Content Warning: This list includes mentions of drug use, violence, sexual assault, and mental health.
Some memorable Euphoria scenes that almost went too far, which is part of what makes the HBO series one of the most popular yet provocative shows currently on television. The series follows the lives of fictional high schoolers who constantly face issues with drug addiction, toxic relationships, and occasional violence. Euphoria is led by Zandaya and Hunter Schaffer as Rue Bennett and Jules Vaughn respectively and also features an ensemble cast of problematic characters including Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, and Angus Cloud.
Euphoria season 2 faced criticism due to its overuse of nudity and substance abuse. Sweeney, who plays Cassie, had to ask creator Sam Levinson to remove nude scenes of her character that she deemed unnecessary (via Independent). Several scenes in Euphoria season 2 that were originally meant to contain nudity were removed or altered after similar complaints from cast members. Levinson is known to push boundaries in Euphoria, but several scenes that made the final cut in the HBO series nearly went too far.
20 Cassie Pukes At Maddy’s Party
A Previously Strong Character Becomes Uncomfortably Vulnerable
It’s not surprising that many of the most shocking Euphoria moments contain violence, a character death, or a scene of an obviously sexual nature. Euphoria is, after all, a show that exists to push boundaries. However, one especially disturbing scene comes in Euphoria season 2, episode 4, “You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can” that is incredibly difficult to watch despite it containing no sex or violence. There’s a sequence in the hot tub at Maddy’s party when Cassie, overcome with emotion, promptly stands up and vomits over the other occupants.
This Euphoria scene is shocking on two levels, the most obvious being that seeing anybody get puked on is all-but-guaranteed to prompt a strong emotional response. However, at a deeper level, it’s shocking because it showed just how much Cassie’s feeling for Nate (and her guilt at sleeping with her friend’s former partner) had disrupted Cassie’s mental health. She appeared truly broken in this moment, and Sydney Sweeney’s performance made it especially jarring to witness.
19 Ashtray Kills Custer
A Child Displays A Disturbing Capacity For Violence
Ashtray is the youngest character in Euphoria, and given what the rest of the characters get up to around him, it’s no surprise he’s a central figure in many of the show’s most shocking scenes. While Ashtray killing Custer in Euphoria season 2, episode 8, “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned For A Thing I Cannot Name,” wasn’t the most jaw-dropping scene for young Javon Walton’s character (or even the most shocking murder Ashtray committed), it was still an incredibly brutal moment.
While the violence of this shocking Euphoria scene is enough to raise eyebrows in its own right, it’s everything it reveals about Ashtray which makes it truly harrowing. Ashtray was raised by Fez, and so his understanding of morality was always clearly skewed. However, walking up to Custer and coldly planting a knife into his neck showed viewers just how far gone Ashtray truly was.
18 Fez Gets Shot By The Police
An Overshadowed Moment
The Euphoria season 2 finale, “All My Life, My Heart Has Yearned For A Thing I Cannot Name,” had no shortage of shocking moments. However, due to events both before the scene and after, a particularly jaw-dropping Fez moment is often overlooked. When viewing for the first time, the sequence that Fez gets shot in the stomach by a SWAT team while screaming desperately at them not to harm Ashtray is incredibly jarring.
Ultimately, it’s a moment many viewers forget because of everything still to come in the episode. However, had Fez being shot been the final scene in the sequence, it would still be renowned as an incredibly shocking Euphoria moment. It’s also worth noting that it was so harrowing not because of the gunshot necessarily, but because of the phenomenal performance of the late Angus Cloud as Fez.
17 Faye Injects In Front Of Rue
Euphoria’s Casual Drug Use Reaches New Levels
Narcotics are a regular narrative feature in Euphoria, though the introduction of Faye (Chloe Cherry) in season 2 also brings a moment of shockingly casual use of incredibly dangerous drugs. Rue meets Fay through Fez, and at one moment is left alone with her while Fez and Custer, who is Faye’s boyfriend, leave to arrange a deal. Much to Rue, and the audience’s, shock, Faye proceeds to pull out a needle and inject herself with heroin as casually as many characters light a cigarette.
Euphoria has some incredibly well-written moments when it comes to depicting addiction and drug-use. It also has many that have been criticized for being borderline-glamorizing of an issue that claims thousands of lives each day. The moment Faye shoots heroin in the car with Rue arguably falls into the latter category, although Rue is, thankfully, just as perturbed by Faye’s actions as viewers are.
