“Euphoria” Weekly Review: Giving up the Gun

EUPHORIA

SEASON 2, EPISODE 6: “A THOUSAND LITTLE TREES OF BLOOD”

EDITOR’S RATING: ★★☆☆☆

Shivering, panting and squealing, Rue, fresh out of the events of episode five, greets us in the initial moments of “A Thousand Little Trees of Blood.” On surface-level, the subdued nature of “A Thousand Little Trees of Blood” is essential, if slightly irritating to “Euphoria’s” progression. Although Rue is now making a substantial effort in recovering from her withdrawal, it’s unclear where her priorities are in doing so. “I’m sure most people would say the world would be a better place without me,” she states. “I don’t disagree.” 

Would it be fair to say that her victim complex prevents her from getting the much needed help she longs for (and knows she needs?) Regretful from her harsh comments towards Ali, who acts as Rue’s NA sponsor, almost three episodes ago, she calls him to apologize. Watching this scene was very telling of what we already know about her character. It seemed as if she was quite literally forcing the apology out of herself; scrambling for the words and hesitating at atonement. 

Even so, Ali almost instantly forgives her. Instead of giving her a second chance, this forgiveness only enforces Rue’s toxic behavior. Labrinth’s “All For Us” played for the first time since Rue’s relapse in season one. Could this be signaling something?

Beyond these first ten minutes, Rue’s absence throughout “A Thousand Little Trees of Blood” is necessary, as the show’s shift in focus only widens its plot. My problem with this week’s episode is that Rue is only sidelined for the weakest plot to take the main stage. Yes…I’m talking about the Maddy-Nate-Cassie mess.

With Maddy pondering ways to get back at them both, Lexi (I still always somehow forget Lexi and Cassie are sisters) and her mother fed up with Cassie’s obsession, and Nate’s rebrand following Cal’s departure—this plot only even begins to boil in the episode’s last fifteen minutes.

Somewhere in the mix, Kat and Ethan’s fight for screen time continues — this time it was to break them up! Is this to finally advance Kat’s plot, or did Sam Levinson do this to finally cut ties with Barbie Ferreira and her character? My guess is the latter, and if I do say so myself, what an utter shame.

 Meanwhile, Nate’s mother seems freed from all of the confinement she experienced while in her relationship with Cal. Beyond the Jacobs’ family’s sudden change in dynamic is something way more interesting, and calls  back to season one: remember when Nate attacked Maddy at the carnival? Remember when he was so desperately trying to convince both the school and his parents that he didn’t do it? In this scene, Ms. Jacobs not only admits she always knew he did attack her, but commends him for it. If you needed confirmation that the Jacobs family is messed up on all sides of the spectrum, here it is. 

Who doesn’t have it so cute right now is none other than Madeline Perez. The pinnacle of this week’s episode occurs in the last fifteen minutes; Maddy does not mess around when it comes to Nate because she knows exactly how his mind works. “Nate, I love you,” she immediately professes as he threatens her. “I love you, Nate.” 

I also noticed that her muffled cries only strengthened and loudened once put himself in harm’s way. This leads me to the most interesting part of this episode: could it be that Maddy still cares about Nate? And vice versa? If you recall earlier in the episode, Rue specifies that it wasn’t the abundance of missed calls from Cassie that worried Nate…but rather the lack of them from Maddy. The scene ends with Maddy sacrificing the tape and neither of the two harmed. I’d like to disarm my selfishness of expecting “something big” with this ending epiphany… 

Next we move onto Fez and Lexi, and I reluctantly confess that their scenes together irritated me way less than they did before. As I said previously, it seemed their abrupt pairing was only constructed in means of distraction — yet, “A Thousand Little Trees” allows them to shine through. I do hope their relationship stays platonic, as their friendship (so far) is really unique and not seen in most television shows; either two people are together as a couple or not together at all. We don’t spend enough time showcasing valuable friendships, and this was such a cute moment!

Is it safe to say that “Euphoria” is at its most interesting when we analyze what’s given to us? Or is Levinson’s surface-level style rejecting anything beyond face value? Let me sit on these questions throughout the remainder of this week and revisit them in the next episode. 

Are you guys excited for Lexi’s play?