Euphoria’ Season 3 Episode 5: Did a Main Character Just Die a Horrible Death?

So far, the third season of HBO's "Euphoria" feels more like a mix of "Traffic" and a telenovela than the original idea by Sam Levinson. The music and fast-paced camera moves that were there before are gone. Now, they're using big, wide shots on 65mm film. The young actors are exploring a bleak world where there's no hope to be found.

Last time we saw the group of high school dropouts, Rue (Zendaya) was caught with a bunch of drugs and became an informant for the DEA.

 Kitty (Anna Van Patten), a new stripper at the Silver Slipper, got beaten up by some creepy middle-aged guys. Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and Nate (Jacob Elordi) are officially over, as Cassie left because Nate owed a million dollars. Lexi (Maude Apatow) got Jules (Hunter Schafer) a job painting for her popular soap "LA Nights," but Jules made a painting of naked trans people, which landed her in trouble. At Maddy's (Alexa Demie) suggestion, Cassie seduced an influencer at a party to get attention for her OnlyFans. Meanwhile, Big Eddy (Kadeem Hardison) got shot in the stomach and had his safe stolen by masked men in Obama masks. The robbers were apparently working for Faye (Chloe Cherry), who was revengeful because Laurie's parrot, Paladin, was poisoned.

So, what happened this week?

Attack of the 50-Foot Cassie!

Cassie's stunt with mega-influencer Brondon Fontaine (Jeff Wahlberg, the nephew of Mark and Donnie) worked, and she hit 50,000 OnlyFans subscribers.

 Now, Maddy is getting her to do all sorts of adult content for her clients, from ASMR dirty talk to selling her underwear and doing silly things with big dildos. She's also on podcasts talking about sex positivity. There's a surreal scene where Cassie becomes a giant woman stomping through Downtown Los Angeles, and it ends with her big breasts breaking through a window.

Nate the Cuckold  

Nate is deep in debt and gets Cassie to send him money for his house payments.

 He also pushes Cassie to move in with Fontaine and do NSFW content with him. But he doesn't use the money to pay off his debts and ends up getting his pinky and a finger bitten off by a thug.

Maddy Pulls a Fast One  

Cassie finds out Maddy isn't a talent manager but a low-level Hollywood assistant.

 She cuts ties with her, moves into a TikTok house, and then gets convinced by Maddy to audition for "LA Nights" with star Dylan Reid (Homer Gere). There's no real audition, but Maddy tricks Lexi into getting her on the list. Cassie does a dramatic monologue from "Antony and Cleopatra" and gets the part.

Rue and Jules' Flirtation  

One thing "Euphoria" has lost is the romance between Rue and Jules.

 Here, they flirt in a sugar daddy's apartment while eating Chinese food. Jules says, "You want me? Make me yours." But the scene cuts to Jules having loud sex with the sugar daddy. We'll have to wait for Rue and Jules to get back on track. When the sugar daddy finds Rue's flannel in his apartment, he gets upset, thinking she's been cheating, and warns her not to put his family at risk.

Rue Is in Deep Doo-Doo  

Rue is still alive, but barely.

 She tried to frame Magick (Rosalía) by putting some cocaine in her locker. Magick gets revenge by convincing Alamo (Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje) that Rue is a snitch. While Rue and Maddy are at a diner, Alamo sends her off with two tough guys. Meanwhile, Alamo starts working with Maddy on her OnlyFans business, signing up Magick and Kitty. Back to Rue, Alamo's men make her dig a ditch and bury her up to her neck. Then Alamo rides in on a horse, swinging a mace, but the scene cuts to black. Rue isn't in the next scene, so did she finally meet her fate?