After seven years, three seasons, and 26 episodes, HBO’s Euphoria has come to an end. Since the show first came out in 2019, we’ve followed its cast of characters as they navigated high school and all the things teenagers struggle with. Season 3 complicates and confounds as writer-director Sam Levinson injects Tarantino-esque gore and action into what used to be a coming-of-age drama: Rue gets roped in between cartels and the DEA, and Nate is in a lot of debt that Cassie has to help pay off.
Maybe your problems just naturally become a lot more difficult to overcome when you’re an adult, but in Euphoria, the heavier conflicts come as part of the show’s expanded, more politicized world. Some characters have what it takes to get around Hollywood, the American drug world, and OnlyFans, but others aren’t so lucky.
The show disappointingly did not make enough time to explore the characters of Jules (Hunter Schafer) and Lexi (Maude Apatow), Rue’s girlfriend and best friend, respectively. But regardless of that, there’s still a lot of plot and conflict to tune into. Here, we take a look at how those conflicts end, and who won and who lost in Euphoria Season 3.
This list contains spoilers. Watch Euphoria on HBO Max and see our finale recap before reading on.
Nate Jacobs: Loser
Nate’s (Jacob Elordi) character arc just wasn’t believable. Previous seasons showed us that he was the more responsible, ambitious son in the family, and he was also a lot more proactive in getting what he wanted (to the point of using a gun). This season, he had to beg for his life, was tortured for five episodes without fighting back, and then died. It’s a shame Fez wasn’t around to celebrate Nate’s death.
Cassie Howard Jacobs: Winner
Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) may have lost Nate, the guy she literally ended her high school friendship over, but in the end, she made amends with her best friend Maddy and her sister Lexi, and that’s what matters the most. She also might be grieving Nate, but she’s also picking up the pieces and starting an OnlyFans model house that will earn her thousands — if not millions — of dollars.
Laurie: Loser
What’s the point of employing violent mega-racists into your cartel and threatening to traffic Rue (a woman of color, by the way) if you’re not going to reap the benefits of running a drug business because you’re dead? In the end, Laurie (Martha Kelly) chickened out and ended her own life because she couldn’t bear the thought of going to prison, and that’s sad.
Maddy Perez: Winner
Maddy (Alexa Demie) lost her job and almost died a few times after getting into business with the wrong man, but she still walked away alive, potentially with a boyfriend (Darrell Britt-Gibson’s Bishop) who isn’t afraid to wield a gun to protect her and his pet dog, Snowflake. Early into the season, she also plotted vengeance against Nate and Cassie, but in the end, friendship still won, and so did Maddy.
Alamo Brown: Loser
Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) had the power and machinery to be the last man standing in Euphoria. He had multiple income streams, henchmen, and all sorts of weapons at his disposal. But in the end, his ruthlessness made him an enemy even to his supposed allies, and Bishop betrayed him to save Ali and Maddy.
Ali Muhammad: Winner*
Ali (Colman Domingo) may have technically won the duel with Alamo and avenged Rue, but it’s a Pyrrhic victory. This character has lost too many loved ones on the road to victory that the win is tantamount to defeat. But if Ali’s goal is to “do good,” as he talked about in support group, by preventing Alamo from hurting anyone else, then he certainly succeeded.
Rue Bennett: Loser
It’s hard to watch a character struggle with grief and a host of mental illnesses, spiral into addiction, and try to claw their way out. Despite the struggles that life threw her way, Rue (Zendaya) always got close to triumph, recovering from an overdose, going to rehab, and promising sobriety at the end of Season 2. In Season 3, she found new reasons to get out of debt and continue living, and we would have loved to see her win, so her death — caused not by addiction but by drugs nonetheless — is absolutely heartbreaking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Euphoria Season 3 concludes with major character deaths, including Nate and Rue, while Cassie, Maddy, and Ali survive in various states of loss and compromise. The finale marks the end of the HBO series after three seasons, 26 episodes, and seven years on air.
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Yes. Rue (Zendaya) dies in Season 3 from fentanyl poisoning. The show frames her death as a tragic outcome despite her recovery arc, having survived overdoses and rehab across the previous two seasons.
Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and Maddy (Alexa Demie) emerge as the season’s clearest survivors. Cassie reconciles with Maddy and Lexi and pivots toward financial independence with Maddy.
Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) is tortured across five episodes and ultimately killed. The show’s framing of his death was widely seen as inconsistent with his established character — an ambitious, volatile figure who in previous seasons was rarely passive or powerless.
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Yes. Season 3 is confirmed as the final season of HBO’s Euphoria. The show ran from 2019 to 2026, concluding with 26 episodes across three seasons under writer-director Sam Levinson.
