Euphoria has concluded with the end of the third season, but does Rue get out? Find out below.
Sam Levinson’s teen drama had been away for four years, but returned to HBO Max in April for its third and final run, which concluded on Sunday night (May 31).
The show followed the lives of a group of friends in the fictional town of East Highland, California, and the third season caught up with them after a five-year gap as adults, wrestling with faith, redemption and addiction.
Several of the lead actors have gone on to be major stars, but they all returned for the final season – Zendaya as Rue Bennett, Jacob Elordi as Nate Jacobs, Sydney Sweeney as Cassie Howard, Hunter Schafer as Jules Vaughn and Maude Apatow as Lexi Howard.
In a recent interview, Levinson confirmed that there would not be a fourth season. “In terms of the story we set out to tell, which is a story about addiction and its consequences, this feels like the end to me,” he said.
One much criticised storyline in season three saw Sweeney’s Cassie dressed up as a baby and a dog for her online content, triggering a wave of backlash from OnlyFans creators.
The ending of Euphoria explained: does Rue get out?
So much of the show’s history has revolved around Rue’s battle with addiction, and heading into the final episode, fans were left wondering whether she would be able to escape the vicious cycle.
At first, it seemed that she might. After escaping Wayne and Harley, she is rescued and taken in by Colman Domingo’s Ali. Meanwhile, the DEA close in on Laurie’s drug network and she hangs herself during the raid. Alamo and Bishop’s organisation survives the raid, however, delivering the fentanyl to Alamo’s mansion.
Rue returns to her childhood home and seems to have moved towards freedom, reconnecting with her mother. But in a cruel twist, the episode then reveals that the previous scenes were just Rue’s final dream, as she is found by Ali dead on the couch from an overdose, with Alamo having laced her pain medication with fentanyl.
The aftermath follows Ali as he confronts Alamo. As Alamo tries to shoot him, it is revealed that Bishop had removed the bullets from his gun, allowing Ali to shoot and kill Alamo.
Darrell Britt-Gibson, who played Bishop, has explained his character’s motivation in those final moments. “Bishop didn’t agree with a lot of what Alamo did, but it was a job for him. I think what Alamo did to Rue was the final straw for Bishop,” he said.
Levinson, meanwhile, has described the events of the finale as an “honest ending”, as “people like Rue don’t make it”. He added: “People relapse. They fuck up. They’re not ready to get clean.”