Euphoria: Season 3 Episode 5 – Has Alamo Finally Learned Rue’s Secrets?

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Episode 5 “This Little Piggy” Recap and Details

• Director(s): Sam Levinson
• Writer(s): Sam Levinson
• Public Release Date (HBO Max): May 10, 2026
• Check out more of our “Euphoria” coverage.
• Images © of HBO

Aren’t You Happy For Me?: Cassie, Brandon, Nate, Lexi, Maddy

Between Brandon and Maddy, Cassie is making money. Granted, Maddy is working her hard, selling content, her underwear, and more, but with 50,000 subscribers, she is doing well. Heck, even Nate is benefiting with the occasional $30,000 thrown his way. It isn’t enough to get his pinky toe ripped off and ring finger cut off, but hey, you can’t fix a major f*** up in a day.

But, while things are going great for Cassie, Lexi? Maybe not so much. Note, her job is safe, but when Cassie was pulling away from Maddy, she decided to use Lexi to get Cassie back in line. Through Lexi, Maddy gets Cassie an audition at LA Nights, and while using Lexi’s name helped, Lexi’s boss also digs her.

As you can imagine, with living most of her life in Cassie’s shadow, Lexi isn’t happy, but what can she do? Cassie’s a natural, driven, and insatiable.

Don’t Waste Good Opportunities: Rue, Jules, Maddy, Alamo, Magick, Kitty, Bowman, Jimenez, Wayne, Faye, Laurie

Rue is running out of time. The feds want Laurie, including a wiretap. However, it isn’t clear how ingrained in things Alamo wants Rue anymore and Laurie? She doesn’t trust or like Rue. Luckily, though, while Faye won’t answer the phone, Wayne will, and he’ll incriminate himself on a line Bowman and Jimenez are listening to. Small wins.

But, while this buys time with the DEA, it doesn’t with Alamo. Luckily for Rue, when Alamo meets Maddy, he isn’t just distracted by her beauty but also by her business acumen. Her introducing him to the lucrative OnlyFans system has him intrigued enough to let his minions handle Rue. Leaving her to perhaps think, when Jules teased her about kissing one more time, maybe she should have just went for it.

Well, considering Jules’ sugar daddy finds Rue’s underwear, maybe more than kissing was done? Either way, despite Alamo and Rue’s relationship being on the rocks, Maddy operates as if not a bit of harm will come to her, even when she leaves a neutral place like the diner Ali meets Rue at to the Silver Slipper. There, Maddy looks over Alamo’s girls and figures Magick, and Kitty, the girl who had a train run on her, could be perfect OnlyFans models, and Alamo agrees.

Did You Know Black People Play Polo?: Alamo, Rue

As for Rue? Well, she lives through the night, but is buried up to her head. The next morning, Alamo comes riding in, with a polo stick, and we’re left to wonder if, as he increasingly becomes erratic, is he f***ing with her or truly about to knock her head off?

New Characters in Episode 5

Kitty (Anna Van Patten)

• Character Summary: Kitty is one of Alamo’s newest sex workers, whom he not only broke in, but had a train run on in episode 4. It was a lot to watch for Rue, and because of her legal situation, it seemed at one time she wanted to check if Kitty was forced into sex work. Maybe to hand the DEA another type of crime to pursue.

Bowman (William “Bill” Bodner)

• Character Summary: Bowman is Jimenez’s partner, who doesn’t interact with Rue as much. He generally lets Jimenez take the lead in playing handler.

Review and Commentary

Highlights

Cassie’s Need To Prove Her Worth [83/100]

As much as Cassie can seem like Sam Levinson’s parody of Sydney Sweeney at times, there is something beyond that. Mainly, as you come to remember, we get to see beyond the façade when it comes to Cassie. Lest we forget, her dad didn’t offer her safety, and her mom wasn’t that much better. Nate, her husband, failed to be the man she needed, and Maddy? While she has some form of masculine energy and offers some form of protection, but at the same time, she knows Maddy is exploiting her. Also, Cassie isn’t a girl’s girl.

She wants to be the most popular and desired woman in any room she steps into, and Maddy threatens that. All the while, dressing sexy but not having to be provocative. She throws off what Cassie believes is needed to obtain all she wants. So you see, there is a push and pull between needing Maddy, maybe genuinely wanting her as a friend, but also being repulsed by the fact that she is necessary for Cassie to get where she wants to.

