Throughout HBO Max’s Euphoria, there are countless lessons about life and its deepest struggles. We see it all—from Rue’s addiction to Nate’s toxic masculinity and need for control, to Cassie’s desire for male validation. The most consistent theme in this show is that everyone just wants to be loved. We see this in Rue falling in love with Jules and in Nate and Maddy’s toxic relationship… then when Cassie and Nate hook up.
Ups and downs, complications and difficulties of life don’t make love easy. Each character in Euphoria is faced with their own individual hardships. At the end of the day, however, each of them craves love.
Rue suffers from drug addiction and she remains in an unhealthy cycle with Jules, as drug abuse draws her time and attention away from the relationship. When Jules refuses to be with Rue if she’s on drugs, it fortifies her addiction because she just has to try harder to keep it a secret from the person she loves. Jules shows us that no matter what a person does, if you love them and care about them you will continue to fight for them. Additionally, the death of Rue’s father resulted in unbearable pain because of how much she loved him. This fuels the fire of her addiction even more.
Kat battles with whether or not she truly loves Ethan. In truth, she struggles with this because of her own deep-rooted insecurities which keep her from allowing herself to love him. She helps us understand that you have to love yourself first before you can truly love someone else.
Maddy and Nate thrive off of resorting to toxic behaviors when attempting to work out their issues. They remind us that no love is simple and easy, it’s the crazy love you have for someone which sometimes is the only good part about the relationship. Being addicted to the high highs and low lows of a relationship between two partners is more common than people think. They both do not see love in other aspects of their life, so they wind up taking their anger out on each other. Thus, they are not able to love properly.
Furthermore, Euphoria teaches us that sometimes even a parent’s love is nonexistent. The relationship between Nate and his father, Cal, is toxic and damaging. Cal has made it clear that Nate is his biggest regret in life, however he will always stand up for his son. Same goes for Nate, no matter how much he might hate his father he still tries to protect him from the consequences of his actions. Their relationship, like others in Euphoria, showcase that love is not always straightforward, and sometimes the only thing you can love about your family is your reputation.
One of the most pure and innocent showcases of love in Euphoria is the relationship between Fezco and Lexi. Their relationship illustrates the kind of love most people desire. The kind of love that gives you butterflies and feels easy. The parallels between their relationship and others in the show provides a breath of fresh air for viewers and can make anyone believe that love is real.
The highest highs in the show consist of the characters’ moments of “euphoria” and how many of these instances result in being loved. Everyone just wants to be loved. It’s simple human nature and that is not a crime.