'Euphoria' Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: Are Rue And Jules Back Together?

The 2nd episode of Euphoria is proof that all our fears and more about Sam Levinson’s latest season of the hit show are coming true. Sure, the characters are all adults now, but it appears any character in the grand scheme of the Sam Levinson universe will end up in the flesh trade one way or the other. But hey, let’s not be confused, because OnlyFans is not “corn,” and that’s something he keeps reminding us of throughout this episode. The only good thing about this show is Zendaya as Rue, and she steps into the character with such ease that you really forget anything that’s going on behind the scenes. If it weren’t for Rue’s narration, there would really be nothing worth watching here. Also, yes, Jules is in this episode but for about 4 mins, yet again to show us that all women can do in this universe is trade flesh for a quick buck. Anyway, with that said, let’s get through this recap of episode 2 of season 3.

Spoiler Alert

What Does Cassie Want From Maddy? 

Episode 2 finally focuses on a long-beloved character, who at least doesn’t have to put herself on the line to live the “American Dream.” Maddy never went to college, but she lived diligently, and before the pandemic hit, she found Ms. Penzler, the woman she looks up to and wants to work for. Maddy’s biggest asset has always been her confidence, and she simply walks into a diner to talk to Penzler, telling her that even though she’s not hiring, Maddy’s the assistant she needs. When the older woman’s phone rings, Maddy answers with confidence, calling herself Penzler’s assistant. Oh, she also admits that she knows her generation is entitled, but she won’t take anything for granted and will work hard. So, she’s hired. 

But, while working for a prick named Dylan Reid, Maddy, who has nothing to do during the pandemic except sit at home, decides to try to side hustle. She finds a girl named Katelyn doing adult content on social media. The girl just wants to make a name for herself, plus loads of money. Maddy’s got an eye for these things. She takes pictures for Katelyn one day, and offers to help her strategize. The pull, Katelyn is a fan of Reid, and Maddy can get them to meet eventually. It’s not long before Katelyn gets her 1 million followers and Dylan gets a date with her, only for Penzler to call herself old-fashioned because she doesn’t want her television star hanging out with someone who does adult content. By this time, Maddy’s had Katelyn do everything except actually get naked on screen. Yet another reminder, “corn” and Onlyfans are not the same, okay? Maddy has no choice but to drop one of the two jobs, and she makes the big mistake of staying comfy with Penzler, when she could’ve become rich in a couple of years if she’d stuck with Katelyn. 

So now, when Maddy’s at a low point and Cassie reaches out to her, she’ll obviously go looking her absolute best. Maddie’s dressed in her best furs, with her hair making her look like a 90s baddie, and Cassie watches, mouth agape, not believing that the girl’s actually fixed her life. Obviously, Maddy’s putting on a show, but Cassie doesn’t need to know that. Cassie simply wants to apologize to Maddy for “stealing” Nate, and Maddy doesn’t take a second to forgive her. Here’s the thing, they both need something from each other. Maddy needs a star like Katelyn, and Cassie needs someone who knows the industry and can help her out. Maddy, of course, doesn’t waste a second in calling Cassie tasteless, and you know it’s coming from deep within, but it appears Cassie can’t even see the venom in her voice, because she’s so far gone into this world of “I have assets I can sell for money.” Well, Maddy believes in capitalism, so here we are. Guess these two are going to end up working together, and that means Maddy can push Cassie to any limit she likes. As possible revenge against Nate? Really, it’s a man’s world, so the women all hate each other, except for Rue who is “basically a dude.” 

What’s Happening Between Laurie And Alamo? 

