Euphoria: Season 2/ Episode 6 “A Thousand Little Trees of Blood” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Alongside a Fexi moment, Ethan and Kat finally have that conversation, Nate reminds us he is his father’s demon seed, and Ali comes back in the picture and engages Gia.

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Aired	2/13/2022
Network	HBO
Directed By	Sam Levinson
Written By	Sam Levinson

Recap

Reverse Psychology – Ethan, Kat

Kat doesn’t have it in her to break up with Ethan, so she decides to make a conversation so unbearable between the two that he would pull the trigger, and she’d get to be the victim. Because throwing away a decent guy like Ethan? She doesn’t want to seem like the crazy one or the idiot. She needs him to hold that narrative for this to work and justify her actions. Especially considering her daily dose of insecurities.

Dreams Don’t Become Reality Based On Prayers and Good Deeds – Nate, Marsha, Maddy, Samantha, Cassie, Jules, Kat

Nate and Maddy are at crossroads. For Maddy, she isn’t sure what to do about her situation. Cassie betrayed her trust, Nate hit a new low, and while Kat is okay to talk to, she just provides the ability to vent. She isn’t about talking Maddy off the ledge or providing solutions. Especially the kind which won’t put Maddy in jail.

Luckily for her, Samantha, the person Maddy works for, gets it. Like Maddy, she questioned how lovable she was or is and her ability to find someone like her husband. To have a life that no one really thought she could have or deserved. Because, as a teenager, and young adult, Samantha liked to fight and was messy. I’m talking about being in Cassie’s situation, kind of messy. Of course, this isn’t something Maddy wants to hear, but she finds some solace in knowing that despite all the drama that is her life, she can get the life she wants and deserves in time.

However, she still has to deal with Nate to get that life. Someone who seemingly thought, with his dad gone, he could get some form of normalcy. But Marsha makes it clear Nate is not normal. Something snapped around 8 or 9 in Marsha’s eyes (episode 2 of season 1 notes Nate saw his father’s porn at 11 – maybe Rue was off?), and he hasn’t been the same since then. Which has long worried Marsha but with Cal not believing in therapy, here is Nate.

This is not what Nate wanted or needed to hear, yet it enables him to do what he needs to protect his dream. He wants that dream of Cassie pregnant, in love with him, and bliss. So, with a gun in hand, he causes a massive amount of trauma to get Maddy to give up the disc and weirdly hands it to Jules for safekeeping. Following that, he picks up Cassie, who has been getting on her family’s nerves for days and brings her home. To which Marsha says nothing since it seems she’d rather Cassie than Maddy any day, so she is counting her blessings.

Enjoy These Moments While They Last – Lexi, Fez, Ali, Custer, Gia, Leslie, Rue, Faye

With all that is going on in her home and the people she knows more so Cassie’s friends, Lexi turns to Fez since he is separated from everything. He appreciates this, since he does have a crush, and the two talk about her drama, her play, and watch “Stand By Me” together. Which results in them singing to each other and holding hands on the couch.

Sadly, unbeknownst to Fez, Custer is ready to turn on him, and he warns Faye he is about to do this. For with the cops wanting to solve Mouse’s murder, Custer isn’t going down for Fez or Ashtray. So the next time he is over, he’ll have a wire and set them up to be taken down.

Which brings us to Rue. It isn’t clear how many days pass after her being on the run, but she goes through the hellacious part of withdrawal, and with slowly becoming a better version of herself, she makes amends with Ali, who decides to come over and cook dinner for Rue’s family. In the process of this, he pays special attention to Gia and makes her feel seen, heard, and gives her space to be honest about her emotions. Which is aided by the fact Ali is by no means cruel but honest about Rue’s recovery and chances.

Yet, in allowing this family dynamic, all parties get what they need. Rue gets her champion back in her life, Leslie is reminded of what was once normal and even gets a sign things could become better through Ali’s sobriety. Also, for once in a very long time, Gia is also given a chance to have a normal family where two parents are joking about, with her able to join in safely, and Rue isn’t a violent and hot mess. She is just her big sister who loves her, cares for her, and is but another source of affection.

And to top it off, Rue actively asks about Gia’s life, and it seems, after rehab, Gia will open up again after numbing herself to her sister for so long. That is if Leslie can find an inpatient place for Rue.

