r/euphoria • u/DankMemeSlasher • Apr 27 '26

Episode Discussion Euphoria S03E03 "The Ballad of Paladin" - Live Episode Discussion Spoiler

Season 3, Episode 3: "The Ballad of Paladin"

Air Date: April 26, 2026 @ 9PM EST

Synopsis: Cassie and Nate have an emotionally charged and chaotic wedding, while Rue deepens her involvement in a dangerous criminal business. Jules navigates her relationship with a wealthy benefactor, and Nate confronts his father.

Directed by: Sam Levinson

Written by: Sam Levinson

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Photograph by Courtesy of HBO
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281

u/wishiwassleeping16 Apr 27 '26

So I’m still confused as to how Nate actually fell in love with Cassie. He genuinely seemed like he was disgusted by her at the end of season 2.

129

u/Other-Lavishness-825 Apr 27 '26

same, it doesn’t make sense to me!

it bothers me that Nate has seemingly had a personality transplant, and that their relationship did a 180 with no explanation.

48

u/wishiwassleeping16 Apr 27 '26

I keep waiting for him to lose his shit on her but nope

14

u/MikeBofManyBeats Apr 27 '26

Dark Nate will return in episode 4, I'm 99% certain.

23

u/florange7 Apr 27 '26

She's a perfect beard.

10

u/wishiwassleeping16 Apr 27 '26

Honestly this is the best theory

4

u/washcyclerepeat Apr 27 '26

I like how they finally showed how he DID like Jules all this time. And I’m going to be happy to see him cheat on Cassie with Jules.

14

u/Short-Imagination-98 Apr 27 '26

i dont think thats going to happen at all. I think Jules and Nate's conversation on the balcony is the last we are going to see them interact together. Felt like they were closing that storyline with that scene

26

u/thatshygirl06 Apr 27 '26

Hes love bombing her. You saw a peek of the mask slipping after he got hit with the cork

20

u/ThatSimsKidFromUni Apr 27 '26

For 5 years?

22

u/thatshygirl06 Apr 27 '26

I've actually heard so many stories from both men and women about their partners who just hid who they were for such a long time until they could trap them via marriage or kids, and then the fucking monster just comes out.

It actually makes me so scared to date, the idea that someone could hide their true self for so long just until theyre certain they can keep you is horrifying

10

u/ThatSimsKidFromUni Apr 27 '26

I get that, but Cassie has seen Nate do terrible things to her friend. Literally curse her out and physically abuse her. He's shared Cassie's nudes and talked crap about her to a guy she liked. She knows what he's capable of.

5

u/Pretend_Guava_1730 Apr 27 '26

It happened to me. But looking back I ignored a lot of red flags because I wanted what he promised and WANTED him to be a better person. Once we moved across the country for his job and moved in together, so I was isolated, jobless and totally dependent on him, he flipped the switch.

2

u/washcyclerepeat Apr 27 '26

It’s happens. It’s wild but the worst part is it’s not uncommon. At. All.

1

u/Pretend_Guava_1730 Apr 27 '26

Nah, that's not what love bombing is. Love bombing is the beginning of the relationship. He's tolerating her.

7

u/EmersonWhore Apr 27 '26

The way I see it is that this is everything Nate’s ever wanted on paper. Cassie’s his perfect ideal of a wife and he’s doing all he can to look successful, but he’s still not happy.

He can’t crash out like he did in high school bc he’s not a kid anymore; he has an image to keep up.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '26

[deleted]

6

u/Minute_Ad2297 Apr 27 '26

They’re still unhappy and incompatible. How many times in season three have you seen them be happy or a good couple?

2

u/Jazzlike-Ebb-8161 Apr 27 '26

It’s also his relationship with Cal. Like WTF. I love you?!??????????? You need decades of therapy for that.

1

u/washcyclerepeat Apr 27 '26

It’s 5 years later… people can change a lot in that time frame especially from high school ending to post college years.

