Key Takeaways
- Rue dies from an accidental fentanyl-laced overdose in the “Euphoria” Season 3 finale.
- The episode includes a tribute to Angus Cloud, showing Fez alive in a dreamlike sequence using previously shot footage.
- Sam Levinson said ending the series with Rue’s death felt like “the honest ending,” citing addiction and grief as central themes.
To the relief of some and the dismay of many others, “Euphoria” has officially come to an end. On Sunday (May 31) night, HBO’s psychological drama wrapped up its third and final season with Zendaya’s Rue dying from an accidental overdose, Colman Domingo’s Ali going on a revenge spree, and plenty more.
"It just felt like the honest ending," series creator Sam Levinson said in a behind-the-scenes breakdown after the finale. He went on to speak about how people battling addiction sometimes relapse, make mistakes, or, in the worst cases, die, especially with the influx of fentanyl.
Ahead, REVOLT broke down the main characters who died in the Season 3 finale, how “Euphoria” paid tribute to Angus Cloud, and why the show won’t be returning, at least according to its showrunner.
Which characters died in the “Euphoria” Season 3 finale?
The finale’s most shocking death was obviously Rue. I mean, how do you kill off a character played by Zendaya? She suffered an accidental overdose after her painkillers were laced with fentanyl. Laurie (Martha Kelly), on the other hand, got one of the more satisfying endings after hanging herself from the roof of her home while DEA agents closed in during a drug bust. “I can’t go to prison,” she said moments before her death.
Then, around the 75-minute mark, viewers watched Marshawn Lynch’s G take a shotgun slug to the crotch as Ali viciously hunted down the people responsible for Rue’s death. From there, he gets into a standoff with Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), who takes an extra shot to the chest from Domingo’s character “just in case.”
It’s a pretty satisfying ending for Ali, who later has dinner with the rural Christian family we met at the beginning of Season 3. "Father, I pray today for those whose eyes have grown weak with sorry, whose soul and body are weighed down by grief, and whose strength is failing,” he says. “Lord, pour out your mercy upon them. Let your face shine upon them, and save them, in your unfailing love. Thank you, Rue. Let her memory be a blessing.”
As tears begin running down Ali's face, Rue's ghost symbolically appears in the otherwise empty chair. She smiles and says, "Amen," before the end credits roll.
How the “Euphoria” Season 3 finale paid tribute to late actor Angus Cloud
While Cloud, who played Fez on the show, died of an accidental overdose on July 31, 2023, his character thankfully lives on in Season 3. During Rue’s overdose sequence, she sees a news report claiming he escaped prison, then goes searching for him. That eventually leads to a never-before-seen clip of the two together in a field.
“Angus didn’t make it in real life, so at least in the made-up world of 'Euphoria,' he’s still alive,” Levinson explained. In the writer and director’s conversation with Esquire, he shared that the scene was actually from test footage shot on Kodak film nearly seven years ago.
Why it felt right to end “Euphoria” with Season 3, according to Sam Levinson
Following “Euphoria” airing on HBO, The New York Times’ “Popcast” released its conversation with Levinson, who said the finale “feels like the end” of the story they originally set out to tell. “I’m just immensely proud of the work we did, the story we told. It’s a tragic one in the end, but it’s also the truth,” he detailed. “If you are experimenting with or taking drugs today, it’s very possible it’ll kill you. I think it was a way of honoring Angus and saying a prayer for the future.”
When asked whether the series ends with Rue, Levinson responded, “Yeah, I mean, what else is there to say?” Watch the full interview below.