In Season 3, the alums of Euphoria High are all grown up and making their way in the world — some more successfully than others, according to newly-released teaser photos.
While the show’s April return is still months away, fans have wasted no time theorizing about the upcoming installment — and an image of Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie Howard has prompted fevered speculation about her relationship with Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi).
High School Not-So-Sweethearts?
On Dec. 12, HBO released photos of several key Euphoria characters, paired with a glimpse at their Season 3 dialogue. In Cassie’s picture, she can be seen looking disillusioned while holding a melting ice cream cone, and the peek at her script reveals a telling line: “The fairytale is over.”
To drive the point home, the post’s caption includes a riff on Cassie’s notorious Season 2 line, in which she defends her relationship with Nate. “She has never ever been happier,” it reads — suggesting that Cassie is not exactly thriving.
One astute Redditor pointed out that Cassie’s melting ice cream could be a nod to her sister Lexi. In a Season 2 flashback, the girls’ father was driving them while under the influence. Lexi sat in the backseat crying, her ice cream cone falling apart in her hands — while Cassie sat up front, trying not to show emotion. “I don’t want him to think that we don’t trust him,” she told Lexi.
Another user ran with the connection, theorizing that the melting ice cream could “symbolize the full collapse of a coping mechanism she’s used since childhood” — namely, how she “prioritizes the illusion of a good moment over actual safety.” Indeed, Cassie and Nate have a turbulent history, and Cassie’s tearful “never, ever been happier” monologue showed her tendency to pretend things are good when they’re actually… quite bad.
Perhaps, the user posited, the “unavoidable” mess of her dripping ice cream “could signal the start of Cassie finally confronting the patterns she’s been avoiding — hopefully.”
Nate also has a teaser post, although his is a little more ambiguous. The photo shows him making burgers, while his line reads, “You have to have faith.” One viewer theorized that the show could see Nate put on a “super religious” facade, but not actually change his problematic behavior.
A Peek Ahead
As Euphoria creator Sam Levinson recently revealed at an event (per The Hollywood Reporter), Season 3 finds Cassie and Nate engaged and living in the suburbs. Cassie is “very addicted to social media and envious of what appears to be the big lives that all of her high school classmates are living at this point in time,” he added.
Levinson has also said the pair’s wedding will be “unforgettable” — but knowing this show, that could mean catastrophe is in store.
