u/MGr8ce

▲ 118 r/euphoria

Color Theory

Came across this old thread and thought it had some great takes. I love Color Theory and if I were to give S3 any small dose of praise, it would be the continued color themes for the characters throughout the series.

https://www.reddit.com/r/euphoria/comments/15cieh0/do_you_think_anyone_on_the_show_has_ever/

I missed this color theory notion in past seasons but distinctly noticed the color themes in Season 3. Likely due to the cinematography. Each color represents a version of the characters personas.

First commenter on the OG thread points out a lot of the following and I found it very on point, so I'll elaborate further w/ my S3 thoughts:

Cassie - Pinks/Blues/Whites - we see her in these colors fairly consistently throughout the series. She wears Pinks/Whites (generally softer tones) when she tends to be a more real version of herself. These are also her "happier" colors. Case in points: Cassie and Nate's bedroom is white and pink. The wedding is shrimp cocktail color themed (pinks/corals/whites), bridesmaids dresses are a pink mauve, she's in her white wedding dress. In S3, in all eps leading up to the wedding, many of Cassie's outfits, (outside the doggie outfit), are in her signature happy pinks. Showcasing to us her life is comfortable (even w/ her apparent need for a shit ton of $$ & excessive validation). After the wedding night disaster we see her tone change to Blues for a time. Blues are her color when she's "struggling". Post-wedding Cassie sports a lot of Blues, specifically in the beginning of her OF/Acting career, showing us her struggle in transitioning to this "new life". By the end of the season/series we're seeing Cassie in bold/loud colors (animal print/hot pinks/magenta), colors that are far away from the softer pastels, a sign that Cassie has "lost herself". She's let the need for validation take over. The "real" Cassie of soft pinks has been traded in for leopard print "false" Cassie (fake OF life, fake orgasms, & ultimately a fake version of Cassie herself). The last outfit we see her in, she is incorporating her softer colors back into her wardrobe, a small sign of "real" Cassie. Perhaps an attempt at trying to get back to herself in some way, but still she's with the OF hair and makeup, showcasing to us how polarized her life has become. Real Cassie vs Fake Cassie. In the end, Cassie is "home" in her mansion, but not home to the life she truly desired, (remember S2 Cassie tells us her biggest dream: dedicating her life to loving someone, to be "his" girl, to love him more than anything). She briefly attained that dream, but it's been taken from her. She's sitting on the pink bed, in the white bedroom, the bed & bedroom she shared with her husband, when she wasn't alone, and she was loving him. And while the bed is still pink, the sheets are now blue. Pointing to us the dichotomy of Cassie's life. Real Cassie's greatest fears have been realized, her husband is dead & she's alone. She's no longer a wife dedicating her life to loving her husband, but now a widow. While simultaneously, fake Cassie's life is seemingly booming with lots of "love" from subscribers.

Maddy - Purples/Blacks/Greens/Prints - Not as much purple for Maddy this season, we see her mix it up a bit with the added addition of some bolder prints & pinstripes instead, but purples were a color for her in S1 & S2 (see OG thread for thoughts on purples). What does remain true for Maddy this season is the fairly consistent darkness of the colors in her wardrobe (w/ the exception of some red and yellow), most of her wear is darker colors. Black - Maddy's true power color, she wears Blacks when she's making a statement (along with fur coats as needed), we see this when she first meets with Cassie, when she's being an "internet pimp", and when she meets Alamo at the Club, showcasing to us her "boss" status. Green - Maddy's barely there wedding attire this is Green, showcasing the envy she feels towards Cassie, not because of Cassie's marriage to Nate specifically, but b/c of Cassie's seemingly "perfect & easy" life, a life free from struggle (i.e. rich husband, mansion, and fancy car). All the things Maddy's always wanted. Prints - while it's hard to play on color theory with prints, what I do think it shows us is that she is feeling more comfortable playing in new territory. Maddy loves solids, so seeing her wear color schemes that mix it up here & there, can also also play on the fact that at the end of the day, Maddy is playing a much bigger boss lady than she actually is, showing her lack of judgement & signaling to the danger she gets herself in.

