![]() ![]() I know I wasn’t the only viewer looking forward to his cold open, and depriving him of one felt like a massive cop-out, especially since he’s the show’s only character from a lower-class background. Jacob Elordi just isn’t up to the level of the rest of this ensemble, as is seen all the more so when he’s forced to play opposite the beautifully restrained performance Eric Dane is giving as his father.įan favorite Fezco, on the other hand, deserves more than he’s getting. But Nate’s howls of anger were just comically awful, like watching a buff toddler have a meltdown. Nate’s post-football confrontation with his dad was clearly the show’s own Hail Mary pass, a last-ditch attempt to add some vulnerability to a one-dimensional character. What was the moment of being “new Kat” that made her realize that old Kat wasn’t so bad after all?Įven worse were the episode’s attempts to round out Nate and Fezco, both of which felt like too little, too late. Similarly, while it was sweet to see Kat finally embrace Ethan’s affection, it didn’t feel rooted in what came before. We know she wants to run, but we never get a sense of what it’s toward or from. Jules, in particular, seems to have devolved into a Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype, in love with everyone and throwing caution to the wind. Yet the complexity of Rue’s journey makes it clear how much the show is shortchanging its other characters. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time to come. Regardless of interpretation, the sequence is a masterpiece, perfectly balancing the grand spectacle of a traditional musical finale with Euphoria’s unique visual palette. Is her final disappearance into that good night an ending or the beginning of her new life? Could the sequence be a flashback to her first overdose instead? Many of its elements suggest rebirth: Rue appears to snort her line off a Bible, and it’s hard to miss the symbolism of her being supported by a choir as she lies prone and Christlike. ![]() The brass and horns behind that final “Till Then” suddenly melt into soft wind and birdsong: Rue’s hospital soundtrack.īut having Rue relapse seems like an odd choice given the rest of her story line, in which she finally chooses the security of her family over the rush of being with Jules. Her Sunday service–esque sweatsuit choir becomes a pile of bodies, symbolizing the massive human toll of addiction. She’s swathed in the beloved hoodie that we now know belonged to her late dad - the only family member who can see her as she narcotically stumbles through her kitchen. The most obvious conclusion of the final “All for Us” sequence is that Rue has overdosed once again, possibly fatally. It’s authentic, powerful filmmaking, anchored by a stunning performance from Zendaya - delivered near-wordlessly, until she finally opens her mouth to let out that gorgeous singing voice. Through the strains of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You,” we see every emotion run through Rue’s anxious brain at once: grief, fear, shame, anger, and overwhelming love for her family. Euphoria’s real avenue of communication is its visuals, and stripping it of dialogue has the paradoxical effect of making its message that much clearer. ![]() A seemingly incomprehensible crosscut - Cassie dreaming of ice-skating as she undergoes her abortion -hit a hidden well of feeling so deep it gave me chills.Īnd while I’m sure it had tons of viewers screaming “Seriously?!” at the TV when the credits rolled, I loved the 15-minute music video that concludes the episode. The scenes of the female leads sitting around at the dance, drunkenly philosophizing and chatting about their crushes, felt more authentic to my high-school experience than anything else the show has done. By simply hanging out with its characters, by being instead of doing, the finale was moving in unexpected ways. ![]() The ending essentially amounted to “Zendaya’s single is dropping.”īut after a season of predictable story lines and in-your-face licentiousness, I found these more elliptical moments to be really refreshing. One of the main characters, McKay, didn’t even make the episode. There was no big final confrontation with Nate or big reckoning for the kids’ bad behavior. If you came to “And Salt the Earth Behind You” looking for plot resolution, you likely left disappointed. I don’t think that accusation is 100 percent merited, but I also don’t think this finale will do anything to dispel it. All season, Euphoria has struggled with criticisms that it’s style over substance, a luscious neon haze concealing weak plotlines and thin characters. ![]()
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