HBO
The latest episode of Euphoria, Season 1 Episode 7, is called “The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed.” This review/recap was written live while the episode aired. This post will have major spoilers for Euphoria episode 7.
The episode is going to explore Cassie’s background and we’re also going to see Jules take a trip out of town. And who can blame her for wanting to get away, considering what Nate did to her last week when he blackmailed her into blaming an innocent guy for his own crime? I’m hoping tonight’s episode has some more hope injected into it, after how dark things felt when last week’s ended.
Tonight’s title is “The Trials and Tribulations of Trying to Pee While Depressed.” It looks like it’s not named after a song for the first time since the pilot, so some fans are disappointed. But I like how the show keeps us on our toes, not knowing what to expect.
And now on to the live review…
Cassie’s Backstory Is Heartbreaking
Today’s episode gives us the background on Cassie. Apparently Cassie’s dad was a big flirt, which caused problems with her mom. And he wanted Cassie to be a professional ice skater. Cassie was a natural, Rue tells us.
Cassie and her mom became best friends for a while, but her mom had a lot of issues, Rue tells us. (Remember, Rue is a self-professed unreliable narrator, which is always interesting.) And her dad struggled to keep a steady income. Her parents fought a lot.
The night before Cassie started ninth grade, her parents had an especially bad fight and her dad left. But Cassie heard later that her mom had cheated on him and that was why he left.
Then one day, her dad was in a car wreck and was in ICU for 23 days. (THAT was the car wreck we saw in the preview.) He was prescribed a lot of drugs for pain and migraines. Over time, he responded less and less to her texts. Then right around her 15th birthday he sent her a 1 a.m. text and asked her to open the garage. “I want you to know there’s never a day goes by I don’t think about you…”
#EUPHORIA #euphoriahbo omg cassies life 😭😭
Marks on his arm shows he’s using drugs. :( He promised to reach out to her again, but it broke Cassie’s heart.
This is SO sad. I can’t even tell you how many stories I’ve heard of people getting addicted to drugs because of medication they were on when they were hospitalized or severely injured, and they weren’t offered adequate help afterward :( It’s a real issue that is heartbreaking every time. :(
Rue tells us that Cassie fell in love with every guy she ever dated, and she could never tell them know. They always ended up sharing photos and videos of her after they broke up. Then she and McKay met and they fell in love. “And even though things weren’t perfect, he loved her for who she was,” Rue tells us. (Things definitely aren’t perfect, as we saw last week.)
Annnndddd…. It looks like Cassie is pregnant. :(
OK, this was a heartbreaking backstory. Euphoria started out SO sad this week.
Rue’s Reality Show Binge Is Very Relatable & Sadly, Her Depression Is Relatable Too
And now we’re watching Rue watch reality TV, and we can all relate to this. I’m pretty sure she’s watching Love Island. And YES she is. She watched 22 hours in a two-day period. We’ve all been there. Haven’t we? (I binged Love Island right after a friend passed away, so I totally relate to this.)
Rue watching Love Island alone is a mood #EUPHORIA
Cassie’s friend is not sympathetic to her plight. She’s mad that Cassie wants to know if she looks OK, but she has no idea what Cassie is actually dealing with. Life lesson: people whose lives look perfect on the outside (or on social media) may have some crazy stuff going on beneath the surface.
(Interesting note: A reader reached out to me to point out that the unsympathetic friend is likely Cassie’s sister Lexi, which I had missed in the midst of watching and writing simultaneously. That puts a totally different spin on this scene because, as the reader pointed out, Lexi knows more about Cassie than anyone else and knows just what Cassie has dealt with. Here’s hoping we get a Lexi-centered story in Season 2.)
Rue is seriously depressed in this episode. :( “Even though you know you’re depressed, you’re unable to stop yourself from getting worse.” That’s true. :(
But Jules is struggling right now too. She didn’t go to school for a week after Halloween, and she didn’t answer Rue’s 50 texts. (This is part of the reason Rue is feeling so depressed, I’m sure.)
Nate’s Reign of Terror vs. Rue’s Detective Work Makes for a Great Story
Then we see Tyler at the police department, getting booked for assault. (When will Nate’s rule END?!)
Rue, meanwhile, is portraying herself as a detective, trying to get the truth behind Tyler and Nate. I like this detective feel. :)
I see Rue has turned into Nancy Drew #EUPHORIA
But something feels weird… Rue was just super depressed, and now she’s on top of this big investigation. I like the story, but it’s a big switch from where we just saw her.
