Euphoria fans have a lot of thoughts about what was ultimately the HBO show’s final episode.
Creator Sam Levinson and HBO officially confirmed on Sunday, May 31, that the fan-favorite series would not return following the nearly two-hour-long season 3 finale.
The episode, which still left some things open-ended, killed off main character Rue (Zendaya) with fentanyl-laced pills after it was revealed to Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) that she had been working with the DEA. Rue’s sponsor and father figure Ali (Coleman Domingo) went after Alamo, ultimately killing him.
“The honest ending is that people like Rue don’t make it,” Levinson, 41, said in a behind-the-scenes interview that aired after the episode on Sunday. “People relapse and they f*** up. They’re not ready to get clean. And they weren’t dying like they are now with the influx of fentanyl into this country.
He added, “I could say with absolute certainty that if I was going through what I went through when I was younger now then I wouldn’t be here either.”
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Some fans didn’t quite agree with his assessment of the story.
“After today I never wanna see Sam Levinson touch a story about addiction ever again matter of fact never let him write or direct ever again,” one X user wrote on Sunday.
Levinson doubled down on Rue’s death, adding in the HBO behind-the-scenes featurette that she had an “honest ending.”
“In the end, I wanted to tell an honest story about addiction,” he added. “I also wanted to tell a story about grief and the emotional turmoil that it can create.”
Some social media users agreed with this sentiment.
“Incredible episode of television. Wild ride start to finish,” an X user shared. “Amazing acting from three cast members. Sam Levinson should never write again.”
A second person noted, “Everyone’s mad at Sam Levinson for killing off Rue in what could be the final season of ‘Euphoria’ and I’m just sitting here thanking him because he actually had the guts to finally do it. Not everyone is getting a happy ending, that’s the way it should be.”
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Positive reactions to Sunday’s finale were few and far between on social media. While some were upset with Rue’s death, others were confused by the overall tone that the final episode took on.
“Sam Levinson so desperately wanted to make a western action movie and just used euphoria to do it,” another X user wrote. “Cause what is all this.”
Perhaps the most upsetting part for viewers was how Rue and Jules’ (Hunter Schafer) story line ended. Their last scene featured a fight where Jules slapped Rue and told her to “get the f*** out” of her apartment.
“I will never understand why Sam Levinson dropped Jules as a character after s1,” one X user wondered. “Such a vibrant and unique character played by a capable performer just tossed aside it’s such a shame.”
All episodes of Euphoria are now streaming via HBO Max.
