This is a long one. Rue is banking on that one last hit, Cassie is more than a damsel in distress, Maddy becomes a real madam, and Nate meets his…something that rhymes with Nate. Yea, it’s a recap so don’t get mad that was a spoiler.
We start with Ali (Coleman Domingo) hitting a pipe, and you just pray this is a flashback. That’s because he’s literally Rue’s AA sponsor. He’s there with a sex worker played by Natasha Lyonne! (Poker Face). They’re having a…time and thankfully this is a flashback. He goes home clearly high and sits at dinner with his wife and two kids. This erupts in a fight, justifiably, since it’s apparent he’s been gone for days. He’s back with Natasha and having a…good time?
Wakes up in a hospital with an open-heart surgery scar and begging the nurse not to give him narcotics. So, not such a good time. We watch his arc rise. He’s helping addicts, many young black individuals who just feel like there’s nothing to live for. But every story does not have a happy ending. He is losing many people, especially during the pandemic. Which I always wonder if we’re watching this in the real world or a Euphoria world, but yea this world. After losing so many, he’s still working. Still trying to keep hope alive. Rue is another line of hope for him. While it’s not totally uplifting, it is nice to see Ali again and get a proper backstory. I just feel like it should have come in a different season.
Once Upon a Time in the West
Over at the ranch, Alamo is poking around at Big Eddy (Kadeem Hardison) staple scars after being shot in the stomach during the ranch robbery. It’s really uncomfortable to watch with his colostomy bag hanging out. Alamo is pissed that Big Eddy what… umm didn’t die to protect his money, so Alamo is punishing Big Eddy by sending him on this run with Laurie’s guys. Yea, they’re all gonna die or go to jail, and it’s pretty clear.
Now, Rue, after having her vision, is back at Lexi’s place. Lexi is working on her script to integrate Cassie into ‘LA Nights,’ and Rue is talking about Alamo, the bible and God talking to her, and the DEA. Lexi is basically like ‘can you be quiet so I can write,’ but Rue already messed up by mentioning the DEA. Lexi accuses Rue of using again because she’s convinced she’s out of her mind. This is obviously upsetting to Rue because she hasn’t used, and Rue storms out. Also, I feel like Lexi’s character has followed suit with the caricature of her former self like the other characters in this season. She is snarky, sarcastic, and judgey but to no end. It is the personality that we’ve known her to have, but now it just feels like a cheap device for no reason. She’s just bitter about her prude life choices which is not a very dynamic character development.
Rue makes her way across the courtyard to Cassie’s. Knocking on the door we see a silencer pointing straight at the peep hole on the other side, finger on the trigger. This might be why Cassie isn’t answering. Yet another brush with death for Rue avoided as she decides to give up.
So, what happened to Cassie?
High Noon
Last we saw Cassie was unboxing a nicely wrapped finger. What had happened was…What I now know are Armenian gangsters had a few days earlier, followed up with Cassie after sending over Nate’s finger. They want their money and found out Cassie’s been Nate’s cash cow this whole time. They threaten to kill Nate unless she gets the money. Of course, she just deleted her OnlyFans. And I stand corrected y’all, a personal deletion IS permanent. I guess I don’t know everything about OnlyFans – why would I? 😉
Cassie’s in duress of course because she’s also been let go from the ‘LA Nights’ show so no income there. Surprise surprise. There’s also no way she’s getting a million dollars from her role on ‘LA Nights’ as a side character. The payment plan to these gangsters must be like 30 years. That’s a lot of beatings for late payments. The upside, I guess, is the network loved Lexi’s script, but they don’t want to hire a real sex worker. The industry is such hypocritical prudes. This all leaves Cassie high and dry, so she’s crying in silk lingerie on the bedroom floor when Maddy arrives. She’s pissed because, like I said, breach of contract.
There’s nothing to be done about the deleted account and lost followers, so they come up with some cockamamie plan. I literally still don’t really understand it. Couldn’t she just start her page again and be like hey devoted fans, I’m over here now. My account got hacked, find me here. What do I know.
