Sam Levinson’s HBO show Euphoria concluded its seven-year run with a lurid, biblical-themed finale that left many viewers questioning its message. The 88-minute episode featured gruesome deaths, including drug boss Laurie hanging herself and protagonist Rue (Zendaya) dying from a fentanyl overdose midway through. The show then shifted focus to Rue’s sponsor Ali (Colman Domingo), who avenges her death in a Tarantino-style shootout.
The finale’s religious motif, ending with the words “May God bless us all,” felt jarring for a series that had previously explored the hollowness of the American Dream. Critics noted that the show seemed unsure of its identity, veering between a gritty examination of addiction and a gangster movie centred on a turf war between Laurie and Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje).
Supporting characters like Jules (Hunter Schafer) and Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) were sidelined, with Jules only appearing in a silent painting scene. This disappointed fans who valued the show’s earlier focus on relationships between young women. Despite strong performances, the finale was described as a “jumbled end” that prioritised machismo over character development.
