Top 10 Most Heartbreaking Euphoria Moments
#10: Cassie's Dad Comes Home “The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed”
The show takes a non chronological approach to storytelling and some of the most heartbreaking moments are flashbacks to a character’s past. Cassie’s backstory contextualizes her relationship with men and reveals her family’s history of depression and addiction. After a car accident lands him in the hospital, Cassie’s dad Gus becomes dependent on opioids. Cassie maintains contact with her father as he descends into poverty, although he grows increasingly less responsive. He gets in touch with Cassie one final time so he can rob their family home. From daddy’s girl to abandoned daughter, Cassie’s sense of self as it relates to men is challenged by her distant father. Without his support during her pubescent years, Cassie learns to find validation from men in different ways.
#9: Leslie, Gia, Jules & Elliot Stage an Intervention “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird”
Season two episode five begins with a painful 10-plus minute sequence showing Rue’s loved ones confronting her about her addiction. The scene feels different from past depictions of Rue fighting with her family, which often take place during a montage. Here, the action plays chronologically. It was creator Sam Levinson’s intention that the audience see Rue the way her family sees her, without music or cinematic flair. When it’s revealed that Jules and Elliot are also present, the betrayal Rue feels is evident on her face. She turns against her friends and demonstrates that she will hurt anybody who stands in between her and drugs. In the end, her family attempts to take her somewhere to get help, but, unwilling to cooperate, Rue runs away.
#8: Fezco Couldn't Save His Grandma “Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door”
While the audience is familiar with Rue’s drug dealer Fezco from the pilot episode, it’s not until season two that the fan-favorite’s backstory is revealed. Fezco’s life is troubled from an early age and he’s forced to grow up quickly. His most reliable parental figure is his glamorous yet violent drug-dealing grandmother, Marie. She begins calling Fezco her partner while he is still just a child, grooming him to eventually become the town dealer. One day, Marie collapses and is in need of medical assistance. Unwilling to call first responders to the house, young Fez drives his grandmother to the hospital. She never fully recovers from her coma, and even though we don’t blame Fezco, he seems to blame himself.
#7: Jules Leaves Rue at the Train Station “And Salt the Earth Behind You”
On one hand, we want Rue and Jules to give into their romantic passion and get on the train in the season one finale. Their escape together would represent freedom from the difficulties of real life, whether that be Rue’s addiction or Jules’s intrusive thoughts. However, running away from life’s problems doesn’t solve them. Despite it originally being her idea, Rue has a moment of clarity and realizes that leaving might hurt her family more than they already have been hurt. In the end, she chooses responsibility over fantasy. Jules, however, is still looking to escape her own demons and decides to follow through on the plan, alone. Rue watches from the platform as her best friend and crush leaves her behind.
#6: Nate Has a Breakdown “And Salt the Earth Behind You”
The show excels at helping audiences find empathy for flawed characters, even when their mistakes seem unforgivable. That’s why our hearts break for the violent and manipulative Nate after an altercation with his dad. Cal’s affairs are secrets that impact Nate’s perception of gender and sexuality ever since he discovers his dad’s stash as a child. In response, Nate develops a need to control the indicators of his own masculinity, whether that be his body, football team, or girlfriend. As a young man, Nate attempts to prove his dominance to his father, however Cal responds by wrestling his son to the ground. Nate catches a glimpse of the two of them in the mirror and breaks down.
#5: Rue Embraces Her Dad “You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can”
Rue’s battle with drugs can be tied to her father’s battle with cancer. She is only thirteen when she first tries the oxycodone prescribed to Robert. After he passes away, Rue continues to use drugs to feel close to him again. During one trip, Rue hallucinates the church where her NA meetings take place. Her loved ones are seated in the pews and “Euphoria” composer Labrinth is singing by the altar, wearing maroon. His voice represents Rue’s addiction and the color he wears represents her dad. Simultaneously, Rue imagines dancing with Robert. While she struggles with addiction, Rue is not a good friend, sister, or daughter. But in her drugged state, Rue embraces her father figure and is reminded that she is a good person.
#4: Rue Yells at Fezco “Made You Look”
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As we saw during her intervention, Rue has the tendency to lash out towards the people she loves when her access to drugs is threatened. After a dangerous encounter with his supplier, Rue’s friend and drug dealer Fezco makes the decision not to sell to her. Fez considers Rue his family, and making a sale isn’t as important as making sure she’s safe. Rue’s response is brutal. Fez listens through the door as she insults, begs, and guilts him. She reduces her friend to his worst attributes, which is ironic since at the moment Rue has become her own worst self. It’s the first time the audience sees just how cruel Rue can become in her pursuit of drugs.
#3: Ashtray Is Killed by the Police “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name”
With absent parents and a grandmother in a coma, Ashtray and Fezco only have each other. Like his pseudo older brother, Ashtray is forced to grow up quickly in the world of drug dealing. He solves problems with violence and sometimes acts irrationally. When Ash takes the life of their acquaintance Custer just before a SWAT team raids their home, Fezco wants to take the blame for his little brother. Instead, Ashtray locks himself in the bathroom, armed to the teeth. Fez tries to defend Ash even as the police begin clearing the house. Instead, a shootout begins and Fez is hit in the crossfire. In the end, the two brothers are looking at one another when the last bullet is fired at Ashtray.
#2: Rue Relapses “And Salt the Earth Behind You”
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Although Rue makes the mature decision by not running away with Jules in the season one finale, the heartbreak of watching her leave is enough to send Rue into relapse. Her descent back into addiction takes musical form with a reworked version of Labrinth’s “All For Us,” featuring Zendaya on vocals. The scene evokes both relief and fear. It’s revealed that the sweatshirt Rue is often seen wearing once belonged to her father. As the choreography pulls her through the house and out the front door, a gospel choir and marching band dressed in the same maroon as Rue’s sweatshirt appear to accompany her. The color surrounding Rue in her heightened state represents her father’s presence, something she only feels when she’s using drugs. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Rue & Ali Fight, “Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys” Ali Knows What’s in the Suitcase & Rue Lashes Out Rue Gaslights Gia, “Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys” Welcome to Rue’s Master Class in Manipulation Cal Gets Kicked Out of the Bar, “You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can” While Reliving the Glory Days, Cal Drinks a Few Too Many
#1: Rue Speaks at Her Dad’s Wake “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name”
While brief clips are included throughout the second season, the finale finally shows Rue’s speech at her father’s wake in its entirety. Years younger than her present day self, Rue is barely more than a child when she addresses her friends and family about losing her dad. She indicates to her audience that she considers Robert’s passing a defining moment, comparing it to a movie. While not on the big screen, Rue’s monologue is depicted on TV and on stage. As television viewers, the flashback reveals to us just how much Robert’s death disrupts his daughter’s life. As an observer of Lexi’s stage production, the retelling of her own life story from someone else’s point of view offers Rue a hopeful new perspective.