16 Cal Destroys The Family
Coming Out Of The Closet Became A Destructive Moment
Cal is an incredibly complex character in Euphoria, and it’s a testament to the writing of the show that he’s such a loathsome antagonist despite having many struggles that — if he’d acted differently in life — it would be easy to feel sympathy toward him for. However, while struggling with sexual identity is an obstacle that many can relate to, Cal in Euphoria manages to weave even this into the long list of reasons viewers find him absolutely despicable.
Euphoria season 2, episode 4, “You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can,” brought Cal’s double-life to a head when he finally came out to his family. However, in typical Cal fashion, he did so in perhaps the most destructive and shocking way possible. After urinating in the foyer of the family home, Cal drunkenly brags about his infidelity in front of his wife and children before shaming his son Aaron for watching pornography, and crushing Nate by reminding him how much of a disappoint Cal sees him as. He destroys the family unit in a single conversation, and it’s one of the most emotionally brutal scenes in Euphoria.
15 The Police Want To Investigate Maddy’s Bruises
Maddy Doesn’t Cooperate
After the show has already made it clear that Nate has been physically abusive to Maddy in the past, it goes one step further to pile the trauma onto Maddy. After attending a carnival where Nate grabs her neck, Maddy hides the bruises with a turtleneck instead of makeup, and still reeling from the incident, she doesn’t eat. With the air conditioning not working at school, Maddy still feeling upset about the incident, and no food to give her energy, Maddy faints at school, which prompts paramedics being called in.
Instead of treating Maddy like a survivor of abuse with any kind of compassion or care, when Maddy refuses to cooperate with the police because she doesn’t want to relive the incident, they hold her down and forcibly cut away her clothing.
Because the bruises are seen by the paramedics and school staff following her fainting, the school has to report the bruises to the police. Instead of treating Maddy like a survivor of abuse with any kind of compassion or care, when Maddy refuses to cooperate with the police because she doesn’t want to relive the incident, they hold her down and forcibly cut away her clothing to get a look at the bruises.
It’s a scene that’s uncalled for and hard for the viewers to watch, but it also gives a window into how survivors of abuse can be treated and blamed for what happens to them.
14 Mouse Gives Rue Fentanyl
The Scene Implies Mouse Could Have Done More Than That
Though Rue is presented as an addict who will try anything when she relapses in Euphoria, that isn’t entirely the case. She’s stayed away from fentanyl, and even Fezco doesn’t sell it because he considers it too dangerous. When Rue, however, happens to be at Fezco’s house when Mouse is there, the other dealer uses the opportunity to try to take advantage of her. Not only does he force Rue to take a dose of fentanyl, but he also implies she can use her body instead of money to pay him for it.
The scene stops short of Mouse actually physically assaulting Rue, but it’s certainly implied that he could have if Fez wasn’t there to pay for the drug on Rue’s behalf. In fact, Rue spends days there, so out of it from the drug, that Fez has to call Jules to come get her. The show could have crossed even worse of a line than it did.
13 Cassie’s Carousel Ride
Cassie’s Drug-Fueled Freedom Is Cut Short
In one episode of Euphoria, Cassie and Maddy decide to avoid how their boyfriends have made them feel by taking MDMA and allowing the high to entertain them instead. Unfortunately, a stimulant and hallucinogen like that can actually enhance feelings, leading Maddy to attempt to leave Cassie behind to go confront Nate. Cassie spends her time on a carousel with another classmate, but her feelings get the better of her.
Initially, what Cassie loves about using the MDMA while on the carousel is that she feels completely free. Eventually, however, she starts to use the carousel for some self pleasure, and her moaning draws the attention of those around her. Before the scene can go too far, Cassie gets embarrassed and seeks Maddy out to leave, but the scene is awkward enough without taking anything further.
12 Cal And Nate Fight
Nate’s Reaction Implies Past Abuse
Nate and his father have a complicated relationship as is evident in Nate having a nightmare about him, but it’s also reflected in the way Nate treats other people. The abuse Nate has suffered, however, is only implied for much of the first season of Euphoria.
It’s not until Nate and his father get into an argument in the Euphoria season 1 finale that becomes physical that it’s clear how bad the abuse might have actually been in the past. Cal throws Nate to the ground, and when he does, Nate nearly immediately begins sobbing and banging his own head on the floor. It’s an incredibly traumatic response to the fight and leaves the viewers knowing that much worse has likely happened to Nate in the past. While Nate is a morally flawed and nearly irredeemable character, the audience feels for him in the moment.
11 Chris McKay’s Hazing
The Way The Scene Is Shot Implies More
As McKay feels the pressure to be a collegiate-level athlete, he and Cassie grow distant. He also, however, has more trauma in his life as he starts college than simply pushing his girlfriend away from him. While his father continues to push him to be his best, his future fraternity brothers violently assault him.
