‘Euphoria’ Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: Where Do We Go From Here?

Before we get started, take a deep breath. From the very start of Euphoria Episode 5, our palms have been sweaty. Grab a glass of water. And now, let’s get into the major fall-out.

Now, the question becomes: Where do we go from here?

We may not have been gifted with one of Euphoria‘s classic cold opens, but we do get one of the best opening scenes in Euphoria history. Rue’s (Zendaya) blow-up at her mother (Nika King) and Gia (Storm Reid) catapults us into an episode that ultimately spirals the second season into a dark, haunted cavern. Even better: amidst Rue’s screaming, stomping, and loss of control, just when things couldn’t get any worse, there’s a plot twist. Jules (Hunter Schafer) has been lingering in the kitchen the entire time watching the whole thing play out, accompanied by a sorrowful Elliot (Dominic Fike). All five performers sync in what feels like the orchestra’s darkest symphony, harmonizing in a way that’s meant to brew fear and heartache in the belly of the listener.

And yet, even after watching the fight sequence, I yearned for a Gia opening. We’ve been stripped of Reid’s eloquent acting this season, it seems. Isn’t she meant to be at the same school as Rue?  Season 2 has masterfully honed in on the younger Howard sister, Lexi (Maude Apatow), but the younger Bennett sister deserves the same treatment. These episodes without cold opens have felt a bit timid, and there was a simple fix for Episode 5. Adding salt to the wound, the episode later flashes back to Rue’s first days as a big sister. The themes are there, people! Where in the world is Gia’s episode?!

But there aren’t many more qualms to be had with Episode 5, which proves that Euphoria can bounce back after a bad episode. Our fifth chapter feels less like an episode of a teen drama and more like a short film, save Rue’s intervention halfway through. “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird” is reminiscent of the standalone episodes of Euphoria that came mid-pandemic, but add in the eye-catching action that the main episodes use to allure viewers. Maybe, for what feels like the first time, the show has successfully balanced style and substance.

Most of Episode 5 is spent on Rue’s mad dash away from her mother, the cops, Fez (Angus Cloud) — hell, anyone who wants her to seek help. Zendaya’s performance, and you won’t hear it here first, is outstanding. She has brought her all to every episode, but in Episode 5, she somehow gives her best Euphoria acting to date. Not only that: the rest of the Euphoria cast, although they arrive in short pieces, somehow find a way to mute themselves ever so slightly to let Zendaya shine. They are grabbing (see: Jules’ reaction to Rue’s explosion, Cassie and Maddy when the truth is revealed), but do not boom so much that their noise lingers long.

We knew it was coming. Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) big secret has been outed to Maddy (Alexa Demie). The moment comes during a brilliant scene in which Rue’s “friends” (inept high school gals) and a couple of mothers (her own and Ms. Howard) attempt to talk some sense into her. A few episodes ago, I saw a tweet suggesting the Oklahoma! bathroom scene was this generation’s Girl‘s beach house fight, an iconic comparison, but this scene may take the cake. While attempting to talk some sense into Rue, chaos ensues. Rue is the one who ultimately outs Cassie to everyone, even though Cassie still denies the whole prospect. WHAT! AN! EPISODE!

Even though Rue wants to accuse Cassie of bigger crimes, she digs herself into quite the hole in this episode. Let’s take stock of everything she does, shall we? Rue verbally and physically assaults her mother and little sister, breaks things off with Jules, steals from Ms. Howard, breaks and enters and steals from a random couple, destroys some outdoor furniture, irritates SO many dogs, causes a major car crash, and, at the end of the day, is nearly trafficked. Did I miss anything?

Perhaps the only performance better than Zendaya’s is given by Martha Kelly’s Laurie, who returns once more to steal the scene with crocs and wicked calmness. Let’s remember that at the start of Rue’s big drug plan, Laurie was clear that if she did not return with money, she would be kidnapped and sold to dangerous people. Rue’s heading into Laurie’s home without the full payment, without any drugs, asking for help. Even though Laurie seems relatively kind — she’s “never” been angry — she’s certainly creepy, and unafraid of taking drastic measures to ensure her own status. So when Rue wakes up, drugged and locked into Laurie’s home the next morning, it shouldn’t come as any surprise. Luckily, she escapes, and this is where we end.

A question posed at the beginning of this recap that I’d like to pose again: Now, what happens? Not just with Rue, but with Jules and Elliot, with Cassie and …everyone else, with Fez and Laurie, with the Bennett family?

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Some stray strands of tittle-tattle we’re expecting to hear more about in the episodes to come.

• Rue’s Escape: Since it appears that Rue’s escaped Laurie’s grasp, will the kingpin hunt her down for cash or her drugs back? Is Fez going to step in again?
• Rue and Jules: Rue has been cruel — CRUEL! — to poor Jules in these past few episodes. After telling her girlfriend she “can’t fucking stand” her, screaming in her face, and not to mention, clearly faking an orgasm, Jules should break things off.
• Cassie’s Been Outed: But how did Rue know they were hooking up? Seems obvious, but still, in the scene where Rue finds out, she only sees Cassie running to Nate’s car. Maybe he’s just the driver of the night.
• …And Maddy Didn’t Actually See it Coming: In chatting with Euphoria fans about the Maddy/Cassie crisis at hand, plenty have predicted that Maddy already suspected that Cassie and Nate were hooking up. Remember when Maddy FaceTimed both and neither answered? Well, that was all for nothing. She’s completely shocked in this episode, clearing the air on whether or not she had any idea.

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