Rue putting it together and getting it right #euphoria
Rue and Lexi are on the case, and I’m 100 percent for this. Rue needs a distraction, and although Nate is dangerous, she’s definitely the one to crack this case.
Rue points out that Maddy and Tyler’s relationship made Tyler guilty of statutory rape, so that’s what Nate had over Tyler.
Rue can only conclude that Jules testified for Nate because she fell for him. OK, she missed the mark on that one. :-/
Lexi tells Cassie next that she thinks Rue is in a manic state… OH. That’s the connection I missed and explains her switch from depression to high-energy.
Now we’re at a “meeting” Cassie is having with friends, and we learn from a flashback that Kat slept with Daniel at the Haloween party. UGH UGH UGH WHY.
Cassie tells her friends she wants to be honest with McKay and tell him that she kissed another guy. But her friends are telling her no way, she should never do that. Then Maddy and Kat have a big fallout. Maddy says Kat has changed and doesn’t have a sense of humor anymore. Kat can’t stand Maddy, so she walks out.
Everyone is so miserable. :(
Kat is walking home crying.
The Family Dynamics Are So Different for Each Character, But that Rick Scene Was Pure Gold
Lexi, who is the most stable one of the bunch, tells Cassie later that she shouldn’t say anything.
In another touching sisterly scene, Rue’s little sister checks in on her. Rue says she just feels like she has the flu and goes back to watching Love Island.
And now for a creepy Nate scene! His dad tells him: “I don’t know how you got out of the situation, I know you didn’t deserve to, but you did, and I admire whatever it took. I just hope it didn’t teach you the wrong lesson.”
This heart-to-heart brought to you by Creepy Family 101.
Ohhhh, now I know what the title means. It’s about Rue trying to pee while withdrawing from drugs and while depressed. It wasn’t about Cassie after all. Hmmm.
Rue is struggling a lot with depression in this episode. It’s portrayed so realistically.
Rue then tells us about Rick, her mom’s new boyfriend. He says he’s a romantic who likes to travel and likes wine and movies, according to his online profile. Rick seems to be … interesting. He tries awkwardly to make conversation with Rue and it’s just … so awkward. I can’t really think of another word for it.
Wow! Rue read the crap out of Rick. #euphoria #feelEUPHORIA
Rue tells him that her mom can do better and she hates seeing Rick sit in her dad’s chair. Remember, Rue’s dad died of cancer and Rue took care of him for a long time. Her story is really heartbreaking.
Rue gets a text from Jules saying she’s visiting a friend from her old school this weekend, and that is NOT helping Rue’s depression. Back to Love Island.
I better see Zendaya nominated for all the awards. Sis is acting her ass off. #EuphoriaHBO #EUPHORIA
Annnnd Rue asks Fezco for a gun. Fez is NOT playing this game. And he is NOT going to threaten Nate like Rue asked him too. Fez isn’t playing.
And Mouse is here and this is NOT good.
Fez is not happy about this and tells Rue to stay inside and stay quiet. Oh yeah, Rue was passed out last time so she has no idea what happened or why Fez is so serious.
Rue’s alone with Fez’s grandmother, who looks like she’s in a coma, and she is very tempted by those pill bottles (who are talking to her!) Rue can’t stay in that room, but nooooo she doesn’t need to see Mouse either.
Mouse is telling Fez that he needs to start moving the drugs and Rue sneaks behind them, leaving Fezco’s home. Fez is in a lot of trouble with Mouse it looks like.
Rue’s Depression Is Getting Worse, While Jules’ Vacation Takes a Twisted Turn
Meanwhile, Rue is still struggling in her “one endless and suffocating loop.” “Slowly, your brain begins to erase every memory that ever brought you joy,” Rue says, thinking of Jules. She says that life starts to feel like it’s always been this way and will always continue to be this way. That is a perfect description of depression. Your brain lies to you and makes you think things will never change and never improve. It’s rare that a show displays depression SO well.
Now we’re with Jules, who’s trying to escape the craziness of her life by going back and visiting a friend. She looks so happy and carefree. She tells her friend that it’s been a weird year and her one friend is complicated.
Julies is saying that if she can conquer men, she feels like she can conquer femininity. Interesting… Jules says she doesn’t really want to conquer femininity but more obliterate it and move on to the next level. “I don’t really know what that means or looks like…”
And now we skip quickly to a scene with Cassie telling McKay that she’s pregnant. McKay wants to know if she’s OK and she says yes, but she’s nervous about what he’s going to say.
