Major spoilers ahead for the series finale of Euphoria.
Shortly after its premiere, Sam Levinson's Euphoria joined the list of HBO shows that got the world talking. Fans have been watching its long-awaited third season on the network (and streaming with a HBO Max subscription), and it's been a doozy. The series finale saw Zendaya's protagonist Rue surprisingly die, and fans can't seem to agree on whether or not this was the right choice for the Emmy-winning series.
Euphoria Season 3 in many ways felt like a new show, with new music, visuals, and a much more adult story. Rue's death was a twist that I was dreading, and the fact that Alamo caused her relapsed and poisoned her with fentanyl was especially heartbreaking. And the discourse from the fans has been very real since the episode aired.
Some Fans Agree With Sam Levinson About The Finale.
Sam Levinson's work on Euphoria was inspired by his own history with drug abuse. And in the inside-the-episode segement he shared that Rue's death was unfortunately very realistic and "honest" given how pervasive fentanyl has become in the drug world. There are some fans who I appreciated the unapologetic way that he killed of Zendaya's character, and they're sounding off online. One such tweet reads:
As a drug addict you actually do get some pretty good survival/lying/reading people skills, but the Achilles heel is always the drugs. I know that if I was to pop an oxy, it’s over. It’s actually a very honest ending, coming from someone who also had an addiction
Another defense of Rue's death is that it's exactly how the original Israeli series ended. Indeed, Sam Levinson's show is a new adaptation of a pre-existing show. As a twitter account pointed out:
Rue Bennett had the same ending as her character in the original Euphoria series. Yes, Euphoria is a remake.
Additionally, some fans are pointed out that Rue's ending mirrors the real-life death of actor Angus Cloud. Season 3 has been honoring Cloud in many ways, and the finale featured a beautiful shot of him and Zendaya. As another fan posted:
just realized rue died in the show the same way angus did in real life. gonna cry an extra hour now.
The official Instagram account of Euphoria posted a goodbye message to Rue, and there are plenty of folks sounding off in the comments, sharing how emotionally effective they thought the ending was. Some responses include:
- Thank you euphoria😭😭😭
- I knew the promised land was her getting to be with her dad again😭❤️🩹 I’m sobbing
- This entire Series has been quite a ride. Reflective of society. Incredible, beautiful chaos.
- knew Rue would OD once Alamo gave her them pills but Ali getting his revenge for her was EPIC!!! Also Bishop riding for Maddie woooo
Clearly there are some folks who thought that the Euphoria series finale was effective, including Rue's death. On the other side of the coin, there are some fans who are seriously unhappy.
A Lot Of Them Seem Really Unhappy
Twitter exploded after the Euphoria finale aired, with a lot of the discourse being about Levinson's decision to kill off Rue. There are a ton of angry tweets and comments online, some of which read:
- after today i never wanna see sam levinson touch a story about addiction ever again matter of fact never let him write or direct ever again - @manonfilms
- euphoria now joins the boys, stranger things and game of thrones as one of the worst final seasons ever in a show - @meltborne
- so zendaya doesn’t promote season 3 at all, she’s no longer a producer, shows up to the premiere so late and only does solo photos, and you want me to think she was happy with rue’s ending? - @mr_tashiduncan
- sam levinson is actually useless because how did we miss out on a funeral scene where all the characters could’ve been together but somehow had time for 10 scenes about kitty’s botched bbl - @rubentothewild
- I know three people THREE who’ve died of fentanyl overdose. I think the Euphoria season 3 plot was cheap, gratuitous, sloppy, lazy and offensive and I think Sam Levinson needs to be in director’s jail for his crimes against his characters. Wow! Samuel please enter the pits! - @NINETIESWITCH
Well, they certainly aren't holding back their opinions. Euphoria fans clearly have a ton of love for Rue, and there are lots of folks who were disappointed with her ending. Zendaya's character overdosed fairly early into the episode itself, and it was a bleak final chapter of the acclaimed series. Some people wanted a happy ending, or at least more screen time for the starring cast. Instead it was Colman Domingo's Ali who ended up being the focus of the latter half of the Season 3 finale.
It should be interesting to see how the discourse continues for Euphoria's final episode, and if opinions change as time passes. After all, it's almost impossible to please everyone when wrapping up a beloved show.
Euphoria is streaming in its entirety on HBO Max as part of the 2026 TV schedule. We'll just have to wait and see if Zendaya ends up weighing in on her character's final chapter.
