Trigger Warning: This article contains spoilers as well as heavy topics such as drugs, addiction, sex, weapons, and death.
I don’t know if it’s possible to be over and underwhelmed by something at the same time, but that’s exactly how I feel about the season 2 finale of Euphoria. There’s a lot to discuss, so let’s jump into it!
We started off strong in the opening scene where Custer, Faye, Ashtray and Fez are gathered. Faye finally makes herself useful when she warns Fez about Custer’s bugged phone. Many people really like Faye’s character, but I was always frustrated with her because she had so much time to warn Fez and Ash about how the cops were onto them. Next, we see Ashtray panic and stab Custer. My toxic trait is that I will always be an Ashtray-sympathizer… he did what he needed to do! This scene was already hard to watch since it was so gory, but Fez’s reaction showing his fear for Ashtray was heartbreaking.
Now let’s talk about the scene that absolutely broke my heart, the SWAT raid. Ashtray was killed, and what makes it so infuriating is that it could have been prevented if Faye had just told them about Custer’s plan earlier! What’s even more devastating is that Fez was shot by Ash (unknowingly, of course) and had to watch his little brother be murdered right in front of him as he was bleeding out on the ground. Ash was his only other family besides his grandma, but I don’t think she’ll be much support considering she’s completely unconscious (yikes!). The final nail in the coffin was Fez getting arrested and dragged out. We see the little letter that he was planning on giving to Lexi with her flowers. My heart💔!!!
Next, there’s the scene where Cassie storms the stage. I was not surprised; I didn’t expect her to just sit through the play quietly. She had to be the center of attention once again. In this scene we finally get to see Maddy clock Cassie. This is what we’ve all been waiting for! I, for one, thought this scene went by too quickly.
I honestly don’t have a lot to say when it comes to Cal’s arrest. Obviously, Cal is a terrible person, but I also think that Nate (as usual) got off too easy when we think about the awful things that he has done. Someone needs to take that gun away from him – he’s getting a little too confident. And get that boy a jumpsuit, he deserves to be right there in jail next to Cal.
Moving on, we get to the scene with Elliot and Rue. Listen, I love Dominic Fike’s music as much as the next person, but did we really need five whole minutes of him singing the same lines over and over again? Maybe Sam Levinson could’ve used the time to fill in one of the many plot holes that were left this season. Speaking of, let’s talk about a few of them…
There were quite a few parts of the plot that I expected to be resolved in the finale. For one, what happened with Laurie? Rue still owes her a huge amount of money for drugs. We know that she escaped the sex trafficking ring that Laurie is involved with. What is going to happen with that? Also, what happened between Samantha (the woman Maddy babysat for) and Maddy? I think we all sensed some sort of tension between them… and I know I’m not the only one who remembers the hidden camera in her alarm clock. I’m still waiting for an explanation as to why McKay dropped off the face of the earth this season. Kat probably had about 5 minutes of screen time total during season 2, so I want to know what happened there. We still don’t know who that mysterious black screen guy was from season 1 during Kat’s camgirl era. Also, what is going on with the Rue, Elliot, and Jules’s love triangle? Clearly, I’ve got a lot of questions.
Overall, I’m disappointed in the finale. I get that they need to leave a few plot holes there to get people to come back for season 3, but this is excessive! I need answers, and the thought of waiting until 2024… no thanks.