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Review of EUPHORIA
– S3E1
Photo: HBO Max
Episode 1 of Season 3, titled “
Ándale
” from Euphoria (2019)
aired in April 2026 on HBO Max. In this opening episode, Rue
Bennett, an outsider out-of-out from everything, drives her Jeep
toward the border between Mexico and Texas, carrying drugs; she
is played by the Gen Z phenomenon Zendaya. The problem is that
she encounters a section of the border wall fitted with a makeshift
ramp. She tries to cross, but the car gets stuck on top of a steel
beam, balancing like a seesaw, completely useless. Then Rue
abandons her car and continues on foot, carrying a duffel bag
filled with narcotics as she heads toward Texas.
We follow her walking like a lone wolf through the Texan
landscape, to the sound of music that evokes the spaghetti
westerns of the three Sergios: Leone, Corbucci, and Sollima. Rue
is a mix of Clint Eastwood and Kwai-Chang Caine (played by
David Carradine), the protagonist of television series Kung Fu
(1972–1975). She walks with a destiny already set: chaos. There is
nothing more Quentin Tarantino in contemporary Cinema and
TV than this blend of outsiders and Italian westerns, rendered in
a distinctly pop-culture style.
Contrary to most viewers, I watched S3E1 of Euphoria and really
liked it. Gen Z drifts aimlessly, chasing nothing, no dreams, no life
plans, just moving through the present.
Where does John Hughes come in?
Simple. Sam Levinson uncovers an existential canvas, revealing
contemporary teenage life, much like John Hughes did when he
showed the world what was going on inside the minds of young
people in the 1980s.
In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, by John Hughes, the character simply
wants to enjoy a day off from school, visiting famous spots in
Chicago without worrying about the future. Perhaps he already
senses that his life will mirror his parents’: a good job, a wife, kids
, a European vacation, games at Wrigley Field, a Super Bowl on
TV with the family, and everything the comfortable American life
has to offer.
But with Rue, what should she expect from her life? To keep her
job as a handywoman at a whorehouse? Or, if she gets lucky,
maybe a gig as a janitor at Mickey D’s or another fast-food chain
until she retires? As her real world, like that of many others
today, is trapped in a virtual one, maybe she will see Europe only
through photos posted by her friends on Instagram Stories.
Rue knows that her future is already dead. All her dreams ended
when she left that state of mind and opened the door to reality.
It’s cruel, but full of truth. While the John Hughes film is great for
its sweetness, Euphoria is just as good for its harshness. Both
works are necessary: fiction is comforting, but reality is the
villain.
EUPHORIA
- available on HBO Max
.
Creator: Sam Levinson, who also serves as the primary writer and
director.
Based on: An Israeli series of the same name created by Ron
Leshem and Daphna Levin.
Executive Producers: Sam Levinson, Zendaya, Drake, Adel
"Future" Nur, Ravi Nandan, Kevin Turen, and Ron Leshem,
among others.
Main Cast (Starring)
Zendaya as Ruby "Rue" Bennett.
Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn.
Sydney Sweeney as Cassie Howard.
Jacob Elordi as Nate Jacobs.
Maude Apatow as Lexi Howard.
Alexa Demie as Maddy Perez.
Angus Cloud as Fezco "Fez" O'Neill.
Eric Dane as Cal Jacobs.
Barbie Ferreira as Kat Hernandez.
Colman Domingo as Ali Muhammad.
Storm Reid as Gia Bennett.
Nika King as Leslie Bennett.
Dominic Fike as Elliot.
Javon "Wanna" Walton as Ashtray.
Technical Crew
Cinematography: Marcell Rév, known for the show’s distinctive
"dream-like" visual aesthetic.
Music/Composer: Labrinth created the original score and songs.
Costume Design: Heidi Bivens.
Supervising Editor: Julio C. Perez IV.
Makeup: Doniella Davy (Head of Makeup Department).
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