Image via HBO
9.
Euphoria, HBO’s beloved series, arrived after a lengthy hiatus to monster expectations and a rabid audience, hungry to see how all the melodrama would unfold across its much-anticipated return. Without a doubt, the show delivered on the hype, capturing the attention and mindset of a notoriously prickly Internet, who couldn’t help but turn in week after week. Not only that, but this second season offered what’s probably the best episode of the show ever, anchored by Zendaya’s absolutely stunning performance.
With the curtain falling on Lexi’s play—and Euphoria as a whole—we’re taking a look back at all eight episodes of this season to determine which is the best. It goes without saying, but there are major spoilers for the entire season—including the recently aired finale. Consider yourselves warned. Here’s our look at the best episodes from Euphoria Season 2, ranked from dirt worst to the absolute best.
8."A Thousand Little Trees of Blood" (Season 2, Episode 6)
The One Where: Rue’s Come Down
Euphoria is a show of extremes, which means for as many highs as we get, there’s often a low to balance things out. As wonderful as the sequence with Ali (Colman Domingo) cooking for Rue (Zendaya) and her family is, it comes alongside the truly bizarre (and out-of-character) breakup scene between Kat (Barbie Ferreira) and Ethan (Austin Abrams). Easily the weakest part of the sophomore season, Episode 6 does garner some points in how it doesn’t shy away from the difficulty Rue is having as she goes through withdrawal and does have a tender moment between Nate (Jacob Elordi) and Jules (Hunter Schafer)—even if Nate’s batshit behavior to get the disk back from Maddy feels like it was lifted from entirely different series. Sometimes you’ve got to take the good with the bad. —WG
7."Out of Touch" (Season 2, Episode 2)
The One Where: Jules Meets Elliot
How do you top all the drama that took place in the first episode? You can’t. Instead, Episode 2 shows the aftermath of what happened at the New Year’s Eve party. A badly injured Nate gets carried to the hospital by both Cassie and Maddy. Once he wakes up, Nate finds himself fantasizing about a life with Cassie, while she is petrified about Maddy finding out about their hookup (yet still wants to keep seeing Nate). Rue awkwardly introduces her new drug buddy Elliot to her girlfriend Jules, which is the start of another love triangle that would eventually blow up in Rue’s face.
Meanwhile, Kat is struggling with her seemingly perfect relationship with Ethan, and it’s clear that she’s not really into him. She fantasizes about a Game of Thrones Dothraki-like warrior killing Ethan for her, and in another dreamlike sequence, she is bombarded by flawless influencers bullying her about her lack of self-love. That’s pretty much all we got out of Kat’s storyline this season. While that’s going on, Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane) is on a mission to find out who’s responsible for his son’s beatdown and has an intense interaction with Fezco at the gas station. Nate finally tells his dad he knows about his sexual relationship with an underaged Jules, which Cal recorded nonconsensually, and the tape is in Maddy’s hands. It wasn’t the most exciting episode, but it set up how the rest of the season would unfold. —KR
6."Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys" (Season 2, Episode 3)
The One Where: We Get Cal’s Story
There’s not an out-and-out “villain” on Euphoria—the majority are all flawed enough to not fall into a simple black-and-white morality—but the behavior of the Jacobs family certainly falls heavier on the antagonist side of the equation. While it’s probably hard for many viewers of this show to ever root for the Jacobs, Episode 3 does make a compelling case for you to have some sympathy for these devils, as a stellar cold open explores the tragic past of Jacobs patriarch, Cal (Eric Dane). Dane is also at the center of the series’ most comedic sequences, as Cal’s crossing with Fez, Ashtray (Javon “Wanna” Walton), and Faye (Chloe Cherry) turns into a modern-day Abbott & Costello routine. Rue’s plot lingers heavy, as her drug acquisition casts a dark shadow over the rest of the season—and leads to a moment so brutal between her and Ali that I’m still thinking about it to this day. —WG
5."You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can" (Season 2, Episode 4)
The One Where: Cassie Threw Up
Episode 4 was one of my favorites this season, where the girls celebrated Maddy’s birthday at the Howard sisters’ household with their hilarious mother Suze (Alanna Ubach) serving as a questionable chaperone. Nate arrives at the party, sending a drunk Cassie off the deep end. While witnessing an argument between Maddy and Nate, Cassie ends up puking in the hot tub with all of them still in it. “I’m sorry!” she yells in Maddy’s direction, obviously apologizing for more than just ruining her birthday party. While that seemed like the worst possible scenario for Nate, things got even worse for him back home.