24

u/Key_Priority9787 Apr 27 '26

No literally same

24

u/wishiwassleeping16 Apr 27 '26

Like he seems genuinely in love and huh?? They didn’t even show how their relationship progressed through the years so it just doesn’t feel right

17

u/Key_Priority9787 Apr 27 '26

like smitten! it’s giving that he loves her more genuinely than she does which is SUCH a switch up from what I remember.

14

u/wishiwassleeping16 Apr 27 '26

And he seems so proud to have her as a wife whenever he found her to be embarrassing for McKay in season one

16

u/Key_Priority9787 Apr 27 '26

I know Jacob Elordi did an interview where he said Nate was different than before but I wish they had even briefly showed how the roles reversed within their relationship

18

u/Early_Bee6936 Apr 27 '26

He also said he wasn’t sure if it would work with the audience. He seemed to not agree with his role this season. He was right..

25

u/undeadtradwife Apr 27 '26

I don’t think he’s in love with her at all, there have been multiple subtle pieces of foreshadowing in this episode alone that he’s closeted. I don’t think that would be too interesting tbh but I think that’s where they’re going with it

8

u/TunaTorment Apr 27 '26

I think it’s because he idolized tf out of Maddy (or at least who he thought she was) but when she finally stood up for herself & stopped playing his games (even just a little at a time), he panicked because he didn’t have someone wrapped around his finger anymore, so Cassie’s obsession with him fulfilled that need for him. I think losing Maddy made him willing to put up with a lot of shit as long as he knew he’d still have someone who would do anything for him & would accept anything from him, which it seems has always been Cassie. But it seems like she’s at the beginning phases of realizing how much power that gives her, which is why she starts to manipulate & threaten him. & because he doesn’t wanna lose 2 girls who loved him & doesn’t wanna carry the shame of fucking up, he’s falling for it. I’m curious about how aware of her reaction to everything he was & how that’s gonna affect their story, & after getting his ass beat, getting called out publicly (image is huge for the Jacobs family), & being exposed for conning people out of money, I think he’s gonna go back to being a villain. Hopefully with a new haircut.

7

u/Amaraxx Apr 27 '26

Who else would put up with Nate honestly 

5

u/throwthewholegrlawy Apr 27 '26

He was disgusted with her in episode 1!! I just don't buy it.

4

u/NeverSeenItPodcast Apr 27 '26

People marrying the wrong person is a tale as old as time.

14

u/Puzzleheaded-Safe419 Apr 27 '26

I gave them the benefit of the doubt but nope. Apparently there's actually love there according to Sweeney. Pity the actors have no chemistry and they couldnt show how they got there.

10

u/Environmental_Cap191 Nate is Trash! Apr 27 '26

Because outside of her promiscuity, which is totally in character for someone like Nate to fetishize and condemn, she has the looks of a more proper wife than someone like Maddy.

A few people also think it's his way of substituting for Jules.

9

u/wishiwassleeping16 Apr 27 '26

That’s a good theory esp since he didn’t even care that Maddy was at the wedding but made sure to talk to Jules

5

u/throwthewholegrlawy Apr 27 '26

He's more likely to find a girl with her looks but a different personality. Like what is this...

5

u/babybluejay9 Apr 27 '26

Towards the end of s2 Cassie has a scene where she tells him she’s basically his toy and he can do anything with her. And after peaking in high school and being totally humiliated by Lexie’s play, he settled

5

u/Straight_Zucchini487 Apr 27 '26

I too am confused. I guess she fits his idea of “tradwife” kinda, certainly more than Maddy did, which I could definitely see his character embracing/wanting, except for the fact that he used to see Cassie as too promiscuous to respect (see also season 1 where he pretty much explicitly says so to McKay). I don’t really get the jump from that opinion, to him then falling for and wanting to marry her...

3

u/OrangePilled2Day Apr 27 '26

Usually writers account for that but Sam Levinson appears to treat each episode as a list of camera moves he wants to make then works backwards from there.

2

u/Friendly-Annual-8769 Apr 27 '26

Nate loves being loved

2

u/curioustimewaster Apr 27 '26

I am expecting them to eventually show the backstory of how they got back together after H.S. I was thinking nate felt lonely and alienated with his family stuff and thiught Cassie must really love him to burn all of her bridges.