Instead, they decide to lure in Dylan Reid the lead of ‘LA Nights’ and her one time scene partner. Played by Homer Gere – Richard Gere’s son btw. More nepotism. The influencer kid from the content house was a Wahlberg. They get Dylan on a date with Cassie with plenty of paparazzi around. She takes him back to her place. Why her place? I don’t really know. She sleeps with him, steals his phone, and does a post on his account of them on a date. This goes viral and her followers jump up to over 100K. Sadly, this does not translate into dollars instantly, so again, really confused about this plan.
Dances with Wolves
Nate’s life depends on this OnlyFans getting back up. Nate is with the Armenians in his own house with his hands taped standing in a tank top and pleading for them to stop beating him up. At this point, I am over the almost slapstick nature of Nate’s comeuppance. He’s running around screaming and crying and this big dude just throws him into walls and cuts off appendages. It’s been like four episodes of this. If they had slowly built up to this physical torture, I’d be more engaged, but I’m definitely checked out.
On the other side of the Euphoria world, Rue has finally caught up with Ali. She’s telling him everything. Which she should have done from the beginning, but definitely should have gone to him before divulging her secrets to Lexi. Clearly, Lexi is just somebody that she used to know at this point. Ali seems pissed, as any caretaker would be. He’s cooking breakfast for dinner it seems and trying to talk sense into Rue. An impossible task. She’s giving him the ‘just one last run then I’m out’ speech. Ali’s saying if they’re threatening your family, tell the DEA. The DEA does not care.
All of this because of a dead bird and some pigs. Because of all of this mess Alamo is tasking Rue with getting his money back from the safe at Laurie’s. All she has to do is use the printed key, get the money, and leave. Ali knows damn well it’s not going to go right, but in his experience, he can’t force anyone to do what they are not going to do. Ali wants to go with her, which would also be a bad plan. Him being there would be red flags all day.
Blazing Saddles
Meanwhile, the girls at the Silver Slipper (Alamo’s strip club) are hamming it up because the new girl is getting a new butt. I mean, maybe she is getting a new butt, but I highly doubt that anyone is making it back alive. Which the girls allude to when they say “just don’t die.” Uh oh…the foreshadowing of it all.
Back at Ali’s, Rue’s told him about her vision and God talking to her and her plans for the last run. To which Ali has said he has a shotgun to help. Maybe Ali is the gangster we all need. He’s seen some things and knows how this all could end. Ali drops some gems about life and also how Moses doesn’t make it to the promise land in the end. He gets Rue to agree to go pick up her mom in the morning and not go through with any of the plan. Of course, she leaves while he’s asleep. I think he knows this is probably the last time he’s gonna see Rue.
Now, Rue’s with G (Marshawn Lynch’s character) as he’s cleaning like a sniper rifle. Rue asks him to hit her to help the story of why she goes crawling back to Laurie. He’s like, ummm no. So she bangs her head on the car dashboard, hopefully not breaking her nose but looking roughed up. She goes back to Laurie claiming Alamo tried to kill her (which he did but much more creatively). Laurie lets her in, but I am sure she has a plan that Rue is not wise enough to notice.
The Quick and the Dead
Back at the apartment, Cassie gets a ring at the door – doesn’t look through the peephole just opens it and gets Stone Cold Steve Austin-ed into her glass table. I’m like dang, the merchandise! Her arms are all scratched up, you can’t damage the goods! The Armenian’s hog tie her and give her 72 hours to get the money they need. They give 72 hours because Nate is buried alive on his own property and after 72 hours he’ll die of thirst. Cut to a panicked Nate whose brother is looking for him, passing right over his buried body and small air pipe where no one can hear his screams. Then, serendipitously, a rattle snake happens to be passing by. You can imagine where it goes.
Meanwhile, Maddy is looking for Cassie and calls Lexi, who in her bitter state could apparently care less about her family and friends because of her morals to stay loyal to her ‘LA Nights’ show and cast members. Cassie could be dead and Lexi’s like I could care less! Before she hangs up, she has to complain about Rue going on and on about working for the DEA. Word really travels fast.
