‘Euphoria’ Season Finale ‘And Salt the Earth Behind You’ Review: Prom

Euphoria ends its first run the way a high schooler does: by going to prom. To some, the night marks the end of an era, a stage of knowing oneself. However, this is not the same for everyone. Others remain confused, while some begin a new chapter. At the end of the finale, one has plenty of unanswered questions, but at the same time, has a sense of relief.

On Sunday’s season finale of Euphoria, East Highland holds the annual Winter Formal. At the event, friendships flourish, relationships end, and futures remain unknown. While Rue Bennett (Zendaya) and Jules Vaughn’s (Hunter Schafer) feelings become clear, Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) and Maddie Perez (Alexa Demie) break up. Meanwhile, Lexie Howard (Maude Apatow) and Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney) bond at prom. Elsewhere, Fezco (Angus Cloud) resorts to desperate measures.

Start Over

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The fight between Kat and Maddie in the previous episode sparked something in Kat. A silent reconciliation happens between the two as they talked about finally leaving high school. Eventually, most of their table’s occupants, except for Kat and the Howards. Kat catches a glimpse of Ethan (Austin Abrams) and probably says fuck it, I want to try again. Kat and Ethan’s story is one of the few arcs that have a semblance of closure. Notably, Ethan’s line is one of the most bittersweet ones in the show. Indeed, high school is full of surprises until the end.

Head held High

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It is a shame that Cassie and Chris McKay’s (Algee Smith) relationship ended on bad terms. However, it is not hard to see why it did. Chris has a list of problems on his plate. For instance, he did not feel like he would play in the NFL. There is that, plus the fact that his dad pressures him as well. When Cassie broke the news about her pregnancy to him, it was surprising to note that he handled it calmer than expected. Still, the couple did break up, seeing how Chris did not show up at prom.

Cassie’s strength as a person is admirable. Along with her mom, Suze Howard (Alanna Ubach) and Lexie, she faced her abortion. A decision like that is not an easy one to make, especially after a bad break up. Regardless, Cassie faced it head-on and went to prom with her head held high. It was also a good thing that what happened remained between her and her family, as it could quickly become a gossiping topic.

Drugs, Guns, and Money

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Fezco had the least air time compared to the other characters but is one of the most essential to the story. When the raid at his apartment happens, we are left to wonder about his fate. This time, however, we see how that plays out. The cops did not arrest him, sure, but he had drugs to pay for since Mouse (Meeko) forced him to sell more than he could sell. Initially, most people would think that Fezco was after Nate (who reported him to the authorities), but Fezco had different plans.

Fezco went straight to Mouse’s source: some crooked doctor. The fool even tried to shoot Fezco when he got distracted by the doctor’s kid, standing across them. Things did not end well for the doctor as Fezco beat the shit out of him before leaving with the money. Also, he went past the kid as if nothing happened. What we are unsure of, however, is if Mouse accepted his payment when he got home since Mouse’s goon noticed literal blood on the money.

Final Run

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A lot of things ended for Nate on prom night. His career in high school football ended in a win, but his leadership skills seemed to falter. Nate did have to take matters into his own hands, breaking the team dynamic. When scolded by his father, Cal Jacobs (Eric Dane), Nate had none of it. The part where Nate straight up yelled his anger away was intense, unnerving, but necessary.

On the other hand, we also have the official end of his relationship with Maddie. Initially, Nate tried to make Maddie jealous by dancing with one of her friends, Natalie (Allie Marie Evans). Maddie takes the queue and does the same, but eventually, they quit the game and face each other. In a beautiful, fitting sequence, the two say goodbye to their relationship as they danced to a slow love song.

The Complications of Love and Sexuality

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Rue and Jules finally confessed their love for each other. While this situation sounds good in so many ways, it is also equally as bad as it could get. There was no problem with what they felt for each other; but rather, the pace each of them wanted to take was different. Rue wanted to plunge deep into their romance as fast as she can, while Jules preferred a slower pace. Also, Jules did develop feelings for Anna (Quintessa Swindell), some girl she met when she visited an old friend.

Sadly, Rue and Jules could no meet each other in the middle. Rue acted on impulse when she asks Jules to run away from town with her. Jules liked the idea and agreed to go immediately, but Rue suddenly had second thoughts about it. To her, it seems, leaving the town meant making her mom, Leslie Bennett (Nika King) and sister, Gia Bennett (Storm Reid) go through another traumatic experience. So yeah, Jules left town on a train and Rue watched as it left the station.

‘Euphoria’ Season 1, Episode 8 ‘And Salt the Earth Behind You’ Final Verdict

The sequence that follows after Rue and Jules’ goodbye left so many questions about Euphoria. We do not know if Leslie was reading a eulogy about Rue. However, there were many scenes that seemed to imply that. Also, we do not know if Rue relapsed into drug use, either. She wore her father’s hoodie too often, and that made it hard to tell whether or not it was a flashback of her doing drugs that were showed or not. A lot of characters in Euphoria have open-ended stories, and in the same way, some characters (like Lexie and Fezco) have no elaborate backstories yet. Thankfully, Euphoria will return for a second season, so we have that to expect soon.