Irony and Parallelism in the “Euphoria” Season 2 Finale
Examining the three biggest plots and the deeper meanings behind them
By Charlotte Khuzami, Contributing Writer
Spoiler warning.
HBO's “Euphoria” is unlike any other production in the film industry. The show's modern-day setting, dynamic cinematography with bright, colorful visuals and complex storylines featuring drugs, sex, love and betrayal make it a crowd favorite among young adult audiences. The season 2 finale, “All My Life, My Heart has Yearned for a Thing I Cannot Name,” left fans heartbroken, shocked and most importantly, desperate for the third season to be released sooner. "A thing I cannot name" refers to each character's unique euphoric vice that gives them life, but can also end them at any moment. The three main plots highlight previous symbolism while further demonstrating each character's euphoric weakness, leaving the audience speechless for what is to come in future episodes.
Fez and Ashtray
The finale’s most thrilling yet heartbreaking scene is when Fez, Ashtray and Fay get raided by the police. As Custer entices Fez to discuss incriminating details about Mouse's death with a bugged phone listening, Faye drops a glass, temporarily shattering the tension in the room. She bends down and puts her finger over her lips, informing Fez not to expose any details that could encrypt himself. It is ironic that Faye's most iconic, emblematic trait–her lips–is what saves Fez from explicitly confirming his presence during Mouse's murder.
As the conversation continues, Ashtray becomes suspicious and begins to feel threatened. His feelings climax as he brutally stabs Custer in the neck. Fez prevents Custer from screaming and writhing in pain, trying not to let the police know through the bugged phone. This shocking turn of events reflects Ashtray's violent upbringing through his persistent will to protect his family at any cost, including murder. Ashtray killed Mouse and his associates in previous episodes, yet this is only the beginning of a lethal season finale for Ashtray. His young age is mediated by his intense urge to kill as a way of proving his adulthood and power.
As Fez drops the encrypted phone in a 7/11 cup, he foreshadows the use of convenient stores concealing underground businesses in the show, just like Fez and Ashtray's drug dealing business hidden behind a convenient store. This further demonstrates the theme that every character in Euphoria has a specialized mask for concealing their euphoric vice.
When Ashtray hides in the bathtub while shooting the raiders, the bathtub represents a protective barrier from outside threats. The bathtub, which is the same shape as an ashtray, mirrors the scene in the first episode of season 2 when Ashtray gets his name from Fez's grandma when he takes a bath in the sink. The cinematography features images of bullet holes in the bathroom door that look like cigarette burns—the debris on the ground surrounding wounded Fez symbolizing cigarette ashes.
This scene contains lots of parallelism from the first episode. Fez met Ashtray for the first time in the same hallway that he watched him die. Fez's grandma taught them, "Despite what they teach you in school, violence is sometimes the best possible way to solve a problem." This mindset spread to Ashtray, but not Fez, demonstrating their brotherly compatibility as a result of their fundamental character differences.
Lexi
One of the most highly anticipated events of the season was Lexi's play, titled “Our Life.” The title is ironic in that the storyline is not about her life at all; it depicts an outsider's perspective as the main characters of focus, Maddie and Cassie, watch their friendship fall apart.
As Cassie struts down towards the stage to hijack the play, she steps center on a playbill, ruining Lexi's play and crushing her dreams for it. Cassie's interjection begins to blur the lines between the play and reality, highlighting the parallels and similarities between the two. As Lexi and Cassie fight on stage, Cassie screams, "You never fucking lived," at Lexi, demonstrating how Lexi has lived vicariously through Cassie in her shadows. Cassie declares she accepts the role as the "villain" after her character in the play steals Jake (Nate) from Marta (Maddie).
The scene cuts to Cassie fighting her play-actor, a metaphor displaying Cassie fighting the things she hates about herself in a physical form. As both the characters and their actor counterparts fight in the wall of mirrors, they are demonstrating the mirrored parallels and similarities between themselves, the play and reality. Lexi's play allows Cassie and Maddie's relationship to progress after the betrayal of Cassie getting with Nate. “Our Life” demonstrates that everyone becomes a critic as they see themselves, their actions and their impact on others once visualized through the third point of view.
Nate and Cal
The final scene between Nate and Cal solidifies the audience's perception regarding how the two are far more similar than different from one another. Nate confronts Cal after his breakdown and finds him partying and fooling around with much younger adults. Cal is seeking, yearning and chasing his past life in high school, which was the last time he felt himself authentically, trying to reclaim that identity later in life.
Nate asks Cal, "Do you know what I think we both have in common? We both get off on hurting other people." Whether emotionally or physically, Nate's observation could not be more true. The parallels between Nate and his dad highlight the power struggle they both face in their individual lives daily. They both feel powerless against the circumstances out of their control that altered the course of the rest of their lives, These moments are when Cal married Marsha and when Nate saw Cal's sex tapes for the first time when he was 11.
Nate continues his rant, confessing, "I spent my whole life trying to protect you," foreshadowing him finally turning Cal in a few moments later. Nate finally discloses to Cal that he saw his sex tapes when he was 11. Cal panics, justifying his actions by declaring, "I tried to keep it separate, but I failed. I love you." This is the exact language Nate uses to gaslight Maddie and Cassie when he tries to keep their affairs separate. Unfortunately, this fails him in the end, just like Cal. The irony of the normalcy of Nate's gaslighting being used against him by his own father emphasizes their resemblance.
Nate pulls out a gun right before pulling out the incriminating hard drive, symbolizing that both are equally deadly and life-ending. The last thing Nate says to Cal right before the police arrest him is, "You are who you are. I don't think you're ever going to change." Not only does this apply to Cal, but it also applies to Nate and his own life. This scene between Nate and Cal demonstrates the parallels between their demons and that this father-son duo is far more similar than different.
Fez and Ashtray's raid, Lexi's play and Cal and Nate's confrontation are all core moments of the season finale which encompass each of their euphorias. The complexities and deeper meanings of the show are reflected in the symbolism, metaphors and parallels between characters and plot points. By examining and understanding these aspects, the audience feels the euphoria that separates “Euphoria” from other shows.
Sources:
Levinson, Sam. (2022, January 9). Trying to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door. HBO Max.
Levinson, Sam. (2022, February 27). All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned For A Thing I Cannot Name. HBO Max.