Hey Euphoria, Where Is Nate Jacobs & What Have You Done With Him?

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Warning! This article contains spoilers for Euphoria season 3, episode 5.

As a fan, I’ve been really struggling with season 3 of Euphoria. It feels like a lot of the characters aren’t quite themselves, but Nate Jacobs is the biggest example for me. Everyone else, even when they’ve changed, still feels like the same person at their core. Lexi’s become super judgmental, and Rue is completely different when it comes to relationships, but you can still recognize who they are. With Nate, though, it just doesn’t add up. He feels like a totally different character, and it’s throwing me off.

Okay, so about Jacob Elordi’s character in Euphoria season 3… it’s honestly hard to believe this is Nate Jacobs. They’ve really reinvented him. This Nate feels totally new, like we’re meeting someone else entirely – almost like the characters Angel, Alamo, or Bishop. Seriously, this version is almost pathetically submissive, letting everyone – his wife, the city council, even his creditors – dictate his life. It’s a huge departure from the guy who, just a season ago, was threatening people with a gun to get what he wanted. It’s hard to reconcile those two people, honestly.

For the first time in a while, Euphoria is really feeling like its old self. The core group of friends are reunited and, as usual, creating drama. Most of the characters are falling back into familiar patterns – Cassie is being attention-seeking, Maddy is plotting and scheming – but Nate’s behavior still seems off and unpredictable.

The Character Played By Jacob Elordi In Euphoria Season 3 Is Not Nate Jacobs

It’s unclear exactly who Jacob Elordi is portraying in the third season of Euphoria, but it definitely isn’t the same Nate Jacobs we’ve seen before. The Nate we know wouldn’t handle things so calmly after being hit in the face with a champagne cork – he wouldn’t plead publicly, or run and hide when confronted.

It’s hard to believe the Nate and Cassie we’re seeing on screen are the same characters we knew before. It almost feels like the writer, Sam Levinson, created a story about a different couple – a financially struggling pair where the wife earns money through OnlyFans and the husband reluctantly accepts a certain dynamic out of desperation – and simply changed the names to Nate and Cassie to finish the season 3 script for Euphoria. Honestly, this storyline would be more believable if it didn’t involve Nate and Cassie; Cassie convincingly plays the role of a successful OnlyFans creator, but Nate doesn’t fit the character of a submissive, financially dependent husband.

Okay, so Nate has always been… complicated, but episode 5 really threw me. Remember how he initially exploded when Cassie even mentioned OnlyFans? Total possessive, controlling behavior. Now? He’s basically her biggest fan, and it’s genuinely unsettling. He’s not just tolerating her making erotic content and moving in with another guy, he’s cheering her on. It’s a complete 180. At first, I figured it was just about the money – he’s letting her pay off his debts, so of course he’d pretend to be supportive. But honestly, it feels like he’s actually into it now, and that’s what’s really disturbing. He’s gone from controlling to… strangely enthusiastic, and it doesn’t ring true.

I Was Worried Euphoria Would Give Nate A Redemption Arc, But This Is Worse

Before the third season of Euphoria came out, lots of different rumors spread about what would happen, including ideas that Rue would become a detective or a surrogate mother. One rumor that particularly worried fans was that Nate, who has done terrible things to Maddy, Jules, and Tyler, might somehow become a sympathetic or heroic character. It’s common for TV shows to try and redeem villains, like they did with characters like Negan and Kylo Ren, but the thought of Nate getting a happy ending felt frustrating to many.

Thankfully, Nate’s storyline in season 3 isn’t a typical redemption arc – it’s not even really a story at all. It mostly consists of him being constantly punished and manipulated by Cassie. He’s completely changed from the person who used to control everyone, and now has no control over his own life.

Watching Nate get hurt isn’t satisfying anymore because he hasn’t really done anything wrong this season. It feels like the show is trying to recreate the impact of the violent attack on Fezco in the second season of Euphoria, but without giving Nate a reason to deserve it. It’s getting repetitive—Nate can’t keep losing parts of himself forever.

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2026-05-12 16:30