‘Euphoria’ Crowns Two New Superstars In Its Penultimate Episode

After the opening of Euphoria last night, I remember groaning and going “oh is this just going to be Lexi’s play, isn’t it?” Little did I know, Euphoria should not be doubted, and the result was a blend of fiction and reality, comedy and tension, and a rare elevation for two underlooked members of the series’ cast.

It was indeed Lexi’s play, which seemed in casting like it was just mainly going to be about ragging on her sister, Cassie, but in practice, actually was a smart, funny, emotional look at the life of a group of teenage girls. “It’s about friendship,” Lexi tells Fezco. “Who wouldn’t like that?” he says.

The reality of Euphoria often matches the fiction of Euphoria. As in Lexi, played by Maude Apatow, is often overshadowed by Cassie, Sydney Sweeney, who is more intimately involved in the main storylines while Lexi is a peripheral character (though it should comfort fans that the two are best friends in real life). But this week it was Lexi’s moment to shine, as we see her come alive in a way she never has before. Her play, at least so far, is a rousing success, getting everyone in the audience laughing and crying except for Nate and Cassie, the main targets. But even there, she’s not being overly biting, and as they tend to do, they’re taking everything way too personally.

So if one character grabbing the spotlight this week is Lexi, director and star, the other is her co-star, Ethan, played by Austin Abrams.

Ethan has always been a bit of an odd character in Euphoria. He was actually one of the only actors I recognized before this (besides Zendaya), as he’s shown up in everything from The Walking Dead to This is Us to starring in Netflix’s Dash and Lily. But even more so than Lexi, he’s been a background character, Kat’s nice guy boyfriend who earlier this season, she broke up with because he was “boring.”

Well, who’s boring now, Kat?

Abrams, as Ethan, absolutely devoured the play, having pretty much every major male role (and a few female ones) including Lexi and Cassie’s dad, and Nate Jacobs himself. This culminates in an absolutely frenetic, Tom Holland Umbella-ish performance of “I Need a Hero” where Ethan and a host of shirtless jock actors gyrate in the gym to the delight of the audience. In Euphoria, plays do not have budgets, nor do they need to be approved by school administration, after all. In short, Ethan absolutely crushed this episode, and I’m really happy to see him have his moment in the sun.

The episode ends with a rare “to be continued” badge, as we abort right before it appears that Cassie is about to seek revenge on her sister for her play somehow making Nate kick her out of his house. And of course we all want to know what’s going to happen to Fezco and Ashtray, as the rising tension during those scenes where it seems like the cops are about to raid them has everyone fearing for their lives. We already know Fezco misses the play, and previews for next week are…concerning, to say the least.

Anyway, in a season that has featured shockingly great performances from its usual leads, Rue, Cassie, Nate, etc, it’s great to see Lexi and Ethan have their glorious moment here. Next Sunday cannot come soon enough.

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