In the meanwhile, Rue gets “taken” by Alamo, because Laurie sent him drugs cut with fentanyl, and that’s why Tess died. Laurie tells him that he can’t have her, because she hasn’t paid off her debt, but Alamo doesn’t care. He simply wants the girl to work for him, a girl for a girl, you know? In this conversation, a man who works with Laurie uses racial slurs against Alamo, which is a heck no, but at the end of the conversation, Laurie calls Alamo a pig, and that’s the world’s greatest insult to him. Rue’s first job is to clean up everything that’s left of Tess, i.e. her hair from the pigsty. I really don’t know why that was necessary. There’s a scene later in the episode when Rue is at a rehab center (not for herself) and someone seems to be keeping an eye on her. This must be someone from Laurie’s gang, no? Anyway, it turns out it was Laurie’s fault that there was fentanyl in the drugs, because Wayne didn’t tell her to clean up the scale before using it. So, by the end of the episode, Alamo basically starts a war with Laurie by sending a pig straight into her house. Yes, the scene is graphic too. 

What Does Rue Do For Angel? 

Now, we get a little insight into Rue’s past in this episode. She’s not spoken to her mum and Gia for 2 years. She spiraled after trying to reach out to them after relapsing, and then never got sober again. We know Laurie found her after that and she had to work for her, and now she works for Alamo, who sends her straight to a strip club where she sells drugs to clients. She’s intrigued by one of the dancers named Angel, and they sleep together but in a voice over, Rue says she can’t deny the fact that she misses Jules. But this is after Angel’s offered to let a much older client do drugs off of a very sensitive part of her body, which transitions to Rue cleaning out the disgusting toilets, and I’m still wondering why I had to witness that. Anyway, Angel starts to get touchy when her best friend, Tish, doesn’t answer her calls. We all know it’s because she OD’d, but Alamo tells her it’s because she ran away with a dude. Finally, Rue tells her the truth, which sends Angel into a spiral of doing drugs and being placid during club hours. This is when Alamo tells Rue to take her to rehab, and Rue negotiates a promotion for herself after telling him that Angel is feisty. It takes some time, but Rue convinces Angel that life is worth living, even without her bestie. But while Rue leaves the place, she calls Alamo and says she’s worried about Angel. Really, it feels like she might be projecting, and there’s a chance she might actually try to get sober after this, no? 

What’s Happening With Nate? 

At the Cassie and Nate dream house, things are at their lowest point. We get a visit from Cal (RIP), who has had his most humiliating years and nearly went to prison for being a “broke sexual deviant.” Nate’s taken over the real estate business, but he’s also broke and owes his guy Naz 550,000 dollars. To make the 100K he’s meant to pay him by the next weekend, Nate hosts a party and gets his investor pals to send him the money. He’s a grade-A manipulator, so it does make sense that he and Cassie are still together. But later, Cassie decides to show one of her “wife” friends what she’s doing on Onlyfans, and this leads to the woman telling her husband, who tells Nate. He asks Cassie for her phone, but she says she won’t give it until Nate promises to buy her the flowers for the wedding. That’s when she deletes the app in front of the other pair and they leave. But it won’t be long till they start to realize Nate’s broke. I still can’t understand how he’s not choking her against the side of a caravan, or murdering her for being the way she is. How did he change like this? Shouldn’t he have gotten worse? Also, the convo with Cal, was he projecting his own gayness onto the man? Possibly. Anyway, the night ends with the infamous “my Maddy?” conversation, with Cassie telling Nate that she’s invited her to the wedding. 

What Happens With Jules? 

In the ending of episode 2, Rue finally makes a visit to Jules, who now lives in a lavish city-view apartment thanks to her career as a sugar baby. No, going to art school didn’t help her at all. Rue makes some comments on Jules’ vocation, but really she just wants to get in her pants again. She also claims that she’s “California sober,” only smoking weed and drinking occasionally. It appears this person paying Jules is a married man, and Jules believes humans are not meant to be monogamous. But despite telling Rue that she can’t just waltz in after so many years of no-contact and expect things to go back to normal, Jules asks her to join her in the bath. So what was the point of this whole conversation? Right, it’s all fun and games, and we needed to see how stunning Jules is now I guess. She does look like a glamorous superstar. So while they’re not back together, at least Rue gets exactly what she wants again. Seems like things are looking up for her, yet again. 

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