We cut back to Nate, who’s new friend rattly is cozied up and feeling bity. Cassie gets untied and allowed to call Maddy for help. The Armenians give her an ultimatum. Get them a mil, and they won’t cut up Cassie’s face. Maddy heads to Alamo for help. I think the real moral is we need better support systems. Not that we all have someone to run to for a million dollars, but where are the sane people we can turn to who really have our backs, ya know?
Back at Laurie’s naxy den, the rednecks are interrogating Rue in front of a burning pyre and talking about all the ways to punish her. She opens up about all her lies, to convince them she is telling the truth while she lies. To prove her loyalty, they cut open her hand to make a blood oath. That sounds like a hepatitis handshake to me. All while Jules has been blowing up Rue’s phone which at that moment is sitting in G’s car somewhere off in the desert while he waits for instructions with a loaded gun.
Duel in the Sun
I don’t want to say it, but Alamo is grooming Maddy. Gets her in a Fashion Nova bathing suit and lures her into his bedroom hot tub. They get to talking about Rue and how Alamo has her running around. Maddy’s like ‘ha ha ha, yea she is stressed babbling about the DEA.’ That’s a wrap on Rue! Studio claps!!
Somehow Maddy gets Alamo to help with the Cassie, Nate, Armenian problem even though he’s like ‘ohh I try to stay away from Armenians.’
He zips up a nice leather bag, which we are assuming is full of cash. Pats Maddy on the head and says ‘go get em champ!’ Lol. In dramatic old western fashion, they do the drop. Obviously, Alamo does not put a mil in this bag. He shoots our Armenian gangster Naz (played by Jack Topalian) in the neck, then point blank in the face. We get the Armenian muscle to open the coffin to a grey eyed tongue engorged Nate, tied up lifeless with his snake friend chilling on his chest. Now that truly is a wrap on Nate. What a silly way to go.
Unforgiven
At the compound, Faye is mad at her redneck BF Wayne (played by Toby Wallace, a British man)!! He’s the one who cut Rue, and Faye is standing up for her friend. Now Faye moves whichever way the wind blows, so her saying friend means as much as a wisp of tumbleweed. Either way, Wayne says they’re planning on killing Rue in the morning, so Faye thinks – aight let’s get the money now and head out.
Only thing, when they sneak in the night to open the safe after the 3D printed key doesn’t work (shocker), Faye grabs the real keys. They open it, and it aint nothing but a steel box of questions. No money, just girls’ IDs. One girl she recognizes from the Silver Slipper. Are Laurie and Alamo working together to disappear girls? Or does Laurie supply Alamo with new identities for the girls he traffics? Why would they have those IDs? And why in the hell are you giving me more mysteries on the 2nd to last episode!!?
Once Faye realizes there is no money, she’s feeling real stupid for risking a ‘good thing.’ You know her basement apartment in the drug den and loving naxy BF. She blames Rue for all the lies in her life and turns and screams for Wayne.
Tombstone
Leading us to yet another threat to Rue’s life. Is Rue going to die at the end? Maybe – quite possibly. Although all of the things Sam Levison has done to these women this season, killing a Black woman, in the end is not a good look. But it does not seem like he cares.
The way this season has gone, the old/new Hollywood references, the western film tropes and old John Wayne style of it all. It feels like Sam Levinson just wanted to make a Tarantino film and decided, well I already have Euphoria, I’ll just use that. It feels like we’re in the ‘What If’ Euphoria universe and just like Marvel’s ‘What If’ you’re sitting there thinking there are so many better what ifs I could have imagined. It’s hard to see how this final episode will wrap up: Alamo, the DEA, Lexi, Maddy, Laurie and the girls going to Mexico. And what was with the IDs in the safe? And what about Jules and her sugar daddy? It’s just too much. If they did all this for spin offs, I’m canceling all my streaming subscriptions.
This weekend, I guess we’ll see who lives and who dies at least. I’m still rooting for Maddy and Alamo’s fixer Bishop to get all of the money and run off together with their harem of consenting girls to make an OnlyFans empire. Rue can be on house arrest with her mom and finally get a shot at the “American Dream” she was looking for or something.
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