This article was published on February 7 and updated on February 8
Let's cut to the chase. We all agree Zendaya deserves another Emmy after episode 5 of Euphoria's second season, correct?
Spoilers are ahead. I warned you!
The episode gets straight to point, kicking off with a flaring argument between Rue and her mother, Leslie (Nika King), who secretly disposed of Rue's drugs.
Agitated by troubling withdrawal symptoms, Rue lashes out at her support system, spiraling minute by minute.
After insulting Leslie and upsetting her constantly-emotional sister Gia (Storm Reid), Rue frantically breaks down doors and furniture alike in hopes of stumbling across her drug-filled suitcase until she's reminded that they're long gone, flushed down the toilet by Leslie and Jules (Hunter Schafer).
Post-rage, Rue encounters Jules and Elliot (Dominic Fike) in the living room. Now, it's a party (well, I guess intervention).
Zendaya steps into her acting bag, channeling an immensely frustrated Rue who can't hold back, calling Elliot a "snake" and telling a teary-eyed Jules that she only "loves being loved."
But, did Rue lie, though?
Rue's quest to curb her withdrawal pales in comparison to the looming menace of Laurie (Martha Kelly), the dealer who calmly threatens to kidnap Rue if she fails to pay back the since-flushed drugs.
If you're a fan of the show, Laurie's lack of emotion and monotone voice is absolutely terrifying.
The best tweet of the night goes to @lina_vssfae, who perfectly describes Laurie's character.
Crying uncontrollably, Rue eventually gives in to her mother's wishes of going to the hospital.
Then, we're back to action: perhaps hallucinatorily assuming that she's going to rehab again, Rue leaps from the moving car, bobbing and weaving through traffic as cars crash around her.
My jaw was floored for the remainder of the show. Like, Rue, what are you doing?
Rue sprints for her life in her charcoal Andrew 2wo2imes tee, jeans, and Chuck Taylors, breaking down emotionally and physically with each stride.
Breaking down? Maybe I should say "breaking in." Sly grinning directly into the camera, Rue breaks into an unknown, but clearly well-off, couple's home where she lifts fine jewelry pieces and a wad of cash.
Before hitting the residence, Rue also visits (and steals from) her friends' households, wreaking havoc at Lexi (Maude Apatow) and Fez (Angus Cloud)'s abodes.
How bad did it get? Well, say goodbye to the Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) and Nate (Jacob Elordi) fling. Rue spilled the beans on the secret rendezvous in front of everyone, including Maddie (Alexa Demie), instantly incited to throw blows at a distressed Cassie, who runs away (remember when she claimed to be "crazier" than Maddie? Go figure)
Lexi, quietly observing the unraveling chaos, now has an award-winning production on her hands.
What else can go wrong, right? Well, everything else, basically. We're talking about Euphoria here.
Rue ends up in a Temple Run chase with the cops. She ends up at Laurie's lair, where Rue escapes Laurie's attempts to trap her inside and again takes to the pavement.
The nail-biting episode ends when the door to Rue's home swings open and her mother anxiously asks, "Rue?"
Throughout the entire episode, people commented on Zendaya's ovation-worthy acting.
Her hysterical laughter between the heated confrontations and convincing display of physical deterioration made me believe she was really Rue Bennett. From the opening scene to her near-death breakdown at Laurie's place, Zendaya delivered a award-winning performance.
Angus Cloud, who plays Fez on Euphoria, agrees, tweeting, "GIVE ZENDAYA HER EMMY NOW!"
Before airing, Zendaya shared an interview where she spoke on Rue's journey.
"I think in this show, and this season more specifically, she hits rock bottom," she said. It's my hope for people watching that they will see her as a person worthy of their love. And worthy of their time, and that she has a redemptive quality still, and that we still see the good in her even if she can't see it in herself."
In 2020, Zendaya made history as she became the youngest person ever to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Last week, Euphoria got renewed for a third season so we ought to begin preparing to get even more stressed out for many Sundays to come.
The HBO television drama series caught backlash from D.A.R.E., the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program that so many of us sat through in elementary school. They're not just an ironic T-shirt brand!
Following the premiere of the second season, the organization claimed that Euphoria romanticizes and "erroneously depict high school student drug use, addiction, anonymous sex, violence, and other destructive behaviors as common and widespread in today's world."
Zendaya rightfully defended her show in response.
"Our show is in no way a moral tale to teach people how to live their life or what they should be doing," she said in an interview. "If anything, the feeling behind Euphoria, or whatever we have always been trying to do with it, is to hopefully help people feel a little bit less alone in their experience and their pain ."
