Oh man, they did Nate dirty. For a show like Euphoria season 3 that has been ragebaiting the internet since it dropped and supposed by fans as the worst season of the series has killed its golden boy Nate Jacobs played by Jacod Elordi.
But then again, Nate with all the debt he owed Naz and all the reckless ,controversial moves he pulled over the years had it coming. But being buried alive inside a coffin with a small air way hole was only a ticking bomb before a rattlesnake fatally struck him.
As much as fans of the American psychological drama that first dropped in 2019 wanted Nate to get his karma, no one saw his death coming in the way it has. But the same cannot be said for another character Rue Bennett (Zendaya).
A mildly unhinged corner of the internet has it convinced that the show obsessed with memory, relapse, death and this season with the underbelly has already killed Rue. As per several fan theories on Reddit, Rue has been dead all along and her omnipresent narration over the three seasons has been nothing but a dream logic that one experience while counting the final breath.
Of course, for most television shows, a fan theory is simply a fan theory. While Rue’s voice has always carried the eerie calm of hindsight, now it feels almost posthumous. She narrates everybody with impossible intimacy, drifting through private moments and emotional interiors she should not realistically have access to. Whether this is a deliberate attempt to make her the unreliable narrator or as the fan theory suggests she is a ghost, it does feel like a eerie foreshadowing.
In early seasons of Euphoria, emotional realism stood beneath all the glitter and trauma of high-school teen drama. Rue’s addiction felt frightening because it was recognisable. Cassie’s implosion felt tragic because it came from ordinary loneliness. Even Nate’s violence was grounded in something painfully human. But the latest season operates on pure dream logic. Characters drift into cartel wars, armed robberies, motel hideouts, spiritual visions and operatic breakdowns with the heightened unreality of a half-remembered nightmare.
It almost feels like the narrative itself is deteriorating alongside Rue’s consciousness. The storyline is fragmented more than ever. Is it because the writers of the show have deliberately written it like that? One can only wonder until the finale drops.
Interestingly, however, the new arch that Sam Levinson has introduced for Rue and her journey through drug addiction still does point to an ending that might corroborate somewhat with the fan theory. Rue's spiritual awakening.
The Season 3 of Euphoria has been buried with symbolism and foreshadowing whether it is the scene where a dead rat is dangled in front of Rue suggesting Alamo's suspicion of her loyalty, Bishop telling her about a python readying itself to devour a stripper named Sugar or Maddie and Rue's conversation over Jesus and equanimity, tragedy looms over.
In the Bible, the Garden of Eden's snake symbolises deception and betrayal. In Rue's world, there are snakes everywhere and Rue is the vulnerable rat. While she does escape death twice and sees a burning tree in the desert (biblical symbolism confirming her new found faith), Rue's conversation with Ali hints at her ultimate fate. In the Old Testament, Moses encounters a burning bush without harming the plant. He is the chosen one.
In Euphoria, Rue and her Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, Ali Muhammed's, conversation circles around realities of addiction, grief, forgiveness and the painful truths required to get and stay clean. Both grapple with existential dread, questioning the meaning of life, the concept of a higher power and how to survive the seemingly unbearable pain of existence while trying to live a clean life. Their conversation also discusses Moses. She draws parallel between herself and biblical figure Moses, especially after the burning tree incidence. However, is reminded by Ali that Moses never actually made it to the Promise Land. He warns her that the identification could be ominous sign for her own survival, hinting at the fatal consequences of her reckless actions playing games with two rival cart
This perhaps explains why many fans are wondering is Rue is going to die next and it seems like a strong suggestion given the biblical metaphors underlining her fate. Also perhaps explains why this season feels so haunted.
So, if Rue does die by the end of the series, it likely won’t arrive as a shocking twist for the fans and the theorists. Even the polymarket betters have given her death a 68 per cent odds.
Again, whether or not, Alamo will kill Rue or a snake or someone else, one will only find out in Season 3 finale that will drop on Sunday 31 May ET on HBO Max.