Previously on the HBO Max series Euphoria, Rue, Maddy, and Jules attend Nate and Cassie’s wedding. During the wedding, we see Cal and Jules talk, both of them showing mutual respect for each other. An uninvited guest, Naz, shows up and threatens Nate over the money he owes. After the wedding, he ends up in the Jacobs’ home, beating Nate as a warning. Rue leaves the wedding early to help Bishop, who ends up killing Laurie’s bird. On her way home, Rue gets pulled over by the DEA.
The episode begins with Rue getting arrested. As she’s interrogated by agents, they ask her about Laurie. She plays dumb, making it seem like she knows her, but not personally. They show her a picture of herself in Mexico. She now realizes how deep in trouble she is in. She makes a deal to become a snitch. Back at Alamo’s, she acts awkwardly. Luckily for her, Alamo and the others don’t notice, as she says she’s hungover. She meets a new dancer, Kitty.
After falling out with Nate, Cassie packs some bags and leaves with Maddy to “go work.” Maddy gives her a makeover. Cassie pawns her wedding ring and uses the money to get her own place.
Meanwhile, Nate is determined to save his business and prevent another attack from Naz. He prepares a proposal for the city council on a project that preserves the endangered flowers in the area. His request is denied, leading to the most vulnerable Nate has been in the series, begging for the opportunity.
Lexie informs Jules about a job opportunity for art in her TV show. When Lexie’s boss and the crew see the final painting, they’re all equally disturbed. They have Jules redo the project. In anger, Jules just covers the piece in red paint.
Rue’s job with the DEA is to get evidence and audio of a drug deal. She tries to find someone other than Laurie that they can give drugs to. During a night of poker, Rue asks Alamo about a new plan for drugs and he tells her to focus on the game. Alamo knows she’s hiding something. He asks her if she’s relapsed, and she lies, telling him yes.
Maddy takes Cassie to a Hollywood party. Maddy makes her connect with Brandon Fontaine, a content creator. Cassie ends up competing for Brandon’s attention with Maddy’s old client, Katelyn. The three of them end up doing drugs in his bedroom. After the party, Cassie’s phone blows up with notifications, gaining more attention.
Back at Alamo’s, Rue sneaks into the office and witnesses Kitty having sex with some clients. Later in the bathroom, Rue asks Kitty if someone forced her to do that.. The dancer, Magick, overhears and tells Big Eddy that she doesn’t trust Rue. Rue forgets her phone and goes back to the office to grab it. Big Eddy and Magick are there. He grabs her wrist, asking why she was in the office alone. As she tries to get her phone from the desk, her mom, aka the DEA, calls her. She answers, and they inform her that she’s been compromised. Rue picks a fight with Magick as a distraction. No one sees masked gunmen walk into the club to rob the place. They shoot Big Eddy and force him to open the safe, taking all the money.
Through the surveillance footage, Rue identifies Faye from her thick lips, confirming Laurie as behind the hit.
Overall, this episode was pretty nerve-racking. Between Rue and the DEA and Maddy helping Cassie, a lot was going on in this episode. One scene that stood out was toward the end, when Magick and Rue were scared for their lives, guns pointing toward them as Big Eddy gets shot. Rosalia and Zendaya both did phenomenal in this episode, showing how fearful and disturbed their characters were. What will happen with Laurie and her crew now that Alamo knows what they did?
Rating: 8/10