Euphoria season 2 is on the way, so don’t you worry. HBO has already renewed the hit teen drama for a second season. It’s definitely happening, but the timing is still up in the air due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first season premiered in 2019.
Despite the delay, Euphoria was able to treat fans with two special episodes. The first, featuring Zendaya and Colman Domingo, debuted Dec. 4. The second, starring Hunter Schafer, aired Jan. 24. HollywoodLife is breaking down both special episodes, what’s next, and the key updates about season 2.
The Second Special Episode
The second special episode — “F**k Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob” — aired Jan. 24 on HBO and started with Jules (Hunter Schafer) in therapy after running away. She admits that she was “drunk” and “reacting to sh*t” when she ran away. Out of the blue, Jules reveals that she thinks she may want to go off her hormones and confesses she feels “like a fraud.”
She opens up about Rue and says, “No one had ever looked at me the way Rue did.” She’s tried calling Rue but has gotten no answer. Jules breaks down in tears over what happened with Rue, but she’s also angry with Rue. Jules feels like Rue’s sobriety is totally dependent on how available she is to Rue. Jules fears that Rue will one day overdose and it will be her fault. She tells the therapist about her mother, who has struggled with drug addiction. She hasn’t wanted to tell Rue about her feelings towards her mother. Jules thinks Rue will believe she thinks that of her.
Jules also discusses the “Tyler” situation (a.k.a. Nate, played by Jacob Elordi). She knows she should have seen the signs. But Jules is self-aware enough to know that it’s the letdown she’s attracted to, the fantasy of it all. “I feel like I got to know him better than I knew Rue,” Jules tells her therapist. Jules says sexting with “Tyler” was “genuinely the best sex I’ve ever had.” During the episode, Jules fantasizes about having sex with “Tyler.” She admits, “I’m still in love with Tyler and I don’t know when that’s going to change.” Jules never mentions Nate by name, even though he is technically Tyler. There’s one point in the fantasy when Nate does come into the picture when Jules is having sex with “Tyler,” and he demands Jules not to look at him.
A reveal at the end of the episode gives new weight to Jules’ decision to run away. On the night of the Halloween party, Jules overhears her dad finding out that her mom’s been hospitalized after an overdose. Instead of sticking around, Jules just goes to the party.
The final moments of the episode hint at what’s to come in the second season: more Rue and Jules angst. Rue shows up at Jules’ place as she heads to go meet Ali. “I really missed you,” Jules tells Rue. A timid Rue admits that she’s missed Jules. Jules apologizes to Rue for leaving. Rue gets visibly emotional and blames it on the holidays. Before she can the wave of emotion crash down, Rue tells Jules “Merry Christmas” and runs out the door. Jules is left devastated and crying as the rain pours outside. Turns out, the second special takes place before the events of the first special. After going to see Jules, Rue gets high in the bathroom before sitting down to talk with Ali.
The First Special Episode
The first special episode — titled “Trouble Don’t Last Always” — dropped early on Dec. 4. The Christmas episode began with a dream where Rue and Jules were living happily together and had no problems to worry about. However, Rue found herself back in reality very quickly. She met up with Ali at a diner to discuss her relapse. Rue and Ali didn’t hold back with each other during their emotional conversation.
At one point, Ali even asked Rue if she wanted to get clean, and Rue said she didn’t. Ali stressed to Rue, “The longer you use drugs, the more you’re going to lose.” Ali opened up about his family and what he’s lost due to his addiction struggles. Rue confessed to Ali in the most devastating moment of their entire conversation, “I just don’t really plan on being here that long.” At the end of the episode, Ali drove Rue home.
Euphoria’s creator and writer, Sam Levinson, noted that Rue’s episode showed Rue’s “unreliability as a narrator” because she’s “not always accurate in her retelling of things.” The second episode will explore the “other side to the story,” which is Jules’ perspective. The second episode’s premiere date is Jan. 24.
Premiere Date
Euphoria season 2 is set to premiere January 9 on HBO. It’s been nearly 3 years since the first season aired. The wait has been long, but it will be worth it.
Back in March 2020, Euphoria’s official social media accounts shared a photo from the first official season 2 table read. Filming was expected to begin, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed most TV productions. Following the 2020 Emmys, HBO president Casey Bloys told our sister site Deadline that Euphoria will likely begin filming season 2 in “early 2021.”
The Cast
Zendaya, who won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, will return as Rue in season 2. Members of the ensemble cast expected to return include Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Hunter Schafer, Algee Smith, and Sydney Sweeney.
When Euphoria’s social media account revealed a look at the season 2 table read, Zendaya and Angus were pictured together. In addition to Rue, fan-favorite Fezco will for sure be back in the second season.
New Additions
Season 2 is expected to add some new faces to the mix. One actor that we know for sure is joining season 2 is Kelvin Harrison Jr., who notably starred in the critically-acclaimed film Waves. He revealed that he actually wanted to join the cast back in season 1.
“It was something that we had talked about for a while because I wanted to be on season 1 and things didn’t really go that way,” he told our sister site Variety. “Suddenly, all the stars aligned and I got to be there. We did our first couple table reads and they were amazing.”
The End Of Season 1
Season 1 ended on a heartbreaking note with Rue relapsing after Jules left on the train. Rue decided to back out of running away with Jules, who begged Rue to come with her. Meanwhile, Kat and Ethan finally admitted their feelings for each other and got together at the winter formal.
Cassie got an abortion after getting pregnant with McKay’s baby. Meanwhile, Maddy decided to steal a DVD from Nate’s room, and that DVD could potentially expose Nate’s dad. Remember, Nate’s dad has a personal porn collection that Nate discovered as a child. What’s on the DVD was never shown, but Maddy watched it and looked shocked at what she witnessed. At the school dance, Maddy and Nate broke up.
Future Seasons
Don’t expect to see the Euphoria stars playing high school students for 5 seasons. “Well, [the characters] are in high school, so there are only so many seasons it can go,” Bloys told our sister site TVLine. “There’s a time limit.” He added: “There is no set plan. But I don’t think you want 30-year-olds playing [high school students].”