Introducing the new Mr. and Mrs. Nate Jacobs. Euphoria viewers have been given a sneak peek into Cassie Howard and Nate Jacobs' wedding, and it is shaping up to be quite the emotional rollercoaster.
A Glimpse into the Future
The episode, set five years in the future, sees Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and Nate (Jacob Elordi) exchange vows in an elaborate affair attended by Rue Bennett (Zendaya), Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer), and more. But as is the case with any Euphoria storyline, this ceremony is not going to be your average wedding.
Wedding Details
Photos show Cassie being walked down the aisle by her mother Suze Howard (Alanna Ubach) before exchanging vows with Nate beneath a floral gazebo. The reception, filled with bright pink florals, features a massive ice sculpture of the newlyweds, along with a photo of the happy couple celebrating their engagement greeting guests. Sweeney wears a corset-style wedding gown and carries a bouquet of pink peonies.
Drama Beneath the Surface
Their smiles mask the drama simmering beneath the surface. In a teaser for the episode, the bride senses something is amiss, while Nate hurls in the bathroom. 'Something's wrong,' she says, panicked, as she emerges from the elevator with her bridal party in tow. At the reception, Nate throws back a glass of champagne in a way that draws a look of concern from Cassie. Meanwhile, Cassie has quite the provocative first dance with her new husband.
Not only that, but the presence of a peculiar guest also raises eyebrows. Madeleine 'Maddy' Perez (Alexa Demie) — Cassie's best friend and also Nate's ex — dropped by the ceremony. Despite it being the happiest day of her life, Cassie cannot help but shed a few tears, and not the joyous kind. The tears do not go unnoticed by her sister Lexie Howard (Maude Apatow), who asks: 'Hey, is everything okay?' In an unconvincing tone, Cassie replies: 'Of course. It's my wedding day!'
Controversial Season
Only time will tell if this particular episode will be tamer than the previous two, which have drawn controversy for their sexually charged plot lines, including Cassie exploring a career as an OnlyFans model. The first episode of the show's third season aired earlier this month and faced criticism over its hyper-sexual depictions of its female characters. The first episode featured Cassie dressed as a baby in a compromising sexual position, which right-wing American podcaster Megyn Kelly called 'sexualizing infancy'. Yet episode two merely ramped up the provocative content. While posing for photos for her OnlyFans account, Cassie was seen topless while ice cream drips down her chest, while another scene she is clad in a soaking wet, see-through American flag.
Show creator Sam Levinson previously defended Cassie's antics, referencing the puppy play in episode one. He told The Hollywood Reporter: '[Cassie] has got her dog house and her little dog ears and the nose, and that has its own humour, but what makes the scene is the fact that her housekeeper is the one filming it. What we wanted to always find is the other layer of absurdity that we're able to tie into it so that we're not too inside of her fantasy or illusion — the gag is to jump out, to break the wall.'
The show's creator has also staunchly defended the explicit nature of his work, noting during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival that, 'We live in a very sexualised world. The influence of pornography is really strong in terms of the psyche of young people.'
Critical Reception
Ahead of its premiere, the third season was torched with early reviews, with the show being labeled as an 'unhinged disaster' yet 'pretty uneventful.' The season currently holds a 46 percent 'rotten' rating on reviews aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, in comparison to season one and two's 80 and 78 percent 'fresh' score.
Euphoria airs at 9pm (ET/PT) on HBO on Sundays. In the UK, the series airs at 2am and 9pm on Mondays on Sky Atlantic and streams on HBO Max and Sky Go/NOW.