After Cal gets kicked out of the gay bar he went to with Derek as a teen, he comes home drunk and finally comes out to his wife and his kids while peeing on the floor of their foyer. In a cruel and resentful rant about how unhappy and lonely he is because he can’t live his truth, he reveals each member of his family’s darkest secrets before walking out on them. Cal is one a classy man. Elliot is another man that can’t fully be trusted on this show. He seemed like a fun third addition to Rue and Jules’ twosome at first but all of that comes crashing down when Rue’s drug use is making her absent in their relationship. Her disconnect, both emotionally and sexually, brought Jules and Elliot closer together, and they started hooking up behind her back. Say what you want, but even Rue deserved better than that. —KR
4."All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name" (Season 2, Episode 8)
The One Where: Ashtray Dies
The ink is barely dry on the season finale of Euphoria but in terms of thematic closure and intense cliffhangers to end the year on, “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name” delivers in spades. Pour one out for Ashtray. A shocking death for certain, but given the trajectory of season, someone had to take the fall for the murder—I just didn’t anticipate it to be a kid. Yet the heart of the episode is wonderfully sweet tête-à-tête between Rue and Lexi, one which accurately captures the well of emotions one feels upon the loss of a parent and the perspective only an addict can bring. It’s a deep moment of emotional release between two characters who seemingly understand one another better than anyone else—and a fantastic screen between Zendaya and Maude Apatow, who both did wonderful work throughout the season. I hope there are more moments between them in Season 3. After all, the show goes on. —WG
3."The Theater and Its Double" (Season 2, Episode 7)
The One Where: Lexi Put on a Play
Lexi spent the whole season coming into her own. After realizing she had spent most of her life watching people live from the sidelines, she decided to do something for herself, so she started writing her play. Motivated and supported by her new friend, Fez, Lexi was determined to tell the story of her teenage years, including secrets and stories that didn’t belong to her. Her sister, Cassie, and her friends heavily influenced the show, as well as her friendship with Rue. While they were taken aback at first by the play’s portrayal of them, it was Nate who seemed to be the most injured after that one locker room scene that targeted his deepest insecurities. No other character has exposed Nate’s ego as much as Lexi did with that scene, and that takes balls.
The play, with its astronomical budget, was well-received by the East Highland High students and we finally see Lexi break out of her shell. Only one thing is missing though, as the seat she reserved for Fez is empty. The side-story for this episode is what provided the most angst. Viewers watched along as Fezco prepares for the big night, putting on a suit, carrying red roses and a handwritten letter for Lexi. All that comes to a halt when Custer stops by for an impromptu visit and trouble starts brewing in their home. Faye is nervous and Ashtray seems suspicious, as usual, and Fez quickly realizes that whatever is going on might just stop him from watching Lexi’s play (appropriately titled Our Life) from the best seat in the house. —KR
2."Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door" (Season 2, Episode 1)
The One Where: Nate Get His Shit Rocked
A new year means new beginnings, making for an apt place for Season 2. After a kinetic cold open detailing the history of Fez’s grandmother, we’re plunged into one staggering setpiece after another, including a tense drug deal with Rue in tow, Cassie’s bathroom hideout, and Nate getting the shit kicked out of him by Fez—the latter of two taking place in one of the most enormous party sequences ever staged on the show. After such a long time away, the premiere needed to return with a banger—and it didn’t disappoint. As Rue herself states at the end of the episode, “Damn.” Damn, indeed. —WG
1."Stand Still Like the Hummingbird" (Season 2, Episode 5)
The One Where: Rue Hit Rock Bottom
“Stand Still Like the Hummingbird” is unequivocally the most powerful episode this season, and perhaps even the whole series. This episode is what makes Euphoria such a hit with both fans and critics. It pushes aside any criticism about the glorification of drug use by showing the dark and frightening downsides of addiction. The actors delivered some of the best and most emotionally-charged performances we’ve seen from them. In one of the most impactful scenes of the season, Rue (Zendaya) lashes out at her mom Leslie (Nika King) when she confronts her about relapsing, kicking down doors in their home, destroying furniture, and shouting hurtful things at her family. To make matters worse, she realizes the suitcase with her drugs is gone and that Jules and Elliott were there all along, listening to all the cruel things Rue said.
Rue runs away after she’s told she’s going to rehab instead of the hospital. She manages to dodge her mom and the cops and ends up at the Howard household, which was a second attempt at an intervention. Rue creates a distraction by telling everyone Cassie has been sneaking around with Nate. There had been so much build-up to see how Maddy would react to the news, but this wasn’t the episode for that—this was about Rue. With nowhere else to go, Rue runs to Laurie’s house, who under the guise of trying to help with her withdrawal symptoms, injects Rue with morphine. She wakes up disoriented and realizes she’s been locked inside Laurie’s house. It’s unknown how long she was in there, or what else was done to her, but she manages to escape and finds her way home. After being frustrated with Rue this season, seeing how broken people who are battling addictions like her really are perhaps taught viewers to have a little more compassion and to view addiction and drug use from a less judgmental point of view. —KR