I’m a big fan of Euphoria. It’s been a while since season 1 ended and filming of season 2 got shut down because of COVID 19 in March. A few special episodes were shot before the regular season could get filming going again and the first part, “Rue” just went up. It’s so good. The writing is simply fantastic and the acting is award winning. I had to share this section, a part that’s so intense and wise.
The whole episode takes place almost entirely at a diner where Rue talks to her much older and much wiser sponsor, Ali. After he gets through a few of her protective walls, Rue opens up to Ali about hitting and threatening to kill her mother.
ALI
It all depends. Why are you ignoring all of the things you believe?
RUE
‘Cause I wasn’t thinking.
ALI
Okay, but that could just be the struggle of all human beings.
RUE
What?
ALI
Living up to their belief system.
RUE
Not all human beings threaten to kill their mom.
ALI
True. Yours is more extreme. I’ll give you that. But why?
RUE
Why is it more extreme?
ALI
Yeah.
RUE
I don’t know. ‘Cause of, like, drugs, and certain emotional disorders.
ALI
You sure it’s that and not just because you’re a terrible person? I mean it just could be because you’re a piece of shit.
RUE
(chuckles) No, it’s not that.
ALI
I mean, ’cause there’s a lot of people with drug issues and emotional issues that don’t threaten to kill their mothers.
RUE
Yeah. No, I know.
ALI
But you did. And your punishment, the sentence you’re giving yourself is that you, Rue Bennett, are beyond forgiveness. That punishment is way too harsh and it’s also way too easy. It allows you to keep doing exactly what you’re doing without changing because you deserve it. There’s no hope. You’re beyond forgiveness. So you may as well just fuck the fuck off forever and go down the gutter because that’s what this girl, this piece of shit, deserves.
This is why the world keeps getting worse. People keep doing shit that we deem unforgivable and in return, they decide there’s no reason to change. So now you got a whole bunch of people running around who don’t give a fuck about redemption. That’s scary.
After breaking down how Rue is self-destructing despite her saying she’s “functioning” Ali shares what unforgivable thing he did. He shows her that addiction is so powerful, it puts everyone into an endless cycle that changes who you are.
