If it weren\u2019t part of my job to recap each new episode of Euphoria<\/em>\u2019s third season<\/a>, I genuinely don\u2019t know if I\u2019d still be watching it.<\/p>\n Sure, Season 1 had the thrill of newness, and Season 2 had its moments, but I\u2019m not really into all the staginess, sex, and gore that has taken the place of meaningful character development in this show. (We have Quentin Tarantino at home, babe!)<\/p>\n When I do<\/em> feel tempted to quit on Euphoria,<\/em> though, there\u2019s one character that reliably keeps me coming back every Sunday night: Jules Vaughn, Hunter Schafer<\/a>\u2019s aspiring artist and part-time sugar baby who is delving back into a complex are-we-exes-or-besties situationship of sorts with Zendaya\u2019s Rue, even as she becomes increasingly dependent on a surgeon with a penchant for wrapping her body in plastic. (Diva: run<\/em>, that\u2019s quite clearly a serial killer. He didn\u2019t even give you air holes!)<\/p>\n Is Jules\u2019s role on Euphoria<\/em> perfectly written or an appropriate use of Schafer\u2019s talents? Not always. So far, we\u2019ve gotten less Jules than I woud like this season (although her rolling up to Nate and Cassie\u2019s wedding in the world\u2019s least nuptials-appropriate Acne Studios dress was undeniably iconic), and I don\u2019t love the predictable nature of her narrative. Yes, trans women do engage in sex work at higher rates<\/a> than their cis counterparts, but I want more interesting storylines for her than dodging creepy chasers or doing\u2026whatever the hell it is she\u2019s been doing with Rue since high school. I loved getting a glimpse of Jules smoking and painting a majestic female nude in Episode 3 of Euphoria<\/em>\u2019s third season, but I wish that we, as viewers, had a better sense of where she is emotionally after all these years.<\/p>\n Photo: Patrick Wymore\/HBO<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n All that said, the thing that keeps me rooting for Jules against the odds is, quite simply, Schafer\u2019s luminosity. She\u2019s incredibly gifted at doing a lot with a little, and when she\u2019s onscreen, it\u2019s hard to look at anyone else (even when the no-less-fab Maddy<\/a> is sauntering into her ex and ex-bestie\u2019s wedding venue serving a lethal face card and wearing a green cutout revenge dress that solidifies 2026 as the year of the crack<\/a>).<\/p>\n It\u2019s still early days, so maybe there\u2019s hope on the horizon for my standout Euphoria<\/em> favorite this season. As it is, I\u2019ll take whatever it is we\u2019re given of Jules\u2019s arc\u2014but that won\u2019t stop me from hoping for more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/assets.vogue.com\/photos\/69f08ae211c0aec2eaf48c72\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/hunter-schafer_2.jpg\"\/)
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