Ever since the very first episode of Euphoria premiered on HBO, there has been a magical alchemic connection between Rue (Zendaya) and Jules (Hunter Schafer). It’s also a toxic, dysfunctional connection, but a deep connection nonetheless.
Now, in Euphoria Season 3 Episode 2, the two magnetic heroines are back in each other’s orbit for the first time in years.
**Spoilers for Euphoria Season 3 Episode 2, now streaming on HBO Max**
Euphoria Season 3 Episode 2 ends with Rue showing up at the lobby of a luxury high rise in downtown Los Angeles just as a fabulously dressed Jules comes home for the night. The super casual Rue notes that she likes Jules’ new look. Instead of opting for color-streaked hair and glitter makeup, our girl is now donning a designer wig and couture cocktail gown.
In the official production notes for Euphoria Season 3,
costume designer Natasha Newman-Thomas said that Jules’s newfound disposable income has her dabbling in higher end fashion. “So, she’s shopping at places I think she’d be drawn to — Balenciaga, Kiko Kostatinov,” she said. “And we were very blessed that both of those brands also provided wardrobe for the show.”
Jules’s new hair and makeup look, however, hint at something darker afoot for the character. Makeup department head Doniella “Donni” Davy described the character as being in a “really grim place.”
Davy said, “She’s dating guys to make money, so her makeup needed to reflect that: moody with a darker color palette; a touch experimental and also a little dominatrix—all with a gloomy undertone.”
Meanwhile, Sam Levinson asked hair department head Kim Kimble to give the character long, long, long blonde hair. “She’s like a modern-day Rapunzel trapped up in the tower and letting down her tresses,” Kimble said.
Jules invites Rue up into that tower at the end of Euphoria Season 3 Episode 2 and the two catch up about the nostalgia you might feel for past romances, no matter how bad they actually were. When Rue is asked about where she is with regard to her addictions, she says, “I avoid things that destroy my life.” Jules then notes the irony of Rue visiting her.
Just when it seems that Jules has officially put Rue in the friend zone, the episode ends on a flirtatious note of hope. Jules is drawing a bath and Rue assumes she wants to be left alone. “You’re not going to keep me company?” Jules asks.
So have Jules and Rue rekindled their romance? Are they endgame? What’s going on with Euphoria‘s most epic on-and-off relationship?
Euphoria Season 3 Episode 2 Ending Explained: Are Rue and Jules Back Together?
Yes and no.
Jules definitely invites Rue to spend the night, but it’s not like they can be together-together. After all, Jules is now a Sugar Baby. She earns her living by dating rich older men. Signs of her current beau/benefactor can be seen all over her apartment. She’s not leaving that dude! (She can’t!)
In the trailer for Euphoria in the weeks ahead, we get a glimpse of how Jules got into this lifestyle. In one scene in particular, she can be seen on a date with a character played by True Blood‘s Sam Trammell. We’ll learn in the weeks ahead what that situation is like and more about Jules’s “Rapunzel”-esque life.
Rue, meanwhile, has her own commitments, in the form of her service to Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). Neither woman is totally free and this hookup carries more of a casual vibe than romantic reunion for keeps.
Time will tell if these two can finally be together forever or if they’re destined to stay apart.
New episodes of Euphoria Season 3 come out on Sundays at 9 PM ET on HBO and HBO Max.