This combination of images released by HBO shows cast members, from left, Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney from the series "Euphoria." (Patrick Wymore/HBO via AP)

While working at the Walmart Supercenter in Ebensburg four years ago, I remember that my team lead was more excited to watch the latest episode of HBO’s “Euphoria” than I was.

And I was shocked that she watched it.

Ignorantly, I thought “Euphoria” was only a show for Generation Z because of its authentic focus on high schoolers experiencing love, violence and drugs in the 21st century.

Expectedly, the show took TikTok and other social media platforms by storm. Unexpectedly, it also received rave reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb, creating a cult following.

But that’s what two seasons of “Euphoria” accomplished; they united people, regardless of age, race or religion. It seemed like everyone and their mother was crowding around their televisions each Sunday night.

Considering that the season 2 finale aired in February 2022, fans have been on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens after Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow) exposes her friend group onstage, Rue Bennett (Zendaya) finds sobriety and Fezco (Angus Cloud) suffers after a drug deal gone wrong.

The wait for season three is now over, as it recently premiered on HBO Max on April 12. But this time, fans are disappointed.

The season 3 premiere episode titled “Andale” currently has an IMDb rating of 6.8 as of April 14, which is the lowest rating the series has garnered since its inception in 2019.

“I am a huge fan of the show, but this episode felt lazy and so predictable,” thesixth_lisbonsistr commented on IMDb, giving the episode a 1 out of 10 stars.

“It was really poorly written, and it just feels like they are throwing all of the characters’ established storylines in the trash.”

The show picks up a few years after high school, with Rue smuggling fentanyl into the United States to pay off her astounding drug debt, teased at the end of season two. On the other hand, Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) inherits his father’s real estate business, while his fiancee, Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney), saves up for their lavish wedding by creating OnlyFans content. With visually appealing shots detailing Rue’s post-adolescent lifestyle on the California border, viewers can pick up on the show’s obvious shift into the Western motif.

According to The New York Times, series creator Sam Levinson, 41, said he focused on themes of good, evil, freedom and its consequences in his new season, inspired by classic Western media. The series isn’t exactly what Levinson wanted it to be, he said, as he planned for Angus Cloud to be the backbone of season 3. Levinson fought hard to keep Cloud clean.

Cloud played fan-favorite character Fezco who dealt drugs in seasons 1 and 2, but he died of a real-life drug overdose in 2023.

After Cloud’s death, Levinson said he did some soul-searching before writing season 3.

“Losing him made me sit down and think, what story do I really want to tell,” he said. “What matters in life?”

Fezco’s absence is explained in the new season by serving a 30-year prison sentence.

After watching the premiere episode, I can say it’s not my favorite. For example, I have no idea how Levinson will bring these characters together under one roof after high school graduation. They only feel tethered together because of their previous storylines in the series.

Now, the show feels like the ghost of popular series past as its stars have grown larger than the production, and the plotline seems to have become obsolete. Not to mention that the character development is nonexistent, and the writing feels forced, especially between Nate and Cassie.

While I am unsure if I will continue watching the series, I hope that season 3 can turn around for the sake of telling a compelling story about addiction.

As Levinson said, this season is meant to honor the memory of someone who has fallen victim to addiction, the very reason why the show became popular in the first place.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414, and on Instagram and Facebook @colettecostlow.