“You’re not really thinking about having this kid are you?” He loves her, he says, but he has a lot going on in his life right now and can’t have the responsibility of a kid. But Cassie is wondering if this is what she’s supposed to do with her life. McKay, meanwhile, is worried about how his parents and coach will react. “I’m not even ready to be a dad,” he says honestly.
McKay is not helping Cassie out. He’s scaring her more then she already is. @itsAlgee @sydney_sweeney @euphoriaHBO #EUPHORIA #EuphoriaHBO #FeelEuphoria
He doesn’t want a kid, and he makes that clear. Cassie says she didn’t say she wanted a baby: “I just wanted to dream about it for a minute.”
McKay tells Cassie that she’ll be a great mother one day.
Annnnd we’re at a Kat cam scene with that creepy dude who bought her entire wishlist last time. His screen is black so she can’t see him. This dude is going to do something terrible to Kat, I just know it. He makes her undress in front of the screen and says she’s beautiful. But I know something really bad is going to come from this storyline.
Now Fez is waiting for Nate at a convenience store. He tells Nate that he really cares for Rue. “All I’m saying is leave her and her friends alone.” Nate wants to know if it’s a threat. Fez: “I’m just telling you… We’re not going to be having this conversation.”
Nate is not playing. He calls Fez names and tells him that he dropped out of school and he isn’t scared of him.
But Fez is NOT intimidated. Fez just calmly tells Nate that if he keeps messing with Rue and her friends, he’s going to kill Nate.
When Rue described depression and when Fez threatened Nat I felt that in my soul #EuphoriaHBO #EUPHORIA
OH MAN. If I had to bet on Nate or Fez, I would 100 percent bet on Fezco. Just saying. Last week I asked who could possibly put Nate in his place, and now I know.
In the next scene, we’re seeing that Rue is getting really sit because she won’t leave her room to pee. The toxins are getting pushed back into her kidneys, she says, and now she’s getting really sick. What on earth?!
Jules, meanwhile, is at a party trying to forget her life and her troubles. She tells Anna that she reminds Jules of Rue. Annnnd Anna and Jules kiss. Rue is going to be heartbroken.
Jules this ain’t it #EUPHORIA
Jules is so high that she’s hallucinating seeing Nate at a party, I think. Looks like a bad trip. Nate has on glitter and he says he’s there because Jules texted him. OK, I’m not sure if this is real or not…
“I’m scared of you Nate,” Jules says. “I’m sorry for everything,” Nate says. “You were the most beautiful person that I’ve ever known. I’m Tyler. I’m the person that you fell in love with.”
Jules screams and chokes him, saying she wants to kill him, and then they kiss.
And now she’s kissing Anna.
I think that Jules is hallucinating and she’s really with Anna, because next she hallucinates that Rue is Anna and Rue is telling her this isn’t going to end well.
Meanwhile, Nate calls the police to report a crime. I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS.
Can we please do something about Nate 😡 #euphoria
Cassie wakes up her mom and says she needs her help. Looks like she’s going to tell her that she’s pregnant.
Jules is contemplating her crazy, weird trip.
And the police arrive at Fezco’s home, where there are WAY too many drugs for Fezco to get rid of before the police break in.
Rue is collapsed on the ground.
Her mom finds her there. “What’s wrong?”
Rue can barely move. She’s saying that her therapist said these states would wax and wane and her anxiety wouldn’t always be this bad.
“I think I need to go back on medication,” Rue tells her mom.
It looks like Rue is getting better and she’s not going to turn back to drugs, her mom says. And it looks like my theory that Rue was going to die isn’t going to happen.
Rue said she didn’t realize until later that these were fixed and constant feelings she’s have for the rest of her life. :(
Next we see Jules looking despondent. She texts Rue, telling her: “You have no idea how much I missed you.” Rue’s asleep and she won’t get the message quite yet. And for a moment, I thought that Jules would jump. I am SO glad that’s not where they went with the show.
And the episode ends with the song “Every Single Night” by Fiona Apple.
The episode ends by giving us a small shred of hope: Rue might get better (kind of) and Jules is realizing how important Rue is to her. But Fezco’s life might be over and there’s still no one around to stop Nate. I’m not sure if the hope was enough, are you?
READ NEXT: Euphoria Episode 6 Review