While ‘Euphoria’ has always been a show that flourishes on chaos, the latest ending of season 3 may have gone too far for Rue Bennett. The show has hinted at Rue’s demise many times before.
However, episode 5 seems to be more serious than the shock factor.
‘Euphoria’ Without Rue Bennett Would Be A Completely Different Show
Rue’s luck seems to run out brutally after getting entangled in Alamo’s ever-more-menacing operation for the season. It starts as suspicion from Alamo’s crew, but ends in a gruesome conclusion in which Rue is dragged out to a desert compound, compelled to dig her own grave, and buried up to her neck in the dirt.
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The final shot of Alamo charging at her with a mallet is one of the show’s darkest cliffhangers. The moment is particularly disturbing because of Rue’s isolation. Previous seasons held her darkness in check with emotional intimacy, friendships, or glimpses of hope.
That’s been taken away in Season 3, leaving her in a colder, more cynical world. Despite the fact that Rue was always a twisted character, the show still made her the emotional heart of the show. Now, there’s a creepy sense that the series is more about the shock value than the safety of its characters.
Rue isn’t even mentioned in the preview for the next episode, which has only made people wonder even more about whether or not the show will actually do something irreversible.
‘Zendaya’s Rue Still Holds ‘Euphoria’ Together
If Rue actually dies, the issue for ‘Euphoria’ is more than just plot. Zendaya is not only the lead actress; she’s the backbone of the entire series. Throughout the show’s messiest storylines in season 3, Zendaya’s performance has maintained the emotional credibility of the show.
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Few TV performances are able to sustain Rue’s raw, vulnerable, and painfully human nature over multiple seasons as she does. If she isn’t there, the fissures that are starting to appear in the series may grow too big.
Partly because many of the other stories seem to be getting more and more over-the-top. Cassie Howard’s meteoric rise to internet fame seems more suited to online discourse than any real narrative, and Nate Jacobs is a whole new person.
The season hasn’t quite focused on fan-favorite characters like Maddy Perez and Jules Vaughn. But they still pop up to brighten up the show. However, don’t forget there’s a good possibility the cliffhanger is just another ploy to get people talking about the show on social media.
However, season 3 has demonstrated a number of times that it is willing to sacrifice well-crafted stories for viral moments. If ‘Euphoria’ actually takes Rue Bennett out of the mix, it could lose the one character that makes the chaos feel emotionally real.
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