Euphoria’s third season coming years after its second left its creators with many challenges — the biggest and most emotional of which was what to do with fan-favorite character Fezco, played by Angus Cloud, who died in 2023 of a drug overdose.
For the season premiere of Sam Levinson’s hit HBO show on Sunday (April 12), viewers were greeted with a long-awaited update on Zendaya’s Rue, Jacob Elordi’s Nate, Sydney Sweeney’s Cassie, and the rest of the gang. There was also an explanation as to the fate of Cloud’s character following his cliffhanger arrest at the end of season two.
(Warning: spoilers ahead)
In a five-year time jump, Rue speaks to her childhood best friend and Fezco’s love interest Lexi (played by Maude Apatow) and explains that he is still alive, but locked up for three decades.
“Just pick up the phone and call him,” Rue says. “It’s not like he’s going anywhere. He’s in prison for 30 years.”
In addition to showing Cloud’s name on a black screen at the end of the episode, there’s also a tribute to Eric Dane, who filmed season three and died on February 19, two months before the premiere.
“In remembrance of Eric Dane 1972 — 2026” appeared alongside a photo of the actor, who plays the troubled Cal Jacobs, father of Elordi’s Nate.
Dane, who shared his ALS diagnosis last year, filmed his final season with help from Levinson.
“Eric called me before we started shooting and told me that he had been diagnosed with ALS. We had a lot of conversations about just life and what that meant. I loved him very deeply, and I said, ‘Eric, whatever shape you show up in, we’re gonna make it work. I have faith that it’s all gonna work,’” Levinson said in an interview.
Recently, Levinson shared a statement about Angus Cloud that he sent out with pre-season screeners of the show.
It read: “With addiction, you're supposed to be prepared for the loss of someone struggling, but his death stirred an anger — not only for him, but for the many young lives in America cut short by fentanyl. This season became my way to honor Angus and all the kids who weren’t offered a second chance. I wanted to tell a story where hope and light could still be felt in the darkness."
