Previously, on the season 3 premiere of HBO Max’s Euphoria, we were reintroduced to Rue, Maddy, Cassie, Nate, and Lexi. We learned that Rue is still working for Laurie. Meanwhile, Lexi and Maddy work in entertainment, and Cassie and Nate are engaged. After a drug drop-off, Rue meets a big bossman, Alamo. The two of them kick it off, and she vocalizes that she wants to work for him instead of Laurie.
The episode begins with Maddy’s career during the pandemic, starting her journey as an aspiring career architect. She gets her first modeling client, Katelyn, and later on introduces her to Dylan Reid. She’s forced to let Katelyn go when her boss sees a headline linking Dylan to Katelyn’s OnlyFans persona. After her shift, she receives a direct message from Cassie, asking if they can meet.
Next, we see Alamo with Rue. He has her working for him, cleaning up any messes. Alamo calls Laurie, urging them to give him back his money since the drugs were laced with fentanyl. We learn that Faye didn’t clean the scale, so the fentanyl got mixed in with the ecstasy. Laurie declines, and Alamo says he’ll take Rue instead of the money. So Rue begins working for him full-time.
Cassie and Maddy finally meet up. Cassie officially apologizes to Maddy for getting with Nate without asking first. After a few drinks, she shares her real intentions: wanting Maddie’s help with her career. Maddy tells her that her content feels “desperate” and she’s not being herself. Maddy decides to help manage her social persona.
Nate’s dad, Cal, comes over to visit and discuss the company. Now that the business is in Nate’s hands, Cal can’t do anything. What his father doesn’t know is that Nate is in debt.
One of Alamo’s dancers, Angel, has begun to worry about Tish, the girl who died from fentanyl in the previous episode. At the club, Rue overhears Angel calling Tish to see if she’ll answer. No one except Rue and Alamo knows what actually happened. She crashes out one night, and Rue tells her what happened. After that, Angel spirals into drugs. Alamo has Rue take her to rehab.
Nate and Cassie host a house party. After Cassie shows one of her friends pictures for her OnlyFans, word travels that she’s been dressing up as an “adult baby” for money to fund the wedding. Nate asks for her phone, but she won’t give it to him, so the two argue about it. He makes her delete the account.
While Angel’s in rehab, Rue decides to visit Jules. She’s living comfortably in the penthouse furnished by her married boyfriend. Rue questions Jule’s choice, in which she responds that she doesn’t believe they’re meant to be monogamous. The episode closes with Jules inviting Rue to her bath.
Overall, this was a good episode. It was nice to see Cassie and Maddy get together after all these years, seeing that Maddy’s changed, while Cassie’s still the same. Seeing Eric Dane as Cal was bittersweet, seeing as he’s no longer with us. A scene that stood out was Rue deciding to help Angel with her addiction and going to rehab. It’s obvious Rue cares for her, and since Rue knows what it’s like to be on the other side, it’s nice to see that character development from her. Zendaya’s acting was great in the episode, as we get to see different sides of her, with her quirkiness and boss mentality. It was intriguing to see how jealous of Maddy Cassie was during their first interaction, bringing back memories of them in high school. There was a weird aura around the rehab facility, so something terrible may end up happening to Angel without Rue’s knowledge. What’s to come in the next episode?
Rating: 8/10