I grew up with Euphoria. I watched season one as a high school sophomore experimenting with colorful eye shadow, season two while waiting on college decisions, and season three just a few days after graduating from college. In many ways, the show’s timeline mirrored my own.

In this episode, I unpack my complicated feelings about the show’s third season. I explore what feels like a growing misogynistic portrayal of women and how its female characters have lost much of the agency and complexity that once made them compelling. As this season’s shock value increasingly relies on the exploitation of women, I ask: Do these “fictional” portrayals reflect larger cultural and political shifts happening in the real world? What do the rise of trad-wife culture and the rollback of women’s rights have to do with Euphoria?

And yet, despite all of my criticisms, I still finished the show. Why? Maybe we stay attached to certain pieces of media long after we’ve outgrown them because they’re tied to a particular version of ourselves. So, let's talk Euphoria!

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