The season-two finale of “Euphoria” left a lot to be desired, as well as plot holes that fans assumed would be filled in. We got the finale of Lexi’s masterpiece of a play, complete with Cassie storming on stage to call her out for embarrassing her – followed by Maddy charging at her to take care of business. Rue starts to see herself in a new, less hate-filled light while watching, which helps her on her path to sobriety. In a flashback, Elliot sings Rue a little tune (that’s getting mixed reviews from viewers), and they go their separate ways. And while Lexi’s pretty proud of her play, she’s crushed that Fezco never shows up to see it – because his house is getting raided by the cops, thanks to Custer. Oh, and speaking of cops, Nate calls the police on his dad for filming his sexual encounters without his consent, then walks out.
So while a lot did happen, a lot did not. Stylistically, it was another cinematically impressive episode, but story-wise, it jumped around a bit. There are a lot of questions left unanswered that will hopefully be addressed in season three, which isn’t coming until 2024. In the meantime, here’s what we think needs to happen in season three.
HBO
Rue Needs to Stay Clean in Season 3
In the last few minutes of the season-two finale, Rue says she stays clean for the rest of her junior year. She seems to have gotten herself on the right path, and hopefully it stays that way in season three. But even Rue seems somewhat doubtful about whether she can maintain her sobriety. “I wish I could say [staying clean] was a decision I made,” she says in her season-ending monologue. “In some ways, it was just easier. I don’t know if this feeling will last forever, but I’m trying.”
This is a show that centres pretty heavily on drug use, so while we want Rue to stay clean, we wouldn’t be surprised if things take a turn again. Still, if Rue stays away from toxic people, she might have a better chance of staying clean. Lexi is definitely a good influence, whereas Elliot certainly isn’t.
HBO
Rue and Jules Need to Work Things Out in Season 3
When Jules goes to Rue after Lexi’s play and tells her she loves and misses her, Rue kisses her on the forehead and walks away. It seems like a wordless goodbye – at least for now.
While Rue acknowledges that she was too high throughout their relationship to know for sure, she remembers Jules as her first love. Jules also clearly still cares deeply about Rue, so it’s hard to believe that series director Sam Levinson will end their story like this.
Despite Jules playing a role in helping Rue get clean, Rue and Jules weren’t exactly the best forces in one another’s lives. The cuts run deep, but even if they don’t reconcile romantically, we’re hoping they at least rekindle their friendship. This probably won’t happen, however ,if Rue finds out about Elliot and Jules.
HBO
Cassie Needs to Stay Away From Nate in Season 3
Oh, Cassie. We want good things for her, even if she’s a bit unhinged by the season’s end. She’s still seemingly infatuated with Nate, but she (and Maddy) deserve better. Cassie would do well to stay away from Nate next season and patch things up with Maddy. However, she’s insecure and a bit weak, so this thing with Nate might keep going for a while.
HBO
Fez Needs to Be OK in Season 3
Phew, the whole showdown with Fez, Ashtray, Custer, and Faye is a lot. Faye came through for Fez when he needed her, but she was arguably a bit too late. Unable to fill his 12-year-old bodyguard in about the police poised to raid their apartment, Ashtray ends up killing Custer in the heat of the moment, which leads to a shootout with the police that sees Fez shot and Ash dead (maybe). This is the last we see of Fez this season, so we’re just really, really hoping he turns out OK.
Placeholder
Fez and Lexi Need to Get Together in Season 3
Obviously, Fez’s safety and mental health following the death of his little brother is our top season-three priority, but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t want to see him find his way back to Lexi. Their phone calls throughout the season are some of the show’s purest moments, and it would be a shame for that chemistry to go to waste.
HBO
Nate Needs to Be in Therapy in Season 3
Nate clearly has a lot of trauma, and it would be nice to see him work things out with a mental-health professional. While Cal tells Nate in the finale that he regrets not doing right by him, like, ever, we don’t think that’s enough to appease Nate for all his dad has put him through. Perhaps calling the police on his dad will help, but therapy would be better.
HBO
Rue Needs to Settle Things With Laurie in Season 3
In order to stay clean, Rue will certainly need to cut ties with problematic people – namely Laurie. The fact that Rue still owes her money isn’t mentioned at all in the finale, so season three will definitely have to tie up that loose end. A quick and painless resolution would be great, but that seems unlikely. Regardless, we’d like to see Rue settle her debts and get away from Laurie for good.
HBO
Maddy's Leaving Town in Season 3
Rue ends the episode by saying she stayed clean for the rest of the school year, so it seems likely that season three will pick up sometime after that. This means we’ll be losing the seniors (possibly), but no matter what, we suspect Maddy is skipping town. Twitter seems pretty convinced she’s leaving, with one person speculating that she’s headed to college. Another viewer pointed out that Maddy seemed hesitant to tell Theo something in the penultimate episode – perhaps a conversation about leaving.
