‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Episode 1 Recap: Rue works to pay off debt as Cassie and Nate clash over the wedding
'Euphoria' is finally in session with Season 3, and it is safe to say the first episode starts with a bang. Season 3 Episode 1 revisits the lives of everyone's favorite Eastland High School alumni after five years, and they all appear to have moved on in life, but are just as messy as viewers left them in the Season 2 finale. Nate and Cassie are still in a toxic relationship, Lexi and Maddie are living it up in the entertainment industry, and Rue is paying for her past mistakes. If the Season 3 premiere is anything to go by, fans are in for a chaotic run. The episode picks up with Rue (Zendaya) literally making her way out of the mud in Mexico.
The episode opens with Rue smuggling drugs in Mexico when her jeep gets stuck on a makeshift ramp as she attempts to cross the border. The mishap causes the vehicle to teeter back and forth, but Rue manages to make a run for it with her suspicious-looking bag. The troublemaker finds her way to a Christian family that agrees to take her in for a single night, believing she is a college student. Rue then heads off to California, where she meets up with Laurie (Martha Kelly) and gives her the duffel bag full of drugs. Things become clear with a voiceover, where Rue recounts how, a few years after high school, Laurie confronted her at a smoke shop. In Season 2, Rue's mother flushed down $10,000 worth of drugs down the toilet. The drugs were acquired by Rue from the insidious drug dealer. Laurie informed Rue that she owed her $43 million with interest due to the mishap, but she would be willing to settle for $100,000. This forces Rue to become a drug mule alongside Faye (Chloe Cherry).
Despite her circumstances, Rue has not lost touch with her friends, or at least one friend. She visits Lexi (Maude Apatow) at her Los Angeles apartment during her California detour. It soon becomes evident that Lexi doesn't know about Rue's escapades. The theater nerd believes that her best friend works for Uber and pushes Rue to find a better career path. Rue, on the other hand, chides Lexi for not calling Fezco, who the audience learns is serving a 30-year jail sentence. Lexi's expressions give away that she is somewhat conflicted by the bizarre arrangement with her former almost-love interest. Her personal life might be in shambles, but Lexi is well on her way to achieving her professional goals. She is working as a low-level staffer in the writing room of 'LA Nights', a soap opera produced by Patty Lance (Sharon Stone).
The show then switches to Lexi's sister Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), who, as per Rue's voiceover, is living in "some right-wing, suburban bubble." Cassie is still with Nate (Jacob Elordi), who has taken over his disgraced father's real estate business. As Nate walks into their bedroom, he finds Cassie down on all fours in a leotard, acting like a dog in front of a camera. Cassie is trying to make it big on OnlyFans, something Nate isn't entirely supportive of. He believes the gig may hurt his firm's reputation. The next time viewers see them, Cassie convinces Nate to allow her to do OnlyFans, because without it, they cannot afford her $50k wedding flower arrangement. It is here that viewers learn that the couple is engaged and will soon get married. However, things are not hunky dory in Nate's professional life. The episode also reveals that Cassie has kept tabs on her former best friend, Maddy, by stalking her on social media.
Maddy works at a talent management company and manages the lives of some influencers and an actor named Dylan Reed, who works on Lexi's show. Things, though, are tight money-wise as evidenced by her tiny apartment. She remains in touch with Lexi and informs her about Jules now being a sugar baby. Lexi passes on the information to Rue, who is clearly bothered but cannot dwell on it as she has a lot on her plate. Rue is seen meeting Ali in a diner, where they talk about the third step of her 12-step rehabilitation program. The step deals with a higher power, and Rue is conflicted.
Rue decides to believe in a higher power, for now, and the upcoming series of events indicates that a higher power may actually care about her. She is tasked with delivering drugs to Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), who Rue quickly figures out is an influential figure who owns several strip clubs. Rue senses an opportunity and begs him to let her work with him. This would allow her to repay her debt more quickly and move away from the dangerous Laurie. Just when things are looking up, Rue suffers a blow when one of the girls working under Alamo dies of the drugs she supplied. Alamo, angered by the loss, confronts Rue, who claims that she had no idea that the drug was laced with fentanyl and hence fatal.
Sensing danger, Rue finally breaks down, lamenting her life choices, her present state, and the fact that she gave in to hope. "I thought that maybe God brought us together," Rue shared. Alamo is intrigued by her and her faith and decides to test if God was truly on Rue's side. He brings the drug mule outside and puts an apple over her head. It is clear that if the bullet misses her, God loves her. The bullet goes through the apple, leading to Rue experiencing a range of emotions. The episode ends with Rue down on the ground, laughing frantically.
