Inside Euphoria, A Weekly Breakdown by Taylor Champlin: Episode 7

There’s a beginning. There must be an end. This episode of Euphoria focused on reconciling one’s past with one’s present and future. It also focused on judgement, whether from others or from God. Making mistakes in one’s life is inevitable, but what separates bad from evil? All of the characters are faced with the reality that their betrayals, self-deceptions, and pursuits of fame and fortune have destroyed their lives. The hopes and dreams each character had for their future now seem like distant memories, replaced by the weight of their decisions and their irreversible consequences. Everything comes at a cost in America, but to what end?

Ali figured if he could change his habits, maybe he could heal his past and transform his mistakes into blessings. It became his mission in life. You want hope? Be the hope.

Seeing Ali’s backstory was tough, but it gives context to how he used hope and God to rebuild his life after losing everything. Despite the continual heartbreak of his mentees dying (especially during the pandemic), Ali continues trying to help people break free from their addictions. He’s well versed in people losing hope. It’s the reason he never gives up on Rue.

In addiction recovery, they tell you to believe in a higher power; God, the universe, something, anything. In order to repair not only oneself but one’s outlook on life, you have to have faith and belief in something other than just yourself.

Rue: It’s interesting because as soon as I started believing in God, my life got considerably worse. Until it got better.

Lexi: So this is the better part?

Rue: I’ve done a lot of evil and I’ve never really thought about it until now, but it’s definitely fcking clear.*

Lexi: I’ve had issues with your behavior, but I wouldn’t call you evil.

Rue: You might not, but I think God would.

Rue has been fully diving into Christianity this season, seeing certain events as divine intervention from God. She views the burning Joshua tree and the homestead’s address of 613 Jerusalem as biblical signs from God that she’s close to deliverance, freedom, and redemption. The issue is that while Rue may be sober, she still has to contend with the aftermath of her past lies and wrongdoings. Lexi doesn’t believe her when she recounts her work history with Nazis, cowboys, and the DEA. And to be fair, I don’t entirely blame Lexi. Laurie’s crew and Alamo don’t entirely trust or believe Rue, either.

She doesn’t just suddenly stop lying to everyone; she continues. It was just lie after lie, you know? Just kind of been my whole life, and I got away with it. I mean, I lied to my mom. I lied to my friends. I lied so much people don’t even believe me when I’m telling the truth.

Ali reminds Rue that Moses never made it to the Promised Land.

The concept of the Promised Land is not one that only relates to Rue. Each character has their own version of the Promised Land. For Rue, it’s escaping society for the homestead in Texas. For Maddy, it’s financial wealth and career success. For Nate, it’s the Sun Settlers land as the gateway to a perfect family and a cushy lifestyle in suburbia. For Cassie, it’s fame/Hollywood. For Lexi, it’s recognition as a successful writer. All the immigrants (Juana, Angel, and Magick) believe America to be the Promised Land, but they’re much more aware of the suffering and silence associated with success there. Angel’s speech as she’s dropped off at the treatment center, her disappearance, Magick’s cruelty and loyalty to money above all else, and Juana’s obedience while working in Cassie and Nate’s household are all examples of this.

“Trade a thousand bad days for a good life.” - Magick

People are not only collateral damage, but pawns. Rue snitches on Alamo and Laurie in exchange for freedom; Nate takes and loses other people’s money; Lexi is willing not to vouch for her sister to better her own professional standing; Alamo exploits any woman for his business; Jules uses Elliot for economic stability; Maddy pimps Cassie and other girls out for her financial gain; and Cassie pimps herself out, affecting everyone she comes into contact with in pursuit of money and fame. People die, go to jail, are destroyed, and are deceived along the way. Youth has a certain naivety attached to it; a feeling that everything will work out no matter what. This episode marked a shift in the show, showing that the bad decisions of the characters are leading to genuinely evil outcomes. Do I think Nate was evil and deserved to die? No. I don’t think any of the aforementioned characters are evil. Just reckless products of circumstance and their environment.

I think Cassie is the worst out of all the characters. It’s ironic considering she was framed as having the biggest heart out of all the characters in the first season. Since then, she has betrayed her best friend by being in a relationship with Nate, held no regard for how her actions affect Lexi or Maddy, exploited a well-intentioned Dylan to reignite her OnlyFans career, and cheated on her husband before contributing to his death.

I should have never let you back into my life. When somebody shows you who they are, believe them.

Maddy should have taken her own advice in regards to Cassie and Alamo. Other than watching Nate die, the hardest part of this episode was realizing Maddy got fired and negotiated a million dollars from Alamo only to become enslaved to him. Just because he had a soft spot for her doesn’t mean he would give her any sense of loyalty. The way in which Maddy treats Cassie mirrors the way Alamo treats his girls. There are various reasons why Maddy would have gotten the money: to save Nate because a part of her still loves him, to continue profiting off Cassie’s sex work, or because she loves Cassie as a friend.

Maddy seems as though she’s lost some of her conscience amidst trying to get revenge and succeed.

Faye is Rue’s karma. Despite falling in love with Wayne, Faye was always willing to try to do the right thing by helping Rue. Rather than letting Wayne kill her, she was willing to let Rue escape if it meant getting a cut from the money she thought was in the safe. When they both discover there are no Benjamins to be found, Faye crashes out about how everyone in her life has lied to her; including Rue.

Rue offers to help Faye escape with her, but instead the episode ends with Faye waking up Wayne.

This episode was brutal to watch, matching the reality of the America Sam Levinson is aiming to depict.

This season began by introducing all the individual dreams the characters had for their futures following high school. The title of the first episode is “America, My Dream.” The concept of the American Dream is one that entices a multitude of people to risk death, poverty, safety, and sanity in order to make money, have a family, own property, and thrive as exactly the person one chooses to be. Growing up in America means being taught that it’s the best country in the world, but becoming an adult in 2026 here introduces you to the harsh realities that are never boasted about. What does hope look like in a corrupt place? How does American society mold the youth? How does it destroy humanity? How does it transform what is simply bad into evil?

Until next week.