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Note: This Euphoria article contains spoilers.
The second episode of Euphoria, titled Out of Touch, premiered today, and viewers are in for a wild ride full of fantasies and love triangles.
The teen drama, created by Sam Levinson, continues to intensify every week. The latest episode of Euphoria Season 2 focused on all its leading characters by balancing their storylines and pushing them in the right direction.
Let's dive in and dissect the second episode of HBO Max's Euphoria Season 2.
Recapping and analyzing Euphoria Season 2 Episode 2
The latest episode of Euphoria Season 2 picked up from the previous one, where Fez almost killed Nate by beating him to death. The latter is now being transported to the hospital, kicking off Rue's narration.
Viewers must have observed that each episode of Euphoria focuses on a single character, with Rue acting as the third-party narrator. An example is how the first episode revolved around Fez, where Rue talked about his upbringing, from being a criminal witness to becoming a criminal.
The episode begins with Nate but has several character jumps, narrated mainly by Rue.
Rue's unrealiability
The narration by Rue in Euphoria is by far the most interesting and confusing thing as she keeps reminding viewers that either she wasn't physically there or wasn't sober enough to remember what happened. This makes her an unreliable storyteller as things that never happened have been seen in the series, like the matching tattoos she got with Jules.
This very unreliability is what allows the series to dial up its tone to the extreme. Maybe the events did happen, or perhaps they are just stylistic hyperbole. Who knows? The entire thing could be a lie Rue is sharing with a group of addicts at her AA meeting.
The problematic Jacobs men
The episode opens with Nate's post-assault state, where he is inexplicably in love with Cassie. He has been one of the most problematic characters in the series, and even the near-death experience did not knock sense into him. He is still scheming and putting innocent people in danger.
Nate's character is probably the one that has developed negatively compared to others in Euphoria. In Season 1, he was a horrible boyfriend as well as a person, and in this season, he is going off the rails completely.
In Out of Touch, there was a glimmer of hope for Nate when he realized that he wanted a life with Cassie. But he also knows that leading her on and lying to his dad won't get him anywhere.
As for Cal, he is the kind of person who would go to the very root of his son's attack, besides being literally the scariest character on the small screen. The man has the ability to gaslight and threaten teenagers just to so they can reveal the attacker's identity.
Darkness clearly runs in the Jacobs family, even if Nate wants to be different from his father and grandfather. He proved it by revealing Jules' tape and why Fez took a hit at him.
Clearly, all the digging Cal did went to waste because, in the end, Nate was protecting his father's identity somewhere.
A different side to Lexi
Coming to Lexi, this episode of Euphoria showed how she tries to do something right, but her fear stops her. She knows she should avoid Fez after what went down at the NYE party, but then again, she isn't exactly on Nate's side. Maybe she does think what Fez did was right, and Nate deserved it.
Lexi is different, perhaps an enigma, because she is observant about everyone around her but rarely dares to have a conversation. What she felt with Fez was different. She was comfortable and open about herself without any filter.
Maybe Fez and Lexi bring out the good in each other, and that's the kind of ship viewers wouldn't mind seeing in the show's near future.
Cassie's fears
Circling back to Nate's fantasies about Cassie, viewers can tell that he does want a relationship with her. He might even be the sanest when he is with her, compared to his relationship with Maddy.
In this episode of Euphoria, Nate had visions of fathering a child with Cassie, even though he was almost dying on the hospital bed.
Usually, life flashes in front of one's eyes when nearing death, but in Nate's case, it was more about playing mind games with poor Cassie. As for Cassie, it is clear that she wants to be with him, but she is also scared about the ramifications of her friends finding out about it.
While Maddy and Nate may not be together, the former would still see this as an act of betrayal by her best friend and instantly take action. Nate is right that Maddy might kill Cassie for this, making her realize even more about what she has done.
Despite Nate's flaws, he has a genuine connection with Cassie, and he might actually learn how to act in a relationship if they get together.
A spiraling Rue
Rue and Jules getting back together was something fans of Euphoria wanted, even though the two were on different paths last season. Surprisingly enough, Jules feels jealous when Elliot is around, and things might take a different turn when she finds out why the two are hanging out together so much.
As for Elliot, he is an intriguing addition to the world of Euphoria, but he might also become the reason behind a love triangle occurring between them, something that might not be the need of the hour. But it would be interesting to see Rue navigate this relationship on her own.
Back to Rue's relapse in Euphoria, it is quite a shocker that she has been able to lie and actually keep up with the lie of being on drugs again. Only Ali could figure out what was going on with her. However, it does look like she isn't getting off them and is seriously considering continuing with her life like this.
It doesn't take a lot for Rue to spiral out of control, something viewers have seen in the previous seasons, but the broader issue here is about how Jules would react to this. She has been vocal about her concerns towards Rue, but history might just repeat itself.
Catch the latest episode of Euphoria Season 2, now streaming on HBO Max.
