CONTAINS SPOILERS
With the second series of the hit HBO show “Euphoria” coming to an end, the internet had a lot of opinions on the season finale. While some were pleased with the ending and finally got to see the Cassie VS Maddy smackdown that we have been waiting for, others were left disappointed as expectations were not fulfilled.
It was obvious from the premiere of the second series that Sam Levinson and his writers would have big shoes to fill, as the first series (which premiered June 2019) was highly acclaimed amongst viewers, with the finale being one of the most highly rated episodes on IMDB. Although I cannot speak for everyone in regards to whether season 2 lived up to the same standard, I can safely say that I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of it.
However, I do understand those criticising certain character development (or lack thereof in some cases, but we’ll get onto that) and plot holes evident in the penultimate and last episodes. In this article, rather than going through events chronologically, I will do it by character, as I want to do a bit of analysis into their arcs in this series and the possibilities for their characters in season 3. So let’s get into it!
Fez and Ash
In the first scene of the episode titled “All my life I have yearned for a thing I cannot name”, we are in Fezcos and Ash’s apartment. We find out through Faye that Custer is working with the police in order to get Fez arrested for a murder that happened in the latter half of the first series, and that he is using his phone to contact the police. Of course, Ash has his suspicions and, in true Ash style, is concealing a knife in his sleeve. Now, we knew from the opening scene that something fatal was going to happen in this episode as it was rumoured that either one of the brothers would end up dead.
At the beginning of the series in a flashback, we learn more about Fezco’s younger years and how he helped to bring up Ash, which makes the next events even more heart-wrenching. Faye exposes Custer to Fez; Ash has already stabbed him in the neck, killing him whilst he was on the phone with the police. Here, we see the moment that Fez is willing to take the bullet for his younger brother before Ash decides to deal with it on his own.
The next scene with these characters shows a shoot-off between Ash and the federation of military forces in the hallway, with Fez being shot in the midst before the laser sight of the gun slowly makes its way up to his forehead. He is shot in the bathroom.
Many speculate that Ash chose to take the bullet for Fez after hearing his numerous phone calls with Lexi, planning their futures. We can only imagine that Ash saw Fez falling for her more each day and wanted to give the best ending to his father and brother figure, the man who raised him. Showing these “Fexi” flashbacks during Ash’s final moments just goes to show the bond that the brothers had and makes it even harder to see Ash, at the age of 15, value Fez’s life over his own.
This moves us onto one of the fan favourite “ships” of this series: “Fexi”.
Fez and Lexi
Throughout this season, viewers were delighted to see the relationship between two of the most loved characters, Lexi Howard and Fezcos, blossom. During the series, we see numerous phone calls and scenes featuring the two, building up nicely to Lexi’s play (which begins in episode 7 and carries onto the finale). Although this last episode did not feature the pair as much as others, we do get to see how important they both are to each other.
Lexi dedicates her speech during the interval of her play to Fez, and Fez tries hard to look his best in a suit with a bouquet for the younger Howard sister. This, of course, makes the last two episodes hard to watch as we have seen both try desperately hard to get to the other. However, one reason that viewers love “Fexi” so much is the fact that it is probably the only depiction of a healthy relationship within the entire show, with the Cassie, Maddy, Nate triangle being its polar opposite.
Cassie, Maddy and Nate
From the get-go, viewers were flung into a typical “Love Triangle” trope between Maddy, Nate, and Cassie. However, the way that events escalated throughout the series was far from a typical high school drama as, during this time, viewers get insights into Cassie’s declining mental health and Maddy’s acceptance of her past abusive relationship.
We are also given more details regarding Nate’s relationship with his family and with both girls, which all builds up towards the final few episodes, where Nate and Cassie’s relationship is exposed by Rue. In the final episode, we see the climax of Cassie’s breakdown. After Nate “breaks up” with her, Cassie bursts onto the stage during Lexi’s play, in another row with her family which inevitably leads to a fight with her former best friend.
The decline of Cassie’s mental health has been a key plot point this season, as we get a better look at how her dad’s departure and mother’s substance abuse has truly affected her. Additionally, as she became single again after her break-up with McKay, alongside experiencing an abortion at the end of season 1, Cassie has dealt with her feelings through male validation.
We are able to see the importance of male figures in her life – and usually a toxic one at that – whether it be her dad, or her new love interest, Nate Jacobs. It is clear that Nate loves Cassie due to her instability and intense devotion to him, as it reminds him of Maddy, but the relationship is evidently one-sided.
During this episode, we also see a more vulnerable side of Maddy who has been portrayed to us so far as a confident, hard-headed character; she is seen breaking down to Cassie after the exposure of her and Nate’s relationship. The fight, however, at the end with Maddy stating “This is only the beginning” shows that she has moved past the situation, it seems to be a release of stress and trauma caused to her by Nate, as the crown has now been handed to Cassie.
It was refreshing to see Maddy move past this, and hopefully, in the next series she can further improve herself for the better whilst Cassie must pick up the pieces of her actions because, despite her mental health, she was fully aware of the consequences of her actions.
Rue, Jules and Elliot
Despite not getting much screen time during the latter half of this series, we finally get to see where Rue stands in regards to her relationship with Jules and Elliot, her former girlfriend and best friend. It was clear from the start that this friendship was toxic as Elliot endured Rue’s addiction, and Jules was willing to cheat on her when she was not getting the attention and sexuality that she desires.
Throughout the last episode, Rue makes amends with Elliot stating that he “accidentally saved her life” by telling her family about her crippling addiction. This, of course, blows up into a huge fight between all three characters, however, because their affair has not been discussed thus far, Rue does not know about Jules cheating and only resents her for betrayal.
During the final episode, we hear the first monologue from Jules after the play, apologising and admitting that she misses Rue. I was glad to see Rue accepting the end of her relationship with Jules through nothing but a forehead kiss before she leaves, as she knows that Jules is her first love, but the relationship was not good for either of them. This brings us to the end of the episode, where we see Rue finally letting go of her pain and hopefully she is able to move onto a brighter future for herself, far from drugs and past toxic relationships.
All in all, I enjoyed the drama and insight that we got into certain characters in this season. However, I feel like it missed the structure and details that were present in the first season, as I enjoyed the aesthetic and general plotlines more.
I was also upset about the lack of storylines, or even screen time, given to Kat due to an alleged argument between Barbie Ferreira and Sam Levinson. I felt that, whatever happened, Kat’s character should not have been cut from the majority of the script, as each creative difference should’ve been settled professionally without impacting the series.
I did not want to go into too much detail regarding Cal’s final plot during this series, as the subject of his arrest may be triggering to some readers and, in my opinion, is one of the most disturbing plot lines throughout the show.
In conclusion, as a stand-alone series, I would rate this in my top 10 of all time. But, in comparison to the first, I can understand the frustrations that fans had, as it did not live up to the high expectations set by the series before it.
Words by: Eilidh Kirk
Edited by: Laura Murphy