Hunter Schafer takes over the reins as she almost single-handedly leads the second of Euphoria’s stop-gap specials, premiering Sunday night on HBO.
The episode arrives a month and a half after her costar Zendaya led another minimalist special taking place in the aftermath of their impulsive decision to run away from home, which left Rue standing alone at a train station after having second thoughts.
Schafer’s character Jules spends the new episode, which aired to tide viewers over until Euphoria’s second season can be released, in a session with a brand-new therapist.
Dramatic return: Hunter Shafer led Sunday night’s special Euphoria episode, which saw her character Jules in therapy and reflecting on her relationship with Rue (Zendaya)
The episode, titled F*** Anyone Who’s Not A Sea Blob, begins at the start of a session, as Jules sits on the sofa and stares dramatically while her thoughts roil within her head.
As the therapist, played by Lauren Weedman, asks what she wants to talk about, Jules replies, ‘I don’t know.’
The next shot shows that to be a lie, as the camera gives her teary eye an ultra-tight closeup as projections of her memories with Rue are reflected.
The striking shot last for two uninterrupted minutes, going on much longer than viewers might expect to underscore the emotional devastation while Lorde’s Liability plays.
Overwhelmed: The episode, titled F*** Anyone Who’s Not A Sea Blob, begins at the start of a session, as Jules sits on the sofa and stares dramatically while her thoughts roil within her head
Slow cinema: The next shot shows that to be a lie, as the camera gives her teary eye an ultra-tight closeup as projections of her memories with Rue are reflected for two uninterrupted minutes
Jules, who is transgender, reveals that she’s considering going off her hormones, or at least her ‘blockers,’ which prevent the masculinizing physical effects that would have occurred during puberty.
Though she says she’s not interested in de-transitioning, she is ‘no longer interested in men, philosophically,’ and so she doesn’t feel the need to keep up with their standards of femininity.
In a Los Angeles Times interview published earlier this week, Schafer, who cowrote the episode with creator Sam Levinson, revealed that the scene was inspired by a poem she wrote after graduation from high school.
‘It was about this strange spiral I was having about hormone therapy and making an analogy between learning how to find beauty within yourself,’ she explained. ‘Like, rather than wanting to be as beautiful as another cis woman, wanting to be as beautiful as something even grander, like the ocean.’
Difficult choice: Jules, who is transgender, reveals that she’s considering going off her hormones, or at least her puberty ‘blockers,’ as she worries she’s just making herself desirable to men
Value: Her therapist, played by Lauren Weedman, tries to convince Jules that she’s more than just a sexual object for the benefit of others
Her therapist, who goes unnamed, tries to convince Jules that she’s more than just a sexual object for the benefit of others.
Jules worries that ‘somewhere along the way femininity conquered me’ as she describes how women, and especially girls, size each other up each other when they meet to determine where they fall in social hierarchies.
The conversation inevitably turns to Rue, whom she has called multiple times to no success.
The two haven’t seen each other since Jules impulsively got on a train for ‘the city’ to escape her difficult high school experience, while Rue had second thoughts and stayed behind at the last minute, fracturing their relationship.
Jules shares how she felt burdened by Rue’s sobriety and the fear that she might overdose if Jules didn’t love her enough and show enough attention.
Lovers: The conversation inevitably turns to Rue, whom she has called multiple times to no success. They haven’t seen each other since she left Rue at a train station in the season one finale
Weight on her shoulders: Jules shares how she felt burdened by Rue’s sobriety and the fear that she might overdose if Jules didn’t love her enough and show enough attention
In flashback, the high schooler remembers how much freer she felt while carrying on an anonymous text relationship.
But her imagined romance takes a dark turn as she sees herself being brutalized by her classmate Nate (Jacob Elordi), who had been catfishing her and was abusive to her and his own girlfriend (played by Alexa Demie).
The shadow-shrouded fantasy man takes on Nate’s face as he attacks her at the height of their passion.
Sexual awakening: In flashback, the high schooler remembers how much freer she felt while carrying on an anonymous text relationship
Horror film: But her imagined romance takes a dark turn as she sees herself being brutalized by her classmate Nate (Jacob Elordi), who had been catfishing her and was abusive to her
Jules also opens up about her mother, whom she rarely speaks about because of her struggles with addiction.
After her mother takes recovery more seriously and tries to make amends, Jules’ father welcomes her home to ambush their daughter, which she flees from.
Later, we see her overcome with guilt after learning that her mother relapsed shortly after she refused to hear her apology.
Family affair: Jules also opens up about her mother, whom she rarely speaks about because of her struggles with addiction
Eating away at her: Later, we see her overcome with guilt after learning that her mother relapsed shortly after she refused to hear her apology
Another fantasy takes place in a city apartment, where Rue imagined they might live together in the first Euphoria special.
Although it was idealized and romantic for her, Jules is consumed by thoughts of what could go wrong.
She imagines arriving home one day, only to find Rue missing and the bathroom door locked.
She screams and tries to bash it in, only to find her worst fear on the other side: Jules lying on the bathroom floor, dead from an overdose.
Nightmare: Another fantasy takes place in an apartment, where Rue imagined they might live together in the first Euphoria special. It was idealized for her, but Jules is consumed by thoughts of what could go wrong
Worst fear: She imagines arriving home one day, only to find Rue missing and the bathroom door locked. She screams and tries to bash it in, only to find Jules dead on the floor from an overdose
After Jules wraps up her therapy session, seemingly calmed a bit, she returns home for a short coda.
As she sits on her bed, there’s a knock at the door and Rue suddenly enters.
She seems to have arrived shortly after the events of her own therapy session with her sponsor (Colman Domingo) in the previous special.
After they awkwardly greet each other from afar, Rue’s face bunches up and she starts to cry, before she rushes out of the room again, with Jules barely able to say a word before she leaves.
Surprise: After Jules wraps up her therapy session, seemingly calmed a bit, she returns home for a short coda. As she sits on her bed, there’s a knock at the door and Rue suddenly enters
Reunion: She seems to have arrived shortly after the events of her own therapy session with her sponsor (Colman Domingo) in the previous special
No resolution: After they awkwardly greet each other from afar, Rue’s face bunches up and she starts to cry, before she rushes out of the room again, with Jules barely able to say a word before she leaves