Collected Quote(s) & .Gifs

I thought it, I felt it, I said it.
— Rue

No one would forget the trauma of me not being clean.
—Rue

Reducing someone’s life to a moment, an ugly moment, and punishing them for it. That’s what cops do.
— Rue

[…] the hour is certain to come. So we must forgive graciously.
— Ali

He gave me just the right amount of attention at the wrong time.
— Samantha

Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. What makes Nate think Jules won’t screw him over? Especially when she hears about what Nate did to Maddy?
2. How much time passed between the last episode and this one?
3. Okay, did this episode take place in one day or multiple days?

What Could Happen Next

1. THE NEXT EPISODE IS THE PLAY!

Review

Highlights

A Fexi Moment

We all need something pure. Euphoria is a lot to watch, even if none of the drama or trauma triggers something in your past. So to watch Lexi and Fez talk on the couch, cry over an old movie, and the most Fez can muster himself to do is take Lexi’s hand? IT IS TOO CUTE!

Granted, it really does make me wonder has Fez had any quality time with women, never mind if he was traumatized by what his dad exposed him to. But, the point is, Lexi is just his speed, and both parties seemingly get to be themselves and find love despite the way they thought their lives were going.

Ending The Ethan and Kat Relationship

I just wanted it to be over. I don’t know what is going on with Kat and the character, but if ending the Ethan thing meant not having her hem and haw about him, I’m okay with it. Now, can we please move on to something else in her life which could propel her storyline forward? Be it having a Hot Girl phase or something else?

How Intense That Nathan and Maddy Moment Was

Maddy loves Nate. She knows it is toxic, he is toxic, and she is toxic when she is with him. But that was her first love, her first relationship, and the intensity of that is like when she fights people. That high in the short term is beautiful, even if in the long term the consequences are not. Yet, while love can survive despite bruising and scars, it can’t when there is nothing to go back to.

In my mind, Nate wanted to break the cycle, and the only way to do that was to show himself to Maddy as someone who didn’t deserve her love, forgiveness and couldn’t/ shouldn’t be redeemed. That he would take her to hell, without question, and it won’t be a fair fight. There will be no back and forth or him holding back. He will drag her till she loses every last hair follicle. Because that is how Nate finds freedom. He finds it in painful, traumatic moments where he can be unbridled and desired once that is over, which is his safe space.

So here is hoping with Cassie and having a fresh start, maybe he might live up to this dream he has in his head about who he truly can be. For just as much as Rue and Leslie need some form of hope to survive, it seems Nate is riding on Cassie being that to justify continuing to live.

Ali’s Vicarious Living

Ali’s connection with Rue will always be rooted in his lack thereof relationship with his own daughters. She is the gift of fate that goes beyond redemption but allows him to live vicariously. This is why Gia is treated as she is. For Ali, this kid, sitting alone, unseen and feeling silenced, is just like Rue. She doesn’t have a dad, is going through stuff, and needs someone’s attention, and Ali is there. So he gets to play the dad, and unlike with Rue, it doesn’t mean playing a father figure in the form of emotional labor. With Gia, he can just have the fun of joking around, cooking, and getting deep sometimes, but not necessarily having to expose himself to connect.

And there is a certain joy in seeing this. He can be what everyone needs and, connecting it with Maddy and many others, show that he is still lovable despite his past, maybe even his present. Ali still can charm a woman, earn the love of a child, and not have to ask or beg for a place in someone’s life. He can get a warm invite, a smile, and a thank you. Even if he doesn’t open up his wallet, his presence still has value.

Which for someone at his point of sobriety, is probably the best high Ali can get.

The Normalization of Feelings & Mistakes

What the episode tries to do, overall, is make it clear a lot of feelings are normal. Maddy and Ali are unsure about how lovable they are and fear they may not find that same joy they once had, even if the situation was toxic. Gia and Lexi, with being the quieter sibling, have been overlooked and almost feel like they should hesitate to say anything, for it might make the situation worse. Yet, they too have feelings and miss the sibling who is no longer the person they admired and grew up with.

When it comes to Fez, a part of me wonders if, like Kat, he isn’t sure about why someone would want him? He isn’t the smartest person, not the coolest. He tries but is never sure if that is enough. Yet, like Lexi and Gia, all he wants is to be seen, heard, and loved. Nothing over the top. You don’t have to make a grand gesture. Quality time is all they want and just the ability to be themselves without judgement.

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