Jules - muted tones - Blacks/Whites/Beige/Pale Blue - OG thread states Jules' wear tends to focus around her relationship with Rue. I tend to agree with that so I'll keep that theme going in my assessment. I think this season we see Jules in overly toned down aesthetics. In the beginning, while at art school, she has some color to her style but that quickly disipates. This season, she's mostly separated from Rue and living this sugar-baby life that leaves her "color-less". On her sugar-baby dates, she's mostly in black, black/white, or nothing at all. Black is not a power color for Jules like it is for Maddy, it's a color that represents her somberness. Beige - we see her in beige when visiting with Lexi about commissioning the paining for the show, this again portrays the "blandness" of Jules life post art school. She has the sugar baby lifestyle w/ the money and the apartment, but she's "dead" inside. Pale Blue - her outfit to Nate & Cassie's wedding, where she attends with Rue, we see her showcasing a pretty pale blue dress and soft but defining makeup. This is the most "alive" we see her this season. As the season progresses Jules remains in her muted tones, in her muted designed apartment, showcasing her muted life.

Rue - Blues/Creams/Yellows/Reds - Rue has the brightest change of style this season. In past seasons her colors have been dark. In S3 her colors are brighter, bolder, and warmer, showing us what a clean & sober Rue looks like (while also still living a life of debauchery). Blues - while she's far from happy, she does have a notion of "hope" around her throughout the season. Blue representing the hopefulness of what being clean and sober can bring her. A life that could be. We see this in her jean jackets, wedding suit, and church attire. Creams - While a muted color, she's wearing it with the attitude of calmness and control. She's working towards a different life. A quieter life. Her wedding attire of the pale blue suit w/ beige shirt, the pale blue matching Jules' dress, shows us the hopefulness of what a life with Jules could bring her. A life with her soulmate. But what we see here is a bit of the contradiction of Rue's life. Rue does not live in Blues & Creams, she lives in Reds & Yellows. Reds and Yellows - Rue's reality is she's a drug mule, working for 2 highly dangerous and corrupt drug lords. In this harsh life she is required to be bold and outlandish, live dangerously, dramatically, all of this is reflected in her color schemes of the Reds and Yellows this season. Red being the color of danger/anger/threat, and Yellow being a color of warning/hazard. In Rue's last moments we see her back in her "active" addiction wear. Her father's maroon hoodie. She's back in the dark colors. A stark contrast to the brighter colors she portrayed when she was clean. Ultimately, we see Rue return to the Maroon by way of the Reds & Yellows, unable to escape her demons (even if unintentionally). The life of Blues & Creams was not meant to be.

Lexi - Prints/Bold - Lexi doesn't have a specific color scheme this season but one thing remains consistent, she dresses chic and safe. We do see her in some bolder/brighter colors at times, perhaps showing her drive and tenacity on "making it", but she still, however, plays it safe. Not willing to rock the boat with too much attention grabbing. She stays sophisticated with a flare of retro. The collared shirts with pants/skirts remain a safe bet. She's not willing to risk much, and we see that in her daily life. She's living, but with the bumper rails still up. In her final scene, she's in the pastel blue shirt w/ tie and pleather brown skirt. Soft, muted toned colors, weirdly matching Cassie's own soft pink outfit. In the end, we're shown that Lexi is still living life on the safe side and likely always will.

Nate - Bold - most of the color themes seem to focus on the female characters, but what I will give Nate is his style this season is top tier (in the beginning). He looks great (up until the end anyways). His overall "color" theme this season is Bold. The season starts out w/ him in a blue jean jacket (maybe giving off a little sense of hope?), he's wearing the blue jean jacket in the white bedroom w/ the pink bed and pink curtains, showcasing his entwined life with Cassie and their blended styles. He lives in a boldly colored home with his pink pastel wife. A weird but strangely complimentary aspect of his life. Throughout the beginning episodes we continue to see his style as very retro, but always commanding. Bold tones. No matter what color he's in, Blue, White/Cream, Yellow, he gives an aura of shining success. His style & the colors he wears reflects his bougie, suburban life. But when we get to post-wedding timeline, he has lost his fashion sense along with his wife, his housekeeper, and any money he had. He's lounging around in dark sweats with no sense of self (or anything else for that matter). The bold colors of Nate Jacobs are gone. He's living in grays and dark blue sweats now, a stark contrast to his colorful home. The thrill is gone (along with his pinky toe and ring finger). This is how we see Nate's final wear and storyline come to a close. No boldness, no color, no shine. Just darkness (figuratively and literally). RIP.

u/MGr8ce — 4 months ago