'Euphoria': Did (spoiler!) just die in the Season 1 finale?
Spoiler alert! Contains details about Sunday's Season 1 finale of HBO's "Euphoria."
So, who had "giant musical number" on their "Euphoria" finale bingo cards?
HBO's controversial teen drama wrapped its first season Sunday in wholly surprising yet stunningly artful fashion, as recovering addict Rue (Zendaya) relapsed after three sober months.
In the episode's final minutes, Rue returns home from her high-school prom, where she and best friend Jules (Hunter Schafer) finally professed their love for each other. They decide to run away together and make it as far as the train station before Rue backs out, not wanting to hurt her mom and younger sister any more than she already had. Devastated that Jules chose to leave anyway, Rue snorts what appears to be cocaine and launches into a haunting rendition of the show's theme song, Labrinth's "All For Us."
Flailing around her house and past her family, Rue languidly dances in the street, where she's joined by a maroon-robed gospel choir and marching band. She climbs atop a horde of people and sings, "I hope one of you come back to remind me of who I was when I go disappearing into that good night," before falling as the screen fades to black.
Could that ominous last shot and lyric mean that Rue fatally overdosed? After all, she wasn't in the best physical condition when the episode began, after landing in the hospital with a kidney infection after becoming so depressed that she wouldn't leave her bedroom or use the bathroom for days. And the sting of Jules' seeming betrayal may have proven too much for Rue, who wasn't subtle about her romantic feelings all season but was crushed to learn that Jules had recently fallen in love with another girl.
"Euphoria" fans were shocked by the ending, saying they were "confused" and "concerned" for the character.
Wait did RUE DIE????? IM CONFUSED??? #EuphoriaFinale
— arielle (@zendayeebaee18) August 5, 2019
so wait all jokes aside is rue good like did she die i’m genuinely concerned #feelEUPHORIA
— michaela (@chambiexdayaa) August 5, 2019
WHAT DOES IT MEAN DID RUE DIE
— jaz (RIP mysterio) (@tomftmarvel) August 5, 2019
Did Rue just..... die??? #EuphoriaFinale pic.twitter.com/qxycgiQymJ
— Jaygonbeok (@Jaygonbeok) August 5, 2019
In all likelihood, that final dream sequence signals that Rue has gone off the deep end but is still very much alive, given that HBO has already renewed "Euphoria" for a second season.
Along with Rue's fate, the drama left us with plenty of other questions following Sunday's unsurprisingly provocative finale. For starters, is Jules going to shack up with her new girlfriend in the (unspecified) city, or will she make amends with Rue? Is Fez (Angus Cloud) OK after robbing a man's house to repay a drug debt? And how will Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) cope with her emotionally wrenching abortion? And what will come of the toxic, abusive relationship between Nate (Jacob Elordi) and Maddy (Alexa Demie), who discovered a graphic sex tape of Nate's dad (Eric Dane) and Jules, who's transgender?
If there's one bright spot in "Euphoria" – which has become inexplicably addictive despite its laughably edgy storylines – it's the sweet new romance between Ethan (Austin Abrams) and Kat (Barbie Ferreira). After years of struggling with bullying for her weight, Kat took ownership of her body this season with a high-paying secret gig as an online cam girl. But in Sunday's finale, she let her guard down and decided to take a chance with Ethan, a virgin with a longtime crush on Kat who is both realistic and respectful. ("Is one of us gonna get hurt?" he says before they kiss. "Yeah, but I'll do my best to make sure it's me.")
"Euphoria," created by Sam Levinson ("The Wizard of Lies") and executive produced by rapper Drake, is expected to return next year.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: HBO 'Euphoria' recap: Did (spoiler!) die in the Season 1 finale?