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These "Euphoria" characters never got the storylines they truly deserved. Join us as we count down the most underserved characters from the hit HBO drama! Warning: major spoilers ahead for all three seasons. Which character's wasted potential frustrated you the most? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:00You didn't live up to my expectations because I did expect you to at least be honest.
00:04I am being honest.
00:05Alright, I don't even think you believe that, but you know, that's besides the point because I think we need
00:09to break up.
00:10Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at Euphoria characters who deserved so much better.
00:16There will be spoilers for all three seasons.
00:19Nate, we're coming for you!
00:21Just hold on, baby, I'm right here! I'm right here, just... I love you so much, baby!
00:30Number 10, Jules Vaughn.
00:32He's a jock. His mom is super conservative. It's like a tough situation. It doesn't work.
00:38Honestly, Jules, I don't really care about the situation because it just doesn't seem safe.
00:42I've been in situations that are way less safe.
00:45Jules proved to be an instant fan favorite, turning Hunter Schaefer into an overnight star.
00:50While Jules marked a milestone in the portrayal of transgender characters on television, her story became less engaging with each
00:57season.
00:57In season 2, Jules' arc was too closely tied to Rue's, making her feel more like an accessory than an
01:03individual.
01:04I love you.
01:05No, you don't! Stop saying that! You don't love me!
01:09Even as she started to branch out from Rue in season 3, there was little development on Jules' part.
01:14When Jules and Rue did share a scene, the chemistry that once made them a standout couple had fizzled.
01:19I mean, I don't miss high school. Or the suburbs. Or...
01:25Us.
01:29Were we ever good together?
01:32Back then?
01:36Not really.
01:37For many, Jules lost them after she slapped Rue for calling her out.
01:41Just as Jules gets lost in her art, her writing has lacked any clear direction.
01:47I was just going to be here in 45 minutes, so I suggest you get the f*** out of my
01:51painting.
01:54Euphoria mainly centers on the poor decisions that teenagers and 20-somethings make.
01:58Fesco's so-called little brother, Ashtray, is a few years younger than our central characters, however.
02:04I thought your ass was dead.
02:06I saw you had Asperger's, so I realized you're just a prick.
02:08This is a fickle industry. Y'all come and go.
02:11I'm just trying to stack my cash, pay off our mortgage.
02:14So what the f*** you want?
02:15Through Ashtray, there was an opportunity to explore how growing up in an environment surrounded by illegal substances and violence
02:23can seal someone's fate from an early age.
02:26Ashtray never quite evolves beyond being the silent yet deadly type, though.
02:30Give me the gun, bro.
02:37Asp.
02:38Not finna let nothing happen to you now. Give me the gun.
02:41Come on, bro.
02:42His story reaches its end in the season 2 finale, as Ashtray kills Custer and then faces off against a
02:48SWAT team,
02:49knowing that he isn't getting out alive.
02:51We understand that shock value is part of the package with Euphoria,
02:55but it feels as if Ashtray existed just so that he could die tragically and prematurely.
03:00Please! Ash! Come on! Please!
03:05Don't shoot him, it's a f***ing kid!
03:09Don't shoot! Don't shoot! Ash!
03:13Number 8. Gia Bennett
03:15Drew?
03:20Drew?
03:23If there's one Euphoria cast member we wish got more material to work with,
03:27it's Storm Reed. Since first appearing as Rue's sister Gia in Season 1,
03:32Reed's career has skyrocketed,
03:34even winning an Emmy for her guest performance on The Last of Us.
03:37Could be running things.
03:39I turn 17 next month.
03:41That's when you get your assignment.
03:43You know what Quan gave me?
03:48Sewage detail.
03:49Although Reed has appeared in more episodes of Euphoria,
03:53Gia comes off as less developed.
03:55It's clear that Gia loves her sister and wants to see Rue overcome her substance use disorder.
04:00I love you.
04:02So please, just promise me,
04:05it's just gonna be weed and nothing more.
04:16There's not much that defines Gia beyond her sister, however.
04:20There was potential to flesh out a complicated sibling dynamic,
04:23much like polar opposites Cassie and Lexi.
04:26By Season 3, though, Gia didn't seem to fit anymore,
04:29getting shipped off to ASU.
04:31Reed's schedule was pretty full anyway.
04:33I'm sorry, Mom, I can't.
04:35I can't do that.
04:36Get back in the car!
04:37Get back in the car!
04:43Get back in the car!
04:44Get back in the car!
