — maybe a cleaner for Laurie’s gang? — and another man who wears a cowboy hat and intimidates Rue at a party, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Plus, a press release for the upcoming season boasts a whole host of guest stars, including Sharon Stone, Rosalia, Danielle Deadwyler, Marshawn Lynch, Eli Roth, Natasha Lyonne, Trisha Paytas, and Vinne Hacker, so it appears there will be a ton of new faces this time around.
The network has also released an official logline for the season, which was shot on 35mm and 65mm film: “A group of childhood friends wrestle with the virtue of faith, the possibility of redemption, and the problem of evil.”
One thing stands out as a constant this season, at least as far as this trailer goes: Rue is going to go through it. Between Laurie claiming that Rue belongs to her and a glimpse of her being used in a game of William Tell (look it up, it’s not going to end well), I’m worried for what’s to come of her and if her past transgressions will finally come back to teach her a real lesson.
Season 3 of Euphoria is set to debut on HBO and HBO Max on April 12, with episodes releasing weekly after the premiere.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
