Five years have passed since we last checked in on East Highland. It’s been a long wait, and honestly, the shift is pretty jarring. According to Misryoum analysis, the characters we left behind as high schoolers have morphed into something—well, mostly darker versions of their younger selves. Rue Bennett herself puts it best: “Nothing good” has come from the time jump. The coffee on my desk has gone stone cold while I was looking into this, but that’s the reality of catching up with this crowd.
Rue is in deep. The $10,000 debt she owed to Laurie? It’s ballooned into a staggering $43 million thanks to interest, or at least that’s what Laurie claims. Misryoum editorial desk noted that the drug lord is “generous” enough to settle for $100,000, provided Rue acts as a mule. She’s now smuggling drugs in her own body back into the U.S. It’s a bleak pivot from the halls of high school, to say the least.
Lexi and Maddy have both migrated to the Hollywood scene, though the results vary. Lexi is living a version of her dream, working as a writer’s assistant for an industry legend, while Maddy is grinding as a talent manager for influencers. It feels like the right fit for Maddy—she’s always had that natural authority—but the job isn’t delivering the fulfillment she expected. Or maybe it’s just the industry, actually. It’s tough to tell.
Then there’s the Howard sisters. Cassie is currently trapped in a “right-wing suburban bubble,” engaged to Nate and laser-focused on her social media presence. She’s eyeing a shift to OnlyFans to fund an absurd $50,000 flower budget for her wedding. It’s… quite a choice. Nate, meanwhile, is attempting to run his father’s contracting business in Southern California, though the real estate market is already starting to bite. And yes, he drives a Cybertruck. Of course he does.
Jules is off in art school, though we don’t actually see her in the premiere. Word is she’s taken up being a sugar baby—details are thin, but that’s the current rumor mill. Meanwhile, the show continues to honor the late Angus Cloud. Fezco is alive in the narrative, currently serving time for the Season 2 raid, still holding a connection to Rue.
It’s a lot to process. The show has moved on, shedding characters like Kat and Gia, leaving us to focus on this new, grittier reality. Is it a good direction? That’s subjective, but it certainly feels like everyone is running from something.