04:47Get back in the car!
04:47Get back in the car!
04:48Get back in the car!
04:48Get back in the car!
04:48Cat is supposed to promote body positivity.
04:52To an extent, she did.
04:54But even actress Barbie Ferreira didn't seem thrilled with the direction that the character
04:58was going in.
04:59I thought you weren't from around here.
05:01I'm not.
05:04Get off work at 7.
05:06You wanna hang out?
05:14After a promising introduction in Season 1, Cat started fading into the background during
05:19Season 2.
05:20When Cat was given the spotlight, to say that some of her choices were erratic would be an
05:25understatement.
05:26Shit!
05:26Cat!
05:27You need to smash all beauty standards!
05:29But I can't even get out of bed!
05:31You have to love yourself.
05:33You need to find your inner f***ing warrior!
05:35Become a bad bitch!
05:36Just like you did last year.
05:38But that wasn't even real!
05:39It looked real.
05:40That was the point!
05:41Although there were rumors of a clash between the actress and creator Sam Levinson, Ferreira
05:47claims they came to a mutual decision that Cat shouldn't return for Season 3.
05:51Ferreira didn't think, quote, there was a place for Cat to go.
05:54Adding that she felt limited playing, quote, the fat best friend.
05:58Lying about a terminal brain disorder?
06:04That's sick.
06:06And to be honest, the fact that you think I would even lie about something that awful means
06:10there's a big problem in this relationship, which is, like, literally what I was trying
06:13to say in the beginning.
06:13Still, you'd think they'd explained why Cat wasn't at Cassie's wedding.
06:20Speaking of Cat, let's talk about her ex-boyfriend, Ethan.
06:24Well-adjusted romantic partners aren't easy to come by in Euphoria.
06:28Ethan genuinely liked Cat and treated her with respect.
06:31Am I giving off shooter vibes?
06:33Meh.
06:34Really?
06:35Meh.
06:36Shit.
06:37Look, I don't know, what's your Reddit username?
06:41Um, it's Incel Uprising.
06:46I'm joking.
06:47Although they made for a cute couple at first, their relationship was full of mixed signals,
06:52courtesy of Cat.
06:53Deciding to end things with Ethan once and for all, Cat tells him that she has a terminal
06:57brain condition.
06:59By now, Ethan knows when Cat's lying, but she doesn't seem to care.
07:03What's more, Cat attempts to paint Ethan as the villain of this relationship.
07:06I feel like you started to break up with me and then you pivoted to telling me that you
07:10got like a terminal brain illness and now I feel like you're using my skepticism as like
07:15a reason to break up with me.
07:18That's your experience?
07:19Even when having his heart crushed, Ethan calmly accepts the breakup.
07:23He even makes good on his promise to Cat, ensuring he got hurt instead of her.
07:28Alright, well you're right, you didn't live up to my expectations, because I did expect
07:31you to at least be honest.
07:33I am being honest.
07:34Alright, I don't even think you believe that, but you know, that's besides the point,
07:37because I think we need to break up.
07:39Wow.
07:40Wow, wow, I didn't see that one coming.
07:43Number 5.
07:44Nate Jacobs
07:45It feels weird saying that Nate Jacobs deserved better, as his actions throughout the first
07:49two seasons were mostly reprehensible.
07:51Can you imagine if I was sitting here with a gun, forcing you to accept my apology?
07:59You're scaring me.
08:01Yeah, that's kind of the point.
08:05While we wouldn't say Nate is redeemed in Season 3, we do see a more human side of him
08:10as he tries to give Cassie the life she's always dreamed about.
08:13Of course, that life comes at a price, which Nate doesn't have the money for.
08:17So he pays with various body parts, and eventually his life, as a snake gets to him before Cassie
08:24can.
08:32You could argue that Nate had it coming, considering what he's done in the past.
08:37At the same time, killing Nate off just as he was starting to receive more layers feels
08:41like a missed opportunity.
08:43You wanna ruin my life?
08:45You wanna ruin my f***ing life?
08:47Number 4.
08:49Chris McKay
08:49With the rise of the Me Too movement, there have been numerous stories about the abuse
08:54women have quietly endured.
08:55Yet there are still only so many portrayals of men who have faced abuse.
09:15Audiences were caught off guard in Season 1 of Euphoria, when Cassie's then-boyfriend, Chris McKay,
09:20was attacked by his frat brothers in the middle of the night.
