Oh, Euphoria fans. Sorry, but I have not a single word of comfort to offer you after that episode. It can only get worse from here.
Last week on Euphoria, Rue (Zendaya) dipped into her suitcase stash that she got from Laurie (Martha Kelly) and looked near the brink of death. Elsewhere, everyone around her began their descent into rock bottom.
This week, Rue is literally running away from potentially staying in rehab again. After a gripping intervention with Leslie (Nika King) and Gia (Storm Reid), Rue agrees to go to the emergency room. However, Leslie tells her in the car she’s taking her to rehab, causing Rue to jump out of the car and make a run for it.
Amid her weaving through oncoming traffic, Gia and Leslie try to figure out what to do and how to get her. Rue runs to Lexi's (Maude Apatow) house to see if she can find any pills to help ease her withdrawal. She doesn’t have much luck but instead stumbles upon a whole family/friend intervention when her mom shows up.
However, in tonight’s theme of Rue’s destruction, both self and whatever is in her path, she tells the whole group, Maddy (Alexa Demie) included, that Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) has been sleeping with Nate (Jacob Elordi).
But it seems we’ll get to that next episode because, for now, we’ve got to catch back up with Rue who, amid the chaos, makes an escape. She tries to go to Fezco (Angus Cloud) and ask for pills, but he doesn't have any to give. Then, after a grueling chase by the police, Rue ends up at Laurie’s house.
Laurie knows Rue doesn’t have enough money to pay off the suitcase, and she sees Rue is clearly in withdrawal, so she puts her in the bathtub and gives her a needle of morphine to take away the pain. However, when Rue wakes up, she’s locked in Laurie’s house with no way out until she finds one open window to sneak out of. The episode ends with Rue making another near-death escape and walking in the door to a worried Leslie.
There are many key points to understand about this episode but, in particular, the acting and camerawork really stand out.
First, Zendaya needs another Emmy. Right now. We as an audience are reminded why Zendaya was the highest-grossing star of 2021 and why she won the first Emmy award for Euphoria. Her acting in this episode is beyond what you see from most when trying to embody a role as complex as Rue. The way she can portray someone going through one of the lowest times and doing whatever they can to get drugs, from crying and begging and telling her family she loves them to screaming and breaking down doors and saying some of the most hurtful things one can imagine, is captivating. It’s impossible to take your eyes off her and the brilliance of her performance.
Additionally, the camerawork was absolutely phenomenal in this episode. Going — as the creators said in the post-episode interview — from a claustrophobic setup where the camera is very clearly operating in a small space to make the audience feel the world is closing in just like it is on Rue to the fast-paced camerawork in the street following Rue as she battles traffic is no easy feat, but it’s one they excellently pulled off.
What this means for the future of the show, I am unsure. But all I know is I’m excited and scared to see how Maddy reacts to the truth bomb about Cassie and Nate.
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Euphoria airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO MAX and HBO.
