Euphoria episode 5 ends on a wild cliffhanger that could change everything

Episode five pushes Euphoria into even darker territory, forcing its characters to confront consequences that are becoming harder to escape.

After episode four of Euphoria made it clear that reality was finally catching up with everyone, I expected episode five to keep building on that tension. What I did not expect, however, was an episode that would leave me alternating between second-hand embarrassment, genuine stress, and the very real possibility that Rue Bennett might actually be dead. But before we get to Rue, I need to address that opening — I’d very much like to erase it from my memory.

The episode begins with Cassie Howard licking her toes on camera, which is apparently what explosive digital success looks like in the world of Euphoria. She has already gained 17,000 subscribers, and the show wastes absolutely no time showing us what that momentum demands.

What follows is a montage of increasingly absurd content creation, with Maddy Perez essentially managing Cassie through a full-scale online rebrand. There is breast ASMR, personalised humiliation content, used underwear being mailed to subscribers, and even the possibility of fulfilling a $700 fart-in-a-jar request.

What makes this even stranger is that through all of this, she is wiring money to her husband, Nate Jacobs. Still recovering from the violent consequences of his debt, he appears fully supportive of Cassie’s new venture. However, his support feels less like emotional solidarity and more like the practical appreciation of someone who recognises that her subscriber income is his best shot at survival.

Read also:   Fairytale’s over, and reality finally starts collecting its debt in “Euphoria” season 3 episode 4

Rue is officially in too deep

 

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Meanwhile, Rue’s storyline continues to move into increasingly dangerous territory. But episode five is the first time I genuinely felt afraid for her. Since becoming an informant, there has been a growing sense that she is balancing on borrowed time. However, the tension escalates dramatically when Alamo pulls her aside and tells her that he believes she is cursed. His claim is that misfortune has followed her ever since she arrived.

Although his words are unsettling enough, what follows is far worse. Later in the episode, we see G and Bishop take her phone and take her to “another place.” It becomes immediately obvious that whatever happens next will not be good.

The ranch sequence is one of the most disturbing moments this season has delivered. Watching Rue dig a hole while everyone around her remains eerily calm creates a dread that feels impossible to shake off. The absence of chaos somehow makes it worse because no one is panicking or shouting. By the time they bury her up to her neck, the danger feels horrifyingly real.

Then the episode delivers its final blow. Alamo charges toward her on horseback, swinging a mallet as Rue screams for her life, and the screen cuts to black. That ending genuinely stopped me in my tracks.

Realistically, it feels unlikely that Euphoria would kill off its central character with three episodes left. Still, this show has repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to push itself into increasingly extreme territory. It’s even more thrilling because Rue doesn’t appear in the teaser for episode six.

Read also: “Euphoria” gave us chaos, glitter, and unforgettable style — here’s a look back at its most iconic outfits

Maddy continues to prove she understands power

 

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The close fallout between Maddy and Cassie further reinforces why their dynamic remains one of the strongest parts of this season. After everything Maddy has done to help Cassie build her subscriber empire, watching Cassie attempt to abandon her for Brandon is such textbook opportunist behaviour. Yet what makes the scene so satisfying is the way Maddy responds.

Rather than exploding, she calmly manipulates the situation with a fake phone call, cancelling Cassie’s audition, forcing her to immediately backtrack. What follows perfectly captures why Maddy remains one of the most compelling people on this show. Almost instantly, she secures Cassie a legitimate television opportunity. Once again, we’re reminded that she understands power and leverage far better than most people around her.

That moment also reinforces why I continue to enjoy watching Maddy on Euphoria. Even when she is operating within the same fame-driven ecosystem as everyone else, she feels intentional in a way others do not.

We get a glimpse into Jules’ reality

Jules’ storyline finally exposes the harsh reality behind her arrangement with her so-called landlord. The scene where her sugar daddy finds Rue’s monogrammed shirt and coldly confronts her is devastating because it strips away any illusion that this relationship was built on anything resembling genuine care.

His response is transactional, conditional, and ultimately dismissive, making it painfully clear that his terms always limit whatever freedom Jules thought she had. 

By the end of episode five, what becomes increasingly clear is that every illusion this season has carefully built is rapidly collapsing.

Cassie’s reinvention is becoming more desperate. Nate’s control over his own life is slipping. Jules is being forced to confront uncomfortable truths. Maddy is proving herself to be more calculating than ever, especially with her new partnership with Alamo.

And Rue might have paid the utmost consequence for her choices. After that ending, I’m heading into episode six with one very pressing question: Did Euphoria really just kill Rue?

Read more: I watched “Euphoria” season 3 with zero context — turns out everyone is unhinged, and episode two explains exactly why

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