Euphoria has been slammed once again for its display of both a Nazi flag and a Swastika tattoo in the latest episode.
Season 3 has undoubtedly proven to be the show’s most controversial run to date. While only two episodes in, creator Sam Levinson has been heavily criticised for his handling of the characters’ storylines and ‘disgusting’ explicit scenes.
A particular moment that sparked outrage was when Sydney Sweeney’s character, Cassie Howard, filmed content for her OnlyFans page dressed as a baby with a dummy in her mouth, her legs spread and her breasts showing in a sheer top.
The scene was branded ‘vulgar’ for ‘sexualising children’ by audiences, with many describing the season as a ‘humiliation ritual’ for Sweeney, 28, who was also condemned for not ‘saying no’ to things.
But the backlash didn’t stop there, as fans were also stunned by the very blatant inclusion of Nazi symbols in the second episode.
Towards the end of the episode, Faye Valentine (Chloe Cherry), who is now a series regular, features in a very graphic sex scene with drug dealer Wayne (Toby Wallace).
On his bedroom wall behind him is a huge Nazi flag in full view, while he also has a Swastika inked on his chest, shown in a close-up.
Taking to X as it unfolded, fans expressed their horror, with @hz9896 declaring that the scene was ‘not needed at all’ and @Roomiii_00 echoing that it was ‘unnecessary’ to show Cherry in such a compromising position.
@DGSAFDMD said it left them ‘literally screaming’ and @sapphicperez called the nude scene ‘disgusting’.
@matcha_g0d said they ‘nearly punched the TV’ as the flag was shown, with @bruna_almd adding: ‘each episode they manage to pull off an even worse scene’.
‘Was faye getting her brains f***ed out in front of a swastika sign really needed’, asked @1989healy, to which @ninisnotonfire replied: ‘the way it served no actual purpose other than shock value…’
‘The nazi flag?????? I’m reporting this s**t’, stated @AngelAm0ur.
@GoodTimeCC raged: ‘The f***ing Nazi tapestry! And of course we couldn’t have another episode with no explicit sex. Disgusting!’
Shockingly, the inclusion of Nazi symbolism wasn’t the only thing Levinson, 41, was condemned for this week.
Many also felt uncomfortable with the repeated use of the N-word throughout the episode, with @joycebyerscoded tweeting: ‘sam levinson getting too comfortable adding slurs in the script’.
Others argued that the slurs came ‘out of nowhere’, with @travlottienat noting that a ‘white guy said hard r to a black man in the first 15 mins’.
Euphoria has long pushed boundaries, with lead star Zendaya’s performance highly praised from the beginning, as she portrayed teenager Rue Bennnett, a drug addict struggling to stay sober and navigating new relationships.
However, Euphoria has also come under fire for ‘crossing the line’ and being needlessly ‘provocative’ with harrowing depictions of substance abuse, self-harm, and nudity.
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Season 3, especially, has been more NSFW than ever, with Sweeney’s Cassie, now in her twenties and set to marry Jacob Elordi’s Nate Jacobs, pursuing adult content creation to pay for the wedding. This has led to her dressing as a dog with a collar in what was labelled an ’embarrassing’ montage.
What’s more, hardcore fans have felt let down by the direction certain characters have been taken in, such as Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer), whose casting was revolutionary in 2019, when transgender representation on-screen was scarce.
Alas, viewers claim Levinson ‘lost interest’ in Jules, plus her romance with Rue.
Ahead of season 3’s launch, two key cast members also died – Angus Cloud, 25, who played Fezco O’Neill, died from a drug overdose in July 2023; and Eric Dane, 53, aka Cal Jacobs, died two months ago from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Longtime viewers expressed disappointment in how Cloud’s story, in particular, was concluded, claiming he was ‘disrespected’ by Fezco being sentenced to decades in prison.
Ultimately, many are relieved that the show is coming to a close after three seasons, and it’s probably fair to say the cast won’t be short of work, what with Zendaya starring in multiple Hollywood blockbusters and Elordi becoming an Oscar nominee since the teen drama catapulted their careers.
As for Levinson, despite being in most people’s bad books, he’s continued to speak highly of Euphoria, previously insisting he wanted to ‘open up a dialogue’ due to the ‘disconnect between parents and teenagers’ with the confronting storylines.
As for its stars, he recently said his grief for Cloud in particular ‘deeply informed the season’, having also been close to him and helped him get into rehab.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, he added that he ‘intentionally wanted to do something different’ with season 3, and when asked about returning for a fourth, he replied: ‘With every season, I look at it again and think about it once I’m done with it.
‘But yeah, season 3 is a unifying piece, and I’m proud of that.’
Season 3 of Euphoria is available on Sky, NOW, and HBO Max.
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