09:23While they view this as hazing, it looks more like sexual assault from everyone else's point
09:28of view.
09:28Because the measure of a man isn't how he reacts.
09:32How am I supposed to react?
09:34By taking everything you feel.
09:36All your frustrations, your anger, your rage.
09:39You bottle it up, you take your position, and when that snap comes, you let it explode.
09:46As his father always instructed, McKay keeps his emotions inside.
09:50Although he takes them out on Cassie, it would have been interesting if Euphoria delved deeper
09:55into McKay's repressed trauma.
09:57After things fall apart between him and Cassie, though, the show basically forgets that he
10:01ever existed.
10:02You don't have a thing about having this kid, are you?
10:09I really love you, McKay.
10:12Yeah, I love you too, but I'm doing a lot of s*** right now.
10:15Number 3.
10:16Maddie Perez
10:17Few Euphoria characters are more confident than Maddie, entering every room like the Queen
10:22Bee she is.
10:23That doesn't mean Maddie hasn't been subjected to abuse and betrayal.
10:28I'm sorry.
10:31I was joking.
10:32Don't hurt me.
10:33I'm sorry.
10:33I'm sorry.
10:35I'm sorry.
10:35There's no bullets in the gun.
10:42Goodbye.
10:43The two people that Maddie cares the most about are the ones who've repeatedly done her dirty.
10:48First, there's Nate, who mistreated Maddie physically and emotionally throughout their
10:52toxic relationship.
10:54His heinous actions included cheating on Maddie with her best friend Cassie.
10:58What are you talking about?
11:00Oh, I just, I saw her get in his truck and then kiss him and drive off.
11:04That was like what, like a month ago?
11:09Are you kidding me?
11:10Despite everything, Maddie forgives Cassie.
11:13She even helps Cassie rescue Nate when he's buried alive, although they're too late.
11:17While Nate is out of her life forever, Maddie is left on the hook with Alamo, trading one
11:22violent male for another.
11:24She puts up a tough front, but Maddie is trapped in a vicious cycle.
11:28You think cause I got a soft spot for you, I do all this for free?
11:35You know what?
11:38About time your ass wise go.
11:41Number 2.
11:42Fezco O'Neil.
11:44What, you're uh, you're leaving?
11:48Yeah, I'm about to leave right now.
11:57Is everything good?
11:59In July 2023, actor Angus Cloud tragically lost his life.
12:03Whatever awaited Fez following the shootout at the end of season 2, it was clear that Cloud
12:08wouldn't appear in season 3.
12:10The third season reveals that Fez is in prison, although he still keeps in touch with Rue and
12:14is plotting an escape.
12:16How about this, if you do get out using f***ing parkour or whatever the f***, I'll
12:19come pick you up myself.
12:24Bless, bless with love, love you bro.
12:26Be safe, alright?
12:28Given the circumstances, the show dealt with Fez's absence the best it could.
12:32Even so, both Fez and the actor who portrayed him deserve better than the cruel hand that fate dealt.
12:38In a show overflowing with dark subject matter, Fez's blooming relationship with
12:42Lexi was a surprisingly sweet bright spot.
12:45How do you justify dealing drugs then?
12:49Well, I mean, my uncle Carl got diabetes from eating too much McDonald's.
12:54You don't see nobody going after their ass.
12:57Yeah, but if I were God, I don't know if I'd let McDonald's CEO into heaven.
13:01Maybe their romance was always destined to end on a downer note, but we'll sadly never
13:05know what might have been.
13:06What brings you out here anyway?
13:11Oh, I just came to get a drink.
13:17Okay, well, we got plenty of those.
13:22Do you need help finding anything?
13:24Number 1.
13:26Rue Bennett
13:26In a show full of dysfunctional characters, Rue was the most self-destructive.
13:32Beyond her substance use disorder, Rue had a way of getting caught in the middle of the
13:36most dangerous and unhinged people.
13:48It was always unlikely that things would end well for Rue.
13:52After surviving so many close calls, though, we got our hopes up that Rue might get a happy
13:57ending, especially since she made it through most of Season 3, quote, California sober.
14:15Unfortunately, Rue relapses with a bottle of Percocet.
14:22Ali finds her on his couch the next morning, too late to save her.
14:26Rue?
14:36Rue.
14:37Rue deserved more than to be another name added to Ali's notebook.
14:41Let her memory be a blessing.
14:52Amen.
14:53Which Euphoria character do you think deserved better?
14:56Let us know in the comments.
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