With all of the violence in the show,
Euphoria
, again, avoided going a step too far with another instance of sexual violence, but the implication was enough for some.
When McKay is attacked by a group of young men, the scene is chaotic and shot in a way that implies not just physical violence, but sexual violence as well. That implication wasn’t something that actor Algee Smith was aware of until after he saw the completed scene. According to Smith’s interview following the airing of the episode with The Hollywood Reporter, “It looks really graphic in the scene the way they edited and chopped it up, which is scary as hell, but they’re play-humping… I was surprised by the editing.”
10 Cal & Jules Meet Up At A Hotel
An Uncomfortable Pilot Episode Moment
One of the most uncomfortable scenes so far in Euphoria involved Jules and Nate’s father, Cal. The shocking scene takes place in the very first episode of Euphoria when Jules meets up with Cal after exchanging messages. Cal displayed disturbing and predatory behaviors throughout the sequence and the two ultimately have sex. The long takes and camera close-ups make the scene more visceral and disturbing to witness.
It’s also revisited throughout the show as
Euphoria
details Nate learning about his father’s sexual proclivities.
The controversial and explicit Euphoria scene sets the tone early for the chaotic and inappropriate moments the show is known for. It’s also revisited throughout the show as Euphoria details Nate learning about his father’s sexual proclivities. The characters are also reminded of the encounter between the two because a video is said to exist of their night together that some of the characters desperately want destroyed.
9 Rue Runs Into Traffic At A Busy Intersection
Rue’s Addiction Sent Her Down A Dangerous Path
Rue’s drug addiction hurts her in both seasons of Euphoria. After an intervention caused Rue to face her addiction head-on, she agreed to seek treatment with the help of her mom and her sister. However, on the way to rehab, Rue seemingly changed her mind about the treatment and got out of her mom’s car while she was stopped at an intersection.
In a shocking turn of events, Rue runs through oncoming traffic, causing multiple near-collisions which is made all the more disturbing by her mother and sister’s terrified screams. Rue was able to survive the situation unscathed even though she almost lost her life in other instances in Euphoria season 2. It was just the start of a harrowing episode for Rue, who only got into more dangerous situations throughout the show.
8 Nate Breaks Into Tyler’s Apartment & Brutally Assaults Him
Nate Ruined Tyler’s Life
Nate has done awful things in Euphoria. His antagonistic character is established early in Euphoria season 1 when he assaults Tyler. The attack comes after Tyler hooked up with Nate’s girlfriend Maddy at a party. Maddy initiated the interest from Tyler knowing that it would enrage Nate. Her plan worked and Nate went to extreme lengths to send a message to Tyler, breaking into his apartment, falsely accusing him of rape, and carrying out a savage assault that leaves him seriously injured. Jacob Elordi’s intimidating performance elevated the scene, making it one of Euphoria‘s most chilling moments so far.
Of course, adding to this is that Nate doesn’t just want Tyler to pay for hooking up with his girlfriend. He also thinks that he can use Tyler as a scapegoat for the injuries Nate gave to Maddy himself. The entire situation paints Nate as the antagonist of the series very early.
7 Jules Grabs A Knife At A House Party
The Start Of A Tumultuous Relationship Between Jules & Nate
Jules made her memorable entrance in Euphoria at the same party where Tyler and Maddy hooked up in the first season. Nate caused a scene by calling out Jules, questioning who she was and why she was at the party, and singling her out in front of everyone. Nate provoked Jules by invading her personal space and making uncomfortable advances, to which Jules responded by grabbing a kitchen knife and threatening her assailant in order to protect herself.
Then, in one of Euphoria‘s most shocking moments, Jules used the knife to cut her own arm, prompting Nate to back off. It was a surprising introduction for any character and a clear display of Jules’ personality and things to come. It also marked the first interaction between two characters who went to experience more threatening moments and even blackmail.
6 Fezco Assaults Nate With A Liquor Bottle At A Party
Even If This Was A Crowd-Pleasing Moment, It Went Far
Fezco constantly got into dangerous situations in Euphoria due to his unlawful profession as a drug dealer. Despite this, he rarely used violence, and quickly became a fan favorite character, which made his attack on Nate with a liquor bottle at a New Year’s party in Euphoria season 2 all the more shocking. The amount of punches Fezco landed was particularly disturbing and gruesome to watch and left Nate seriously injured.
