Enter the world of HBO’s Euphoria — a cross between a beautiful, glittery, pseudo-world, and real, raw, issues, delving into drug addiction, trauma, betrayal, and more. The show has proven to be a smash success, with positive reviews from both critics and fans across the globe. Viewers find themselves immersed in the visually gorgeous world, whilst faced with the harsh realities of the authenticity of the show that is described as a "lesson in empathy."
Despite all the good there is about Euphoria, it goes without saying that a show with this degree of complexity has its fair share of storylines — some good, some bad, and a lot — confusing. Today, we delve into some of the more confusing plotlines that we’ve seen in the one and a half seasons of the show so far, ranked by viewer intrigue and overall mind-screwiness.
This article contains spoilers for Euphoria, up until Season 2, Episode 5.
10) The Case of the Vanishing BB
Barbara (Sophia Rose Wilson), affectionately known as BB, is a recurring character on Euphoria — seen to be relatively close friends with Maddy (Alexa Demie), Kat (Barbie Ferreira), and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) for quite a few scenes of Season 1. Seen as the “comic relief” character, her one-liners leave audiences reeling with laughter in what is otherwise a show on the serious side.
The question remains… where is she? Admittedly, BB isn’t considered one of the main cast but is shown to be quite good friends with a number of the girls in the show. Yet, she isn’t seen in several pivotal moments in the show, such as Maddy’s recent birthday party in Episode 5. BB’s disappearance may not make sense, but the fact remains — when she’s on-screen, you know a good laugh is underway.
9) Fez’s Grandmother, Ashtray, & Questionable Parenting
We learn in the first episode of Season 2 how the duo of Fez (Angus Cloud) and Ashtray (Javon Walton) came about, with Ashtray finding himself essentially brought into the world of drugs before he was old enough to walk. All it takes is one look at Ashtray and Fez's unspoken bond as Rue raps Tupac in the back seat — they're completely on the same page and work great as a team.
The confusion lies with Fez’s grandmother successfully being able to raise two children in such a world — where was Social Services? Where was the school, questioning why a 10-year-old had face tattoos? The world is a dark, dark place if children like Ashtray and Fez fall through the cracks so easily — and Euphoria shows us just how possible this may be.
8) McKay & Cassie’s Relationship
McKay (Algee Smith) and Cassie's (Sydney Sweeney) tumultuous relationship takes place over the majority of Season 1, which ends up forming a major plotline for Cassie towards the end of the season. McKay himself faced his own set of challenges, having been assaulted, breaking up with Cassie, and realizing that his dream of playing Division One football in college may not be a reality.
After a brief appearance in the first episode of Season 2 (and a very uncomfortable encounter, which you can thank Nate Jacobs for), McKay has since vanished — having broken up with Cassie, he’s been nowhere to be found since. What happened after his assault? Is he still in college? Where has this storyline gone? We’re stumped, and we want answers.
7) Lexi & Fez: Will They Or Won’t They?
Fans of Euphoria were immediately excited over the prospect of Fez and Lexi (Maude Apatow) having a potential romance in Season 2, with the "opposites attract" trope in full force. Whilst we had some cute moments in the first episode, and a brief encounter in the second, interactions between the pair have dropped off the face of the earth.
Where has this storyline gone? Where are our star-crossed lovers, and why aren’t they speaking? Are they texting? Do they have any offscreen encounters whatsoever? Only time will tell, but for now — the lack of direction with this plotline is more than a little confusing.
6) The Elliot & Jules Conundrum
Enter Jules (Hunter Schafer) — a character who has vocalized her growth as an individual, her lack of interest in men, and her decision to finally move forward and be with Rue. Despite this, viewers are finding themselves dead confused at her recent affair with Elliot — not only is this contradicting her initial fears of Rue and Elliot, but it’s also… well, flat out cheating.
It makes it hard to understand the logic behind this storyline — sure, there may be underlying complexities that can’t be understood on a surface level, but the point remains — why is she doing this? And why does it seem as though this affair won't be ending anytime soon? Where is this going, Euphoria?
5) Lexi’s Backstory (Yes, We Know It Overlaps With Cassie’s, But Hear Us Out)
Season 1 brought us Cassie’s backstory, which in turn, told us all about her quieter, younger, less-than sister, Lexi. With Season 2 well over halfway, viewers were ready and waiting for an in-depth backstory of Lexi’s, but are yet to be blessed.
We’ve gotten snippets of Lexi’s backstory and her perspective on her and Cassie’s familial trauma, but where is the in-depth analysis? Where is her episode dedicated to her backstory? Sure, this could be coming as Season 2 progresses, but as of now, we’re just — you guessed it — confused.
4) Rue’s Heartbreaking Overdose
Season 1 culminated with a beautifully tragic ode to Rue’s father, trauma, and pain as she finds herself overdosing as Jules leaves her behind. This scene was done in a way that was filled with imagery, allegory, and insight into the inner workings of Rue — but we’d be lying if it didn’t leave us head-scratching.
A cliffhanger indeed, viewers were left wondering where Euphoria would be heading from here — the plotline of the show revolves around Rue, and the status of her life was left uncertain. With Season 2 well underway, Rue's storyline is heading into darker territories again, and viewers can do nothing but hold their breath in nervous anticipation.
3) Kat’s Entire Plotline (No, Really, The Whole Thing)
As we approach the end of our list, we start to delve into more and more confusion. Kat spent the majority of Season 1 on a quest for self-confidence, even finding herself in some sticky situations with online camming. As we start Season 2, her entire storyline, persona, and everything that made Kat, Kat, gone!
No more camming, no more confidence, and relationship dramas — of course, this is all standard fare for a teenager (well, at least some of it is), but it is done in such a drastic shift from the first season that viewers are damn well confused. Where is Kat’s storyline heading? Is she breaking up with Ethan? What happened with all of her camming? The people want to know!
2) Nate & Jules & Shyguy: The Disappearing Act
Another large part of Season 1 — Nate (Jacob Elordi) catfishing Jules, Jules falling for him, Nate using it as blackmail for the tape of Jules and his father — you get the gist. Another story, plotline, whatever you want to call it - completely wiped from the plane of existence that Season 2 takes place in.
A jarring shift from what was such a large part of Season 1, we wonder if this will ever be resurrected and if any sort of closure will be found for this particular plotline.
1) The Nate / Cassie / Maddy Love Triangle
This love triangle makes for one of the most baffling storylines on Euphoria — subject to debate, of course. With Cassie and Nate secretly undertaking a relationship behind Maddy’s back, and Rue revealing this to Maddy in the most recent episode, it’s safe to say that we have no idea what will happen from here.
The confusion lies all over this plotline — why would Cassi do this? What’s going to happen now that Maddy knows? How will the tape of Jules and Nate’s father come into play? We’re confused, we’re exhilarated, we’re even a little bit nervous — and only time will tell what happens from here.