Euphoria Season 2, Episode 7 Recap: Ethan’s EGOT-worthy Performance

We are somehow only one week away from the season two finale of Euphoria. I’m still salty Sam Levinson left us with the ol’ “to be continued,” but this week’s episode gave us plenty of content to tide us over until the finale. Let’s unpack Lexi’s play, spoilers and all!

Lexi’s Ashlee Simpson Moment

The build up to Lexi’s play was well worth it—Ethan’s Act I finale could have been it’s own episode. Lexi was in her bag as a screenwriter, somehow defying every high school drama club budget and typical lack of school play participation to create a show of her life.

While the episode weaved between the play and the “real-life” events that inspired it, we got an understanding of just how strong the friendships were of our favorite TV girlies before the start of the show. Yes, a lot of the play focused on Lexi feeling like she perpetually lives in the shadow of Cassie’s dream a lá the Simpson sisters, but we also got  a reflective moment from each cast member. We saw Rue show joy for the first time in a long time while reminiscing on memories past with Lexi. Suze Howard put Kris Jenner and every other stage mom extraordinaire to shame with her crowd support. Maddy went from skeptical and judgemental about the play to quite literally cheering Lexi on. And Nate, who I felt was let off easy in the play, reacted true to form in a burst of rage. 

Lexi finally got to be in the spotlight—literally and figuratively—and we got to see the lives we’ve been watching intertwine for two seasons from a new perspective. With her new sidekick Bobbi beside her, Lexi came into her own and told the truth about how she has felt for the past few years, without fears of hurting anyone’s feelings. Can’t help but love it for her!

In Defense of Cassie

Before you bring your Cassie slander, hear me out. I’m not here to say that Cassie is a good friend, sister, or daughter, but I do hold a soft spot for her. We all went to school with people like Cassie who seemed to chase after people like Nate and when it was all said and done, the Cassies were slut-shamed and ostracized while the Nates of the world felt no heat. Cassie has fault for betraying her friendship to Maddy—there’s no denying that—but Nate has fault for so much more. His manipulative and abusive manner is what drew him to Cassie in the first place: he wanted to make Maddy jealous. He never treated Cassie with respect—ehem, slut-shaming of her to McKay in season one! He knows he holds Cassie’s entire life in his balled up fists which is why we see him love bombing her in this episode while dressing her up like a doll in his possession. His fixation on her—how she dresses, who she talks to—is not devotion, it’s control. Even when Cassie feels like she is consenting to this game, he will always have the upper hand and the power to drop her like a bad habit at a moment’s notice like he did at the end of this week’s episode. I hope for freedom for Cassie, and freedom for every Cassie out there.  

What I Want For Next Week’s Episode

I am again refusing to acknowledge that any harm has befallen Fezco and Ashtray but it’s not looking good. Most of all, I’m excited to see the second half of Lexi’s play. What can I say, I love drama! See y’all here next week for the season finale wrap-up.