The 9 Spiciest ‘Euphoria’ Episodes: From Hazing Violence to That Infamous Bathroom Scene
You can call “Euphoria” brilliant or contrived, but you definitely can’t call it chill. The HBO series, about a group of teenaged friends in a fictional California suburb, is jam-packed with violent boyfriends, creepy-as-hell drug dealers, wanton sexual activity, and some seriously agonizing depictions of drug addiction.
Created by Sam Levinson, “Euphoria” also has great music, smart writing, and a killer cast that includes era-defining stars Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney. But let’s be real, what really gets people talking are the show’s spiciest and most shocking moments, of which there are many. With Season 3 premiering on April 12, here’s a guide to the HBO series’ most extra, outrageous, over-the-top, unsettling episodes.
“Pilot” (Season 1, Episode 1)
“Euphoria” jumps right into the shock and awe as the very first episode features not one, but two sex scenes, both involving adults hooking up with minors. Certainly the most outrageous of the two is when freewheeling transgender teen Jules Vaughn goes to a motel to hook up with Cal Jacobs, a full-grown man and father of Jules’ evil classmate Nate. Going by the ultra-cringe handle DominantDaddy on the dating app where they meet, Cal lays the groundwork for a major plotline when he films their tryst without her consent.
“Stuntin’ Like My Daddy” (Season 1, Episode 2)
After Maddy gets down with an older boy named Tyler in a swimming pool during a party in the pilot, Maddy’s ex-boyfriend Nate hunts down Tyler at his apartment, brutally interrogates him, and beats him senseless. The violence itself is shocking enough, but it’s extra creepy when Nate calmly cleans himself up afterwards and looks at himself in the mirror while Tyler silently whimpers on the floor.
“Shook Ones Pt. II” (Season 1, Episode 4)
Varsity quarterback Nate is by far the scariest and most abusive student at East Highland High School, and if you aren’t already convinced of his dark side, then just consider what he does in “Shook Ones Pt. II.” As one of the plotlines of this acclaimed episode, which revolves around a trip to a carnival, Nate catfishes Jules and coerces her into staying quiet about her relationship with Cal by threatening to report nude photos of her and get her prosecuted for “child pornography.”
“The Next Episode” (Season 1, Episode 6)
College-aged football star Chris McKay is one of the kindest characters on the entire show, but he suffers serious psychological damage in “The Next Episode” when he gets assaulted by a gang of masked frat brothers in front of his girlfriend at a party. The disturbing hazing scene generated a lot of discussion online because the editing makes the attack look like a rape, although Algee Smith (who plays McKay) said later that it was “fake humping.”
“And Salt the Earth Behind You” (Season 1, Episode 8)
A heartbreaking rift between Rue Bennett (played by Zendaya) and her beloved Jules leads to a whimsically haunting relapse when Rue goes home and snorts a line of narcotic powder. Over the off-kilter R&B of Labrinth and Zendaya’s R&B jam “All for Us,” Zendaya enacts a kind of funeral procession as she stumbles outside into a street crowded with dancers and gets held aloft in a reflection of her journey through grief and addiction.
“Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door” (Season 2, Episode 1)
The unforgettable “I have to pee!” scene goes down when Maddy pounds on the door of the bathroom at yet another depraved dance party full of underage kids. Inside the bathroom that Maddy is trying to get into, her best friend Cassie Howard (played by Sydney Sweeney) is freaking out because she’s right in the middle of getting it on with Maddy’s ex, the infamous Nate. This episode also marks the harrowing introduction of Laurie, a dead-eyed schoolteacher turned drug dealer.
“Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys” (Season 2, Episode 3)
It’s more touching than spicy, but “Ruminations: Big and Little Bullys” is worth a mention for showing Cal’s origin story as a teenage wrestling champion who discovers his sexuality with his best friend Derek when they share a dance and a kiss at a local gay bar. This being “Euphoria” and all, Cal’s dreams of ever having a functional relationship are then crushed when he finds out that his girlfriend (and future wife) Martha is pregnant.
“Stand Still Like a Hummingbird” (Season 2, Episode 5)
In what’s widely regarded as the most painful moment in “Euphoria” history, Rue delivers a monumentally hurtful drug-addict rant to her sister, her mother, and Jules after a suitcase full of drugs that she got from Laurie goes missing. It’s truly one of the most powerful depictions of dope addiction ever captured on TV: Zendaya is all desperate agony and narcissistic shame as she unleashes her barrage of scathing insults.
“The Theater and Its Double” (Season 2, Episode 7)
Although the penultimate episode of Season 2 doesn’t have the same shock value as the bloody finale, it’s worth a shoutout because this is the part when Lexi Howard gets her revenge on all of her obnoxious and self-absorbed East Highland High friends. In a brilliant twist of “Hamlet”-esque meta-narrative, she puts on a school play where all the secret dramas and toxic conflicts of the school are revealed to everyone.
