SPOILER WARNING

For the past two months, fans of the increasingly popular “Euphoria” have gathered every Sunday for the show’s weekly release, eagerly anticipating the events of each consecutive episode. A beloved ritual for many, weekly “Euphoria” gatherings have become a staple in many friend groups for Seattle University students.

The third season of the series, which was renewed before the second season’s conclusion, is set to premiere in 2024. For many, however, the combination of this distant premiere date, the show’s intense themes and ever-shifting plot line, begs the question: Is waiting for season 3 worth it? For many fans, the obvious answer is yes. But for others, a two-year wait seems excessive.

The finale of season two left many open-ended plot lines. The dynamic between Maddy’s character and the woman who employs her as a babysitter, Samantha, was left unresolved at the end of the season. 

Additionally, there was no conclusion for the relationship between Rue and drug dealer Laurie, who loaned Rue $10,000 worth of drugs. Laurie’s attempts and motivations are left uncertain regardless of fans’ suspicions. 

Finally, the only clue fans received regarding what would happen to Cassie after Nate broke up with her was Maddy’s cryptic comment: “This is only the beginning.”

Not only were many subplots left unfinished, a significant number of fans of the show agree that they will not be tuning in to episodes of the third season in 2024, given the slow progression of the second season. 

Curran Murray, a third-year interdisciplinary liberal studies major, thought the buzz surrounding the second season would have warranted it being more interesting.

“I thought [season two] would be a lot better than it was because everyone was hyping it up so much. I thought after the second season they would have a lot more going on than in the first season, but they didn’t. It honestly felt dragged out and boring,” Murray said.

The show was initially regarded highly for its up-close look at critical issues that perpetuate the lives of teenagers and young adults. Season one focused on Rue’s drug addiction, Jules’ continuous engagement in sex with strangers, the toxic and abusive dynamic between Nate and his father as well as Nate and Maddy’s relationship. 

Simultaneously, one critique of the show was its continued back and forth glorifying self-destructive themes. While season one generally managed to walk the line between over-glorification and avoiding sensitive subjects all together, season two took a pitfall that many fans agree damaged the overall plot.

Kelsey Oliver, a second-year political science and art major, thought that season two ignored some themes for the sake of provocation.

“This obviously makes for entertaining TV, but I would not say that it’s well written anymore. I think that it’s written in a way that is too lenient on shock value, and the second season seemed like it was written for, say, TikTok or social media reaction,” Oliver said.

Viewership of the second season was nearly twice that of the first, in large part because of social media’s role (particularly TikTok) in spreading trends, commentary and gossip about the show.

Amanda Taylor, a first-year psychology and communications major, said the extreme themes present in the show led her to avoid the series altogether.

“I don’t really see those intense topics being present for more than cinematic shots, and I think that was always their intention. I don’t really see it as being educational or fear-based,” Taylor said.

Taylor added her concern about including such violent and sexual themes in a show where the majority of the main characters portray high schoolers.

“Their target audience is young adults, which includes high schoolers, who are extremely impressionable. My judgment as a college student watching this is probably totally different than a freshman in high school watching this,” Taylor said. “Growing up thinking that this is how high school should be and that it should have that drama, drug abuse, etc., is just not very realistic. The way they go about it just feels so glorified.”

There is no question that the finale of season two left some torn about whether to continue the series. However, strong performances from the cast, the ever impressive cinematography and the undeniable bond that viewers have formed with the show’s characters has the potential to keep fans coming back for more.