(SPOILERS for this week’s Euphoria will be found below.)
Euphoria’s penultimate episode is finally here and, we know what you’re thinking: ‘We finally get to see Oklahoma!”
Lexi’s play has been teased throughout season two as the catalyst for some finale-worthy drama, and it did not disappoint. From homoerotic musical numbers to some eyebrow-raising revelations, our girl Lexi put everyone’s business on the street and we ate it up. (So did her mom, by the way.) But, with just one episode left this season, this juicy interlude left us with more questions than answers. Here are a few we hope to see resolved before the show goes on hiatus.
What Will Cassie Do Now?
Cassie’s emotional breakdown in the school bathroom and her blow-up with Nate all seem to suggest our girl has finally realized her life has imploded, and she’s the only one to blame. Nate breaks up with her — blaming Cassie for the humiliation he’s suffered because of her sister’s local theater production — and she ends the episode fuming, fogging up a glass door as she watches Lexi’s play. So, what happens next? Euphoria is a show about addiction in all its many twisted forms and for Cassie, the desire to be loved has ruined all of the healthy, meaningful relationships in her life. She was content to be Nate’s plaything, giving up her bodily autonomy — he dressed her, told her what to eat, etc. — in exchange for it. Now that they’re apparently done, does she go home? Try to work things out with Maddy? Apologize to the people she’s hurt? Or does she take her anger and desperation out on Lexi, who she seems to blame for her problems with Nate at the moment?
What Did Nate’s Dream Sequence Really Mean?
As unreliable a narrator as Rue is, Lexi’s storytelling this episode was a bit all over the place. We constantly flip-flopped from the play to her memories of real-life events and, in the in-between, were forced to sit through some really strange dream-like sequences involving Nate, Cassie, Maddy, Jules, and… Nate’s dad? Yeah, Cal popped up in his son’s bizarre erotic nightmare which saw Nate reliving the sexual encounter between Jules and his dad in that motel room. We saw Maddy getting undressed, Cassie sprawled out face down on the bed in a position that mimicked the one Jules was in during the real encounter, and Jules embracing Nate during different parts of the dream. The most disturbing visual though was when a shirtless Cal crawled up the bed and hovered over Nate himself, who was lying face down just like Cassie and Jules had been. Does that mean Cal sexually abused his son? Or, does the dream signify Nate’s debilitating fear that he’ll either end up like his father or end up being used by him?
Is Maddy Leaving?
During one of the few scenes not connected to Lexi’s play, Maddy and Samantha (Minka Kelly) sit on the bleachers watching Samantha’s son as the two discuss how she’s going to tell him goodbye. Maddy feels guilty for leaving him, but when Samantha asks if the guilt is enough to keep her in East Highland, Maddy offers an emphatic “f*ck no.” Most of the Euphoria crew seem to be around 17 -18 years old right now, so it’s possible Maddy’s planning to leave for college soon but since this show doesn’t seem to care about these teens’ school life, that feels unlikely. If Maddy does leave, will things between her and Cassie be resolved before that happens? And, if everyone’s going off to university, how the hell is this show going to keep up with its many storylines?
Are There Copies Of Jules Sex Tape?
In last week’s episode, Nate went to a lot of trouble to get his dad’s sex tape back from Maddy so that he could give it to Jules. He admitted he’d seen it — and judging from his nightmare this episode, it left quite an impression — but he told her he wanted her to have it so that his father wouldn’t be able to use it against her, or his family. The only problem with that uncharacteristically kind gesture is how focused this episode seemed to be on the CD and the event in question. Right after Nate’s dream sequence, we see Jules burning the disc and smashing it to bits — which all feels very final and also, very ominous. Nate said he didn’t know if there were more copies of the tape, but do we really think he’d give up that kind of ammunition against his dad, even for Jules? Could he have made a copy? And could he use it somehow to take down his dad while still protecting Jules?
Why Was Custer’s Phone On The Table?
Custer is a rat, and Ash seems to be catching on to his bad vibes but currently, he’s still hanging out at Fezco’s, acting suspicious and pressuring Faye to keep quiet. At one point, he carefully places a blank-screened phone on the coffee table where it remains for the rest of the episode. We know Custer’s working with the police and we’ve seen season trailers that show a S.W.A.T. team entering the house, but has Custer been directed to get a confession from Fez or Ashtray before the cops come in? And does he think Ash is stupid enough to not realize something’s up?
Is Faye Going To Tell Fez The Truth?
Faye may have been introduced as a brainless junkie at the beginning of this season, but the girl has clearly been through a lot. She’s suffering from an idiotic boyfriend, a drug problem, and a questionable working relationship with Laurie. Oh, and she threw a guy off a balcony. Her time with Fez and Ash has probably been the most stable and safe she’s felt in a while, and we can clearly see the turmoil she’s in over Custer’s revelation in episode six. Faye wants to tell Fez the truth because she recognizes how good he’s been to her, but she obviously owes Custer (and maybe Laurie?) loyalty too. Will she tell Fez that Custer’s been working for the police? And, if so, how is Fez going to handle that news?
What Is The Production Budget For Lexi’s Play?
A lot of people have accused Euphoria of being too unrealistic but, until now, we were happy to overlook the more fictitious elements of the show in order to appreciate the characters, the drama, and the Zendaya of it all. But really? What school is going to let an underclassman put on a theater production based on her own life where shirtless boys hump each other and kids snort prescription pills? Also, what is the budget for Lexi’s version of Oklahoma? Rotating sets? The lighting cues? A true-to-size streetlight in the middle of the damn stage? That’s Hamilton money, y’all.
