‘Euphoria‘ has officially drawn the curtain on its chaotic and tragic storyline. The HBO series had people floored or reaching for tissues, with a series of heartbreaking deaths. But nothing comes close to the way the show dealt with Rue Bennett (Zendaya), a character who died after struggling throughout the series.
Unsurprisingly, the overdose plot twist shocked many fans because they did not see it coming. And now it leaves the fandom with a highly debatable question: Who is exactly responsible for Rue’s miserable fate?
When Chinese Whispers Go Horribly Wrong
We all enjoyed playing Chinese whispers growing up, passing a message on to others innocently. But ‘Euphoria’ used it in a way that ultimately cost Rue her life, thanks to Lexi Howard. The latter passes the information to Maddy Perez on the phone. Let’s dive in.
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In the seventh episode, Rue visits Lexi and shares her epiphany, telling her about how God visited her. As she reads the Bible, she slips in details about her involvement with Laurie and Alamo. It’s not as blatant as when she uses “Cowboy” and the N-word to describe it.
While discussing the details, she reveals that she works for the DEA. Lexi’s disbelief is valid, but her move leads to Rue’s end. She tells Maddy about Rue’s association with the DEA. Maddy then tells Alamo the same thing to save Cassie from Naz. While one may blame Maddy for Rue’s death, it is Lexi’s betrayal that pivots and catalyzes it.
Anatomy Of Errors: Lexi’s Betrayal In ‘Euphoria’
It is jarring to see Lexi and Rue’s friendship fall apart. After all, Lexi was the only one who stood by Rue’s side when she had no one. Rue’s struggle with substance abuse is gut-wrenching and destabilizes her friendship with the gang and also her family. Her sister Gia witnesses Rue pass out in the first season, as she nearly experiences an overdose.
Rue’s family sends her to a rehabilitation center where she struggles to cope with her breakup with Jules in the show’s second season. She sinks further into the abyss of substance abuse. Lexi helps her clear the sobriety tests by providing her with her liquids. She becomes an emotional anchor for Rue throughout that season, but the dynamic shifts by the end.
Lexi uses Rue’s trauma for pure entertainment and writes it down in her play, without keeping Rue in the loop. Her indifference towards Rue persists in the third season. She grows exhausted from being a caretaker, a fact also evident in her feelings toward Fez. Not to mention, Lexi even uses Rue and her mother’s split against her.
“No Wonder your mother doesn’t talk to you anymore,” she tells Rue. It turns out to be the worst thing said to Rue, who had been barely keeping it together. It’s precisely why she clings to Rue’s Bible in the last scene. She felt regret and remorse for her emotional distance and her obliviousness to Rue’s double-agent status.
Rue Bennett’s Double Agent Arc
Right from the get-go, the show highlighted Rue’s descent into the world of crime. She works for Laurie but ultimately joins hands with Alamo. This triggers a fiasco on both sides, but it all boils down to her debt. She owes money to Laurie and eventually decided to betray her. Alamo’s space serves as a safe haven for a short time until the DEA catches her.
By the end of the day, her loyalties lay with both DEA and Alamo. She starts working as a double agent, unaware of what lies ahead. But the robbery triggers her downfall and marks a turning point. It is at this point that she comes under Alamo’s radar. Magik’s suspicions, along with Maddy’s revelation, leave him convinced. In the end, he writes her fate, which ends on a devastating note.
A Surrealistic Fever Dream
Until this point, ‘Euphoria’ had built up momentum regarding Rue’s revelation. She experiences an epiphany when she takes Percochet. Little did she know that Alamo laced her pills with opioids. The entire sequence is a surreal fever dream where she finds her mother. She also finds her sister and reunites with her stepfather.
As she passes out on Ali’s couch, she tries to reach out to the air. It seems like her way of asking for help and trying to make amends. She seems to be in physical pain because of being dragged by a horse. Alamo puts her through hell for betrayal, but the ordeal continues. This entire fever dream is actually a cry for help, underscoring her inner turmoil. She seeks a moment of normalcy and thus turns to the Bible.
With Ave Maria playing in the background, the scene magnifies her helplessness as tears trickle down her face. Throughout the season, we do not see her embrace any of her family. The last scene, however, provides her with respite that she hadn’t experienced in years.
The Shocking Overdose And Aftermath
Rue’s overdose left fans mostly divided. It is because some fans believed she would not survive the season, while others believed she would make it out alive. The revelation when Ali finds Rue on his couch with earphones plugged in is a tearjerker. His reaction isn’t anger but disbelief and a breakdown.
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After all, Ali is the closest thing to a father Rue has experienced. He was also one of the very few people she confided in. It was only natural for him to avenge her death, knowing she wouldn’t kill herself. The ending was a plot twist that just caught everyone off guard.
Ali teaming up with Bishop was the perfect punctuation mark. Levinson made it powerful by letting Ali have the last laugh. His shooting of Alamo was theatrical, but it did not justify the lackadaisical sendoff.
A Lackadaisical Sendoff
In the show’s behind-the-scenes footage released by HBO, Sam Levinson spoke about the ending. He revealed that fans might not like it for many reasons. “It felt like an honest ending. The truth is that people like Rue don’t survive. I wanted to tell an honest story about addiction. I also wanted to talk about grief and the emotional turmoil it can provoke,” he said.
And honestly, the sendoff is quite bland and lackluster, which is understandable given the time constraint. However, what really infuriated fans was the lack of a funeral and a response from Gia and Rue’s mother to her passing. Some call it lazy writing, while others believe the show succumbed to tropes.
Levinson’s approach to substance abuse in the first episode of this season upset many, and the ending added salt to the wound. Though the conclusion garnered mixed reactions, it was impactful in its approach to resolving Rue’s death. So while the ending may feel flat, the character’s final arc and Zendaya’s convincing performance held everything together.
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