Euphoria's coming-of-age plotlines make it one of HBO's most popular new shows of the newer generation. Featuring an all-star cast, led primarily by Rue (Zendaya, The Greatest Showman) and Jules's (Hunter Shafer) whirlwind relationship, the characters are highly relatable to any high schooler in the 2020s.
Jules starts as a new girl in town, attached to a lot of mystery surrounding her backstory. Although she has had her hardships growing up as a transgender woman and struggled immensely fitting in, she still has her disappointing moments throughout the series towards the people she truly cares about.
Felt Bad: Her Relationships With Older Men
Episode 1 shows Jules in a motel with an older, married, cisgender male who is ready to engage in sexual activity with her. The viewers later find out that this man is Cal, who is her classmate Nate's dad, and it's clear that Jules feels very lonely in these connections.
Jules admits that she does not care to be in these unsafe situations since she feels like she is not even a part of her own body.
Hated: Leaving Rue To Run Away To The City
A spontaneous trip to the city for Rue and Jules turns into something a lot more tragic. It was evident that Rue had become dependent on her relationship with Jules, as her happiness was equivalent to her sobriety. After expressing that she wanted to go into the city, Rue began to have second thoughts as this was going to worry her family.
Jules was ready to leave town and begged Rue to join. When Rue did not commit, Jules hops on the train on her own and has no intention of coming back.
Felt Bad: Not Having A Connection With Her Mom
It is revealed that Jules does not have any type of relationship with her mother, who is a drug addict and very absent from her life.
In addition to her substance issues, her mom was responsible for institutionalizing Jules in a special center for children. This traumatized Jules for years as she struggled with her true identity.
Hated: Mixed Signals At The Halloween Party
This episode featured a lot of epic moments, but one that fans will always remember is the number of mixed signals Jules gave Rue. Even after a kissing scene underwater in a swimming pool, Jules continues to push Rue away and do her own thing, even giving some attitude and overdrinking in the process.
It is later that audiences find out that this behavior is mainly caused by a blackmail threat from Nate, but it is still frustrating as a fan of the show to see Jules treat Rue this way.
Felt Bad: Having To Face Cal At The Carnival
After Jules's interaction with Cal in episode 1, audiences find them reconnecting in the carnival episode where Cal and his family are running the chili booth. Rue doesn't believe Jules when she connects the dots at the carnival about Cal being the guy from the motel, but she quickly changes her mind when Jules walks up to Cal and talks to him.
She orders some chili and initiates a casual conversation, only to cause Cal to freeze up and become so shaky that he drops his entire chili on the ground. Cal ends up running to find her in fear of being blackmailed.
Hated: Brushing Off Rue In Public
Rue and Jules's relationship finally seemed like a genuine one, as the viewers see Rue take Jules to a public skate ring with her childhood friend, Lexi. The three girls seem to have an amazing time together until Lexi confides in Jules about what Rue has been saying about their relationship.
She shares that Rue has seemed a lot better since they started to date, which immediately makes Jules shut down and brush off the seriousness of their relationship. She acted weirdly towards Rue for the rest of the night, causing Rue to feel hurt and confused.
Felt Bad: Nate's Treatment Of Her
After weeks of talking to Tyler over text, Jules gets the chance to meet him at the carnival in a secluded area, only to learn that her crush was Nate the entire time. At first, Nate is ready to hook up with her, as he admits how much of a connection he feels with her.
Quickly, he flips on her when she doesn't want to engage in anything sexual with him. This leads to Nate blackmailing Jules for producing and sending child pornography on school property, which he holds over her head for the rest of the series.
Hated: Hooking Up With Anna In The City
A night for Jules to hang out with old friends turned into a night of clubbing and getting high. Jules ends up hooking up with her friend Anna while knowing that Rue was miserable at home.
Although Jules ended up texting Rue saying how much she missed her by the end of the night, it was still disappointing for viewers to see this hook-up happen after experiencing their chemistry and happiness together.
Felt Bad: Her Revelations To Her Therapist
In a special episode of the series, audiences get to see a deeper side of Jules as she sits in with a therapist for her first session.
Jules shares a lot of vulnerable things, including her feeling of responsibility for Rue's recovery, her strained relationship with her mom, and her urge to stop taking hormones. This inside glance into Jules's issues makes viewers realize that she is struggling more than one may think.
Hated: The Aftermath Of Rue And Jules's Kiss
Constant scenes of sexual tension finally led to Rue and Jules sharing a kiss. Rue quickly ran out of the room in embarrassment and went home, while Jules stood frozen with a strange look on her face.
Rue reached out to apologize, although it seemed clear that Jules was not sure how she felt about taking their relationship to this level. Although they did reunite at the carnival, Rue and Jules shippers everywhere were disappointed with Jules's reaction.