Warning: Spoilers ahead. Do not proceed if you have not watched ‘Euphoria’ Season 3 Episode 8.
Euphoria fans are “devastated” over the death of Zendaya’s Rue in the Euphoria Season 3 finale.
Viewers on “X” shared their reactions after watching Lou accidentally overdose after drug lord Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) took a fentanyl-laced painkiller.
“I was completely devastated by this ending,” one fan wrote to X after the episode aired on Sunday night.
“No matter how beautifully it was done, it doesn’t change the fact that Lou died racing. She was sober and free to live a good life! Her death is such a terrible ending for a show that aims to give hope to addicts!” another viewer said.
Another person tweeted: “Watching the Bennett Street death scene made me cry.”
Another fan pointed out that Zendaya’s “silence in Season 3 makes this finale even more heartbreaking,” and speculated that Zendaya “didn’t want Ru to end this way at all.”
“She deserved better. I can’t stop crying. This is so unfair,” the same fan added about Lou.
Another disappointed viewer wrote, “I expected Lou to die all season, but I never expected it to be this sad, unspectacular, and quiet. And the fact that everyone would forever label her as a drug addict who died of a simple overdose devastated me even more.”
Creator Sam Levinson defended the decision to kill off Lou in an HBO interview after the final episode, noting that Lou’s fate was the most “honest ending” for the show.
Levinson also said he was motivated to kill Lou as a way to pay tribute to late cast member Angus Cloud, who accidentally overdosed in July 2023 at the age of 25.
Cloud’s character, Fezco, appeared in Lou’s dream after he overdosed. This sequence included unused footage of Zendaya and Cloud.
“People relapse. They get confused. They’re not ready to get clean,” Levinson explained. “There’s no reason to bring it to the surface. I wanted to tell this story for Angus and for those who weren’t given a second chance.”
Zendaya said goodbye to Ru and thanked fans for their support in a backstage segment after the episode.
“I’m so grateful to each and every one of you. Many of you have been here since the beginning and watched me grow,” the Emmy winner said.
“I was very happy and honored. Thank you so much,” she added.
‘Euphoria’ Season 3 sparked backlash even before the finale for killing off Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) and Cassie Howard’s (Sydney Sweeney) controversial OnlyFans storyline.
After the final episode, Levinson confirmed to the New York Times that the series would end after season three.
“I feel like this is the end for me in terms of the story about addiction and its effects that we were trying to tell,” he said.
However, Levinson did not rule out the possibility of a fourth season in an interview with Esquire, in which he said, “I’ve approached every season as if it were the last. If they say, ‘That’s it, Sam, pack your bags. We don’t need another season.'”
If you or a loved one is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call SAMHSA’s national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