Although audiences wanted to see Nate taken down a peg because of his treatment of other characters in the show, this was a bit far, especially given how beloved Fezco is as a character. It’s also hard to see it play out because of the way he protects other characters in the same season. The scene only plays into criticisms that the show has been able to glorify violence and drug use through the lens of entertainment.
5 Rue Is Forced To Remove Her Clothes At Laurie’s House
A Truly Unsettling Scene For Rue
Rue’s troubles with addiction lead her down some dark roads in Euphoria season 2. Through Fezco, Rue met a drug dealer and sex trafficker named Laurie. Although Laurie seemed calm on the surface, Rue discovered that she was a powerful leader of some dangerous people. One of Laurie’s henchmen, an extremely frightening man, threatened Rue with a gun and forced her to strip in a shower.
Rue told Bruce that she was a minor in the hope that Bruce would not make her remove her clothing, but Bruce ignored these pleas, leading to a scene that was extremely uncomfortable to watch. Euphoria has continued to push the envelope when it comes to scenes that just teeter on the edge of sexual violence, prompting many to call out the show for its unnecessary nudity and sex.
4 Ashtray Murders Mouse With A Hammer
A Shocking Start To Season 2
Ashtray is somewhat of a wildcard from the start, but Euphoria season 2 displayed his violent capabilities. In the Euphoria season 2 premiere, Ashtray proved his loyalty to Fezco by killing a fellow drug dealer named Mouse. Ashtray became suspicious of Mouse and sensed that Fezco’s life was in danger. Mouse was likely planning to kill Fezco since he had found out that Fezco had robbed his drug supplier.
Ashtray didn’t give Mouse the chance to retaliate and attacked him with a hammer.
While the scene is a great indicator of not just Ashtray’s loyalty, but his protective instincts towards those he cares about, it’s also incredibly disturbing to watch unfold. The scene is especially unsettling given Ashtray’s young age and the brutality of the kill. Some fans, however, will argue that for the story, Ashtray’s move was the right one, eliminating Mouse as a threat to Fez until the next threat comes along.
3 Nate Threatens Maddy (And Himself) With A Gun
A Truly Terrifying Bedroom Scene
Likely the most memorable scene from Euphoria season 2 is also one of its most disturbing. In it, Maddy found Nate in her room with a gun. He explained that he was there to retrieve the footage of his dad and Jules together in the hotel. When Maddy said she didn’t have the footage, Nate started a game of Russian Roulette, holding the gun to her head and then his own.
In a surreal and highly disturbing scene lasting almost five minutes, Maddy cried, begging Nate to stop. Nate eventually revealed that he had no bullets in the gun, only furthering that this was all about psychological torture for Maddy. On top of it, the length of the scene and Maddy’s anguish throughout made it highly disturbing. It also marks an escalation of his treatment of her throughout the show, demonstrating that he could still seriously hurt her.
2 Laurie Injects Rue With Morphine
A First Time Injection For Rue
Rue experienced a painful withdrawal while at Laurie’s house. Laurie offered her help even though she was unconvinced that Rue would be able to pay for the drugs she was asking for. Laurie eventually agreed to help Rue but all she could offer was morphine that could only be injected intravenously. In a tragic scene, Laurie administered morphine into Rue’s arm, marking an awful first for Rue. Rue was sedated by the effects but appeared to be at an all-time low after seeking help from Laurie. Rue’s sobriety would change Euphoria‘s dynamic and has no clear end in sight.
Laurie implies repeatedly that Rue doesn’t need money to get drugs because she can use her body instead.
This particular sequence in the show, however, isn’t just about Rue using morphine, but about what she might do to continue using. Laurie implies repeatedly that Rue doesn’t need money to get drugs because she can use her body instead. While for some viewers this is a hint that Rue still hasn’t reached her rock bottom, for other viewers, it’s where the show crossed a line and they stopped watching.
1 Ashtray Is Shot & Killed By SWAT Team
A Child Is Killed In A Gunfight
If fans of Euphoria through the events of the first season were rough to watch, season 2 only doubled down on the hard times for the characters. With Rue relapsing, Nate continuing to torture Maddy, and more, Ashtray might have seemed like a bright spot in the show. That bright spot, however, was snuffed out.
Ashtray was killed by a special police force that infiltrated Fezco’s apartment in the Euphoria season 2 finale. Ashtray refused to stand down even as Fezco begged him to surrender, barricading himself in the bathroom and wildly shooting an assault rifle through the wall. One of Ashtray’s bullets took down an officer, ensuring that Ashtray would not survive the gunfight if caught. When he was eventually outnumbered, Ashtray was taken out by the police in front of Fezco’s eyes. The scene is one of the most difficult moments to watch and nearly went too far in Euphoria.
