Euphoria Season 3 Time Jump Is Right, But Would Cause 4 Character Problems

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Euphoria‘s season 2 finale!

The ending of Euphoria season 2 hints at a much-needed time jump in season 3, but this would also cause problems for four major characters. HBO’s Euphoria follows the interconnected lives of a group of high schoolers in California, several of whom have storylines involving drug addictions, abusive relationships, online sexual awakenings, abortions, and sexual assault. While the numerous traumatic experiences with various impacts that the 16 to 18-year-olds in Euphoria go through in the first two seasons are shocking, it’s even more surprising that they have all occurred in a very short amount of time.

While Euphoria season 1 premiered in 2019, the series has only covered a short timeframe in the characters’ lives. Euphoria season 1 begins in September 2018 and concludes in December of that same year, with Euphoria season 2 picking up on New Year’s Eve 2018 and finishing sometime in early 2019. Since Euphoria season 2 didn’t premiere or end until early 2022, the series is extremely far behind in terms of the real-world timeline. With a significant amount of Euphoria season 2 being comprised of flashbacks or dream sequences, it’s no wonder the show has made little progression time-wise.

HBO’s decision to keep Euphoria’s time progression extremely slow is perhaps a creative decision aimed at future issues with the characters’ aging, but it also makes the suspension of disbelief more difficult to accomplish in terms of both Euphoria’s cast playing teen characters and the incredible amount of events that occur so quickly. Thankfully, Euphoria season 3 seems to be resolving the timeline problem, as Rue hinted at a time jump in season 2’s finale episode.

How Euphoria Season 2’s Ending Sets Up A Time Jump

Euphoria season 2 ends with Rue Bennett (Zendaya) walking down the hallways of East Highland reflecting on how Jules was her first love, then ends the episode by saying that she “stayed clean for the rest of the school year.” Since Euphoria season 2 ends in early 2019, it’s still too far away to be close to the end of the school year. Although Rue is Euphoria’s narrator who does know what happens later in time, this is likely the first time that the series has had her specifically mention something much further into the future. This was also the very last line of Euphoria‘s season 2 finale, suggesting the next season will pick up after the 2018-2019 school year. If beginning from the timeframe that Rue mentioned for how long she was clean, Euphoria season 3 will likely start in either summer or fall 2019.

Why Euphoria Season 3’s Time Jump Is Smart

HBO’s Euphoria has already been close to crossing the line of believability for its cast–almost all of whom are in their mid-20s–playing 16, 17, and 18-year-olds. Euphoria season 1 premiered in 2019 with season 2 debuting three years later in 2022, though each character is still the same age. Rue’s younger sister Gia’s (Storm Reid) age was 13 when Euphoria began, and her character still appears to be 13-14 by the end of season 2, so Reid is now 18 years old playing a middle schooler. With so much time in-between production of seasons, Euphoria season 3 needs to begin catching up to the real-world time progression and aging of its cast.

While Euphoria’s suggested time jump would only be a few months, it would still be enough to get the characters that much closer to adulthood, and thus closer to the real ages of the actors portraying them. Euphoria season 3 premieres in 2024, which is another two years after Euphoria’s season 2 ending release date, meaning the majority of the main cast will be closer to 30 years old than 17-18 by that time. As the stakes of the series get higher for the characters, it also makes more sense to have a time jump that allows them to experience the drama from even a slightly more mature perspective. Euphoria has only covered about 6 months of its characters’ lives, so a time jump is also smart because there are plenty more issues that arise as they get older. Additionally, the time jump for Euphoria season 3 could skip past any jail time Fez may face after the season 2 finale, thus reintroducing him to the main conflict much sooner.

Euphoria’s Season 3 Time Jump Creates 4 Character Problems

A time jump in Euphoria season 3 is necessary for the show and characters’ progression, but it also introduces several problems for four of the main characters. Specifically, Nate, Cassie, Maddy, and Kat would face issues if the time jump brings the show to the next school year. These four Euphoria characters are all seniors in high school during seasons 1 and 2, meaning this is the end of their time at East Highland with Rue, Lexi, and Jules. If Euphoria season 3 picks up in fall 2019, Nate, Cassie, Maddy, and Kat will all have likely have gone their separate ways for college, work, or whatever it may be after high school. Since the drama between these characters largely hinges on their connections to each other, having them all be separated in Euphoria season 3 would cause a problem for their storylines.

At the end of Euphoria season 2, Maddy has officially thrown away the idea of getting back together with Nate while also ending her friendship with Cassie. Since Maddy would likely be better off in a world away from East Highland where she can thrive outside of such abusive relationships, a time jump to the following school year would likely mean a series exit for Maddy. Cassie’s storyline, however, is nowhere near over; she still has unresolved tension with Lexi after her play, will likely try to get back with Nate, and doesn’t really have any friends after betraying Maddy. As Lexi’s older sister, it’s possible to keep Cassie in the story no matter what, but the time jump would complicate her storylines with Maddy and Nate.

Speaking of Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), his character development is far from over–particularly in terms of Cal and Nate’s storyline – meaning he would have to return for Euphoria season 3. After turning his dad into the police in Euphoria’s season 2 finale, Nate is seemingly going on a path to redemption, but there’s much work to be done before this happens. However, a time jump may still keep him connected to the other characters, as he’s apt to take over Cal’s family business rather than leave for college. While it’s unconfirmed that Kat (Cassie and Maddy’s other best friend) is a senior in Euphoria season 2, all signs point to her being the same age as Cassie and Maddy rather than Rue and Lexi. Kat was largely absent from Euphoria season 2 (with rumors attributing it to feuds with show creator Sam Levinson), suggesting her character would see even less screen time if Euphoria season 3 has a time jump into the next school year.

Euphoria season 2 already suffered from issues in keeping the storylines interconnected and coherent, so a time jump that further separates four characters from Rue, Lexi, and Jules would only exacerbate this problem. When Rue greeted Lexi and a few other characters in the bathroom at school during Euphoria season 2, many remarked that it felt like a crossover event, which goes to prove how removed from one another the characters already are. It seems that East Highland was what kept the main characters of Euphoria connected in season 2 until they all reunited for Lexi’s play, so having several characters leave this location would make it difficult to work toward a more unified series. If Euphoria season 3 truly does begin with a time jump, the best timeframe would be summer 2019, thus keeping every character connected and closer before school begins.

About The Author

Jordan Williams
(814 Articles Published)

Jordan Williams is a Movie/TV Feature Senior Staff Writer for Screen Rant. She graduated from the University of Oregon in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Media Studies.

Jordan is based in Seattle, Washington and enjoys exploring the natural beauty the PNW has to offer. She runs on coffee and classic movies, taking pride in having watched every film on AFI’s 100 Greatest Films list and every Best Picture Oscar winner.

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