Can I get an amen? Season 3 of The Sex Lives of College Girls is finally here, and yes, Reneé Rapp is still a part of the cast. It’s been almost two years since the second season ended, leaving fans waiting with bated breath to learn the fate of the show’s core four. With the release of the first episode of Season 3 on Nov. 21, plenty of those questions have been answered, with many new storylines being introduced due to events that occurred when cameras went down — including Rapp’s (eventual) departure from the Max series. Spoiler Warning: Spoilers for SLOCG Season 3 follow.
ICYMI, it was reported in July 2023 that Rapp would be leaving SLOCG following a few brief appearances in Season 3. In the premiere, Rapp’s character, Leighton Murray, still appears to be a pivotal part of the show, though we all know her story will soon come to an end. Rapp seemingly exited the show to focus more on her music and other acting opportunities. She’s since starred in the 2023 Mean Girls musical and performed her music at festivals such as All Things Go. However, despite Rapp’s rapid rise to stardom in the past two years, Leighton is still embedded in SLOCG after Season 3’s first episode.
The premiere kicked off by highlighting Leighton’s summer away from Essex College with her girlfriend, Alicia. When Leighton notices that Alicia is spending a lot of time stepping away to answer private calls, she (and her dad) speculate it may be because Alicia’s entertaining a woman on the side. This theory is swiftly squashed when Alicia admits to Leighton that she was offered a job working with the mayor of Boston.
When Alicia opts to take the opportunity with no hesitation, Leighton begins to question their future as a couple. That is until all the pieces of this new storyline slowly start to fall in line when Leighton grows unhappy with her academic schedule at Essex.
As a mathematician, Leighton is disappointed to find out one of her high-level math classes was scrapped because she was the only student to pass the course’s prerequisite test. When her teacher recommends taking the class at a neighboring school, Leighton complies, but soon grows weary of the idea because of the long commute. At the end of the episode, Leighton and Alicia vow to give their long-distance relationship a try. Meanwhile, Leighton confronts her teacher about her distaste for Essex’s academic offerings.
Leighton’s teacher offers to reach out to a colleague at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Yes, MIT), which is located in the city of Boston. Coincidence? I think not, but nonetheless, the episode closes out with Leighton realizing MIT would lead her to the same city as her lover. It’s all but confirmed that Leighton will transfer to MIT, though it’s unclear how she’s going to break the news to her dear friends Whitney, Bela, and Kimberly.
I’m not going to lie, I’m going to miss Rapp on SLOCG, but I commend her for exiting the show prematurely to focus on her music career. It certainly worked for starlets like Olivia Rodrigo with High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and it seems to be working out perfectly for Rapp.