Euphoria returned for its long-anticipated third season after a four-year hiatus on Sunday. Taking place five years after the events of the season two finale, the season three premiere brings viewers to the deserts of Chihuahua, Mexico as Rue (Zendaya) embarks on a new drug trade gig, working off the debts she accrued in the previous season.
The season three premiere, “Ándale,” needed to do some heavy lifting, tasked with catching viewers up on the main cast of characters after the show’s significant intermission. Although it proves mostly effective in carrying on the events of the previous season despite such a jarring leap in time, the show’s narrative decisions and stark change in aesthetic seem perplexing, making for an off-putting viewing experience rather than a seamless continuation into a new timeline.
“Ándale” trades Euphoria’s signature moody purplish color palette of previous seasons for a new bright and sunny look, mirroring Rue’s relocation to Mexico and parts of Southern California. However, the major tonal shifts don’t end there.
“Ándale” leans into the campier aspects of Euphoria — which have always existed — but come on full blast this time around. Filled with crude jokes surrounding bodily functions as Rue transfers drug-filled balloons across the US-Mexico border in her intestines, and a distastefully handled OnlyFans and fetish content storyline for Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), it seems as if the show no longer wishes to take itself seriously. With the shift in the show’s visual hues, a script that leans into its campiness and new storylines that border on absurd, Euphoria season three feels like it doesn’t quite know what it wants to be following its lengthy break and significant losses to the main cast (Fezco actor Angus Cloud and Cal Jacobs actor Eric Dane passed away before the release of Euphoria season 3).
Despite these flaws, “Ándale” brings a wildly entertaining return to the world of Euphoria, even if it feels disconnected from previous seasons.
Rue’s crusade through the sandy landscapes of Mexico, accompanied by an epic Latin-inspired score, transports viewers into a more cinematic version of Euphoria, with a bold yellow title card fit for a theater screen.
As viewers travel through Rue’s absurd odyssey, they are introduced to several characters as outlandish as the show’s new direction. From a deeply religious Texas family that Rue infiltrates on her way out of Mexico, to the owner of a strip club monopoly, every new face provides another head-scratching good time.
Although “Ándale” primarily comes off as a confused and misguided continuation of the beloved series, it still tickets a decently fun ride, worth viewing for those interested in Rue’s shenanigans five years out of high school. However, with a season premiere that only promises more off-putting character directions and a disconnect from previous seasons as the story progresses, one episode will be an adequate dose for most viewers.
3 drug balloons out of 5
