Starring cast member of HBO's Euphoria, Zendaya, has teased that the end of season 2 will offer fan-favorite, Rue Bennett, redemption and hope. Based on the Israeli television drama of the same name, the popular HBO series premiered in June 2019 and became a critically acclaimed hit for the network, receiving immense praise for its cinematography, writing, performances, and handling of tough subjects. The series is currently on its second season, which airs every Sunday, on both cable television and HBO Max, at 9 p.m. EST/PST.
Euphoria follows an ensemble cast of teenagers, who span across various upbringings and social circles as they navigate the difficult worlds of addiction, mental illness, love, sex, and identity. Joining Zendaya within the star-studded cast includes the likes of Eric Dane, Sydney Sweeney, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Hunter Schafer, Alexa Demie, and Jacob Elordi. The character of Rue is known to fans of the show as a severely struggling drug addict, particularly with her latest relapse, which did not give them much hope for her future.
In an all-female cast interview with The Cut, Zendaya teased the many things to come within the final two episodes of the season and what they could possibly mean for Rue moving forward. Particularly, the young actress vaguely mentioned how creator, Sam Levinson, originally wanted a much darker ending for the character by the end of the season before deciding to change it in order to inject some kind of hope into the series. Throughout the rest of the interview, Zendaya and the other actresses of the show all shared their thoughts on their own characters' journeys and what the rest of the season will hold for them. Read Zendaya's comments below:
The ending of the season was going to be very different and then halfway through, Sam and I were like, ‘We just can’t leave Rue here. We gotta put some fucking hope in this show.’ Episode eight is where we’ll get that sense of redemption, that you aren’t the worst thing you’ve ever done in your life. I think Rue deserves it, and I think anyone who suffers with the same thing she does deserves it.
As previously mentioned, Euphoria is known for taking on extremely tough topics that many other television series' today would go out of their way to avoid, and they are commemorated for that aspect. However, even fans of the show have admitted that watching characters be subjected to such depressing actions constantly adds a downbeat element to the show, so much so that viewers may feel as though there is no point to root for these characters. Rue herself has been a perfect example of this, consistently falling back into relapse several times while others believe she has finally gone clean from drug use.
With this news of Rue's possible redemption from a direct source, audiences can rest assured that there is now some kind of light at the end of the tunnel for this character and her storyline. Furthermore, a feeling of such hope for a particularly low character can translate onto other characters, granting viewers hope for each of them to get their individual happy endings at some point down the line. The penultimate episode of Euphoria airs on February 27.
Source: The Cut