But you know what was the key moment for me? Cassie wanting to celebrate landing a role on LA Nights and Lexi rejecting her. The only person who Cassie has a somewhat good relationship calls her selfish and can’t be happy for her. In a way, as much as you could say she is crying tears of joy at the end of that scene, likely due to being one step closer to her dream, a part of me thinks it is also hitting her how alone she is as well. As if the sacrifices she is making to feel safe may force her to give up the things she thought would, or once did, make her feel whole.

Alamo and Maddy [86/100]

One thing I came to realize in this episode is that Alexa Demie doesn’t get truly interesting characters to play off of as Maddy. Cassie, Nate? They’re adequate. Rue? It’s fun to see them interact more than they had in the first two seasons combined. But Alamo, there is something different there.

Maybe it is because Alamo enables Maddy’s dark side? Perhaps because he is older, wiser, and they both challenge each other? It’s hard to say since this is their first episode interacting. However, there is a part of me that further enjoys Alamo since he could be so one-dimensional if it wasn’t for how he is written and performed, and yet, for all the criticism Sam Levinson gets, Alamo is his best character.

I’d even say better than Rue this season, and to see him and Maddy join forces? I fully want and expect Alexa Demie and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje to get similar acclaim to Zendaya in their respective accolade categories.

Teasing The End of Rue [82/100]

I’m not against Rue dying. Wonderful character, but at the same time, she isn’t the type you imagine living to old age. She’s approximately 23 at this point, so while she may not qualify for the 27 Club, considering the overdoses, the work she did with Laurie, and how lucky she has been up till now, she’s had a good run. Granted, a polo stick to the head will feel a bit anti-climactic, but there is no perfect way to end this character’s life. You just have to make it mean something.

On The Fence

Nate’s Role [71/100]

While Cassie brings the sex, Nate brings the violence, but with Cassie, there is something deeper there. You can present that she is finding her liberation, autonomy, and building the safety net that no one, even her parents, was able to offer her through her sexuality. Nate? There is no meaning to the violence.

He just screwed up, got buried in debt to the wrong people, and now is paying the consequences. At times, it is comical, Cassie taking care of him like he was supposed to take care of her. But it also adds to how sad a life she has. Since this is the man she chose to marry, and now he constantly embarrasses her. Basically, becoming like her parents.

Lexi [74/100]

I need a Lexi-focused episode. I don’t know what they could do in it to boost her up, but I don’t like her being in the same category as Nate. Yes, she is a prude, a bit annoying, and very out of place compared to everyone else on this show. However, her being normal reminds you that Euphoria doesn’t exist in a bubble.

Heck, I would even say, she presents to everyone a sense that there is another way. That there is something to come back to after going off on the deep end. I mean, isn’t that what Rue wanted? Isn’t this sort of boring, but productive life, what Jules wants in some way? Yes, everyone is in their 20s, taking advantage of their beauty, their privilege, their youth, but eventually, they’ll all need something to fall back on, and I think Lexi represents that. The slow build of something that can be sustained versus that rush of trying to front-load your life and think what was built in your twenties can last a lifetime.

To me, she has untapped potential just because she, herself, isn’t a hot ass mess.

Overall

Our Overall Rating [79/100]

Each episode, the emotions felt shift. In this one, there is a recognition of the growing pains, not just for the characters, but also the actors, and maybe Sam Levinson, too. The actors have done bigger and some may say better things than Euphoria. So, they are bringing back those new skills and talents home.

Sam Levinson did The Idol, which was more controversial than anything seen on Euphoria, and also made the HIGHLY underrated Malcolm & Marie with Zendaya. Nothing can stay the same forever, and with being exposed to so much outside of Euphoria, it is easy to see all the inspiration and more being injected.

Of which, for some, like Alamo, who feels like a Quentin Tarantino character, you can see some of the best parts. However, for the series regulars, it can be said that some feel forced to grow, others are fighting it, and very few are embracing it. Which makes each episode a bit of a crap shot since you know the baseline quality, but aren’t exactly sure if this will be the episode where that character or this one will exceed expectations.

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