Religion isn’t a new part of the Euphoria story, but Rue’s acceptance of a higher power adds a new compelling ingredient to the mix that comes into focus in “Stand Still And See.” The brief return of Rue’s mother, Leslie, is a reminder that Rue embracing theology is new. Previously, Rue rejected the idea that her father’s death happened for a reason and that this profound loss was part of God’s plan. Even in her adolescent anger, Rue did find some aspects of religion appealing, illustrating the roots of her current outlook. “Say what you want about Christians, at least they believe in forgiveness,” a mid-withdrawal Rue told her mother in season two. In the present, all Rue wants is redemption and salvation; to find greater meaning in the mess she finds herself in. While much of the symbolism in Euphoria is heavy-handed, the overall thrust of this week’s central plotting showcases Zendaya’s talent for playing Rue’s inner conflict and her capacity for hope in the face of challenging circumstances.
All Rue wants is good old-fashioned American problems. The kind that she equates with having a family to look out for. Take the children out of the equation, and she’s up against the same obstacles as the average American: She has debts to pay, a boss who demands too much, dreams of something more, and a love life in shambles. Her woes are on the more extreme end of the spectrum, but they’re not unique. For a brief moment, Rue thinks things are back on with Jules (“Stand Still And See” confirms that they did hook up), and her contentment is an illusion. As Rue had done in the past, she put everything into this relationship, treating it as her salvation. Jules has zero desire to repeat this pattern, though their argument this week does resemble ones from the past (just switch out a sugar daddy for season-two dud love interest Elliot).
As has been the case all season, Hunter Schafer continues to do a lot with the very little she’s given, signaling Jules’ brewing anger at Rue’s judgmental comments first through her expressive brushstrokes, and then when she slaps Rue. There is no immediate softening after this; her fuming expression, followed by her ordering Rue to leave, is straight to the point. Rue knocking over Jules’ work-in-progress as she falls would be a visual gag fit for a silent comedy if it weren’t so sad. “I suggest you get the fuck out of my painting,” Jules orders Rue, who lies in a heap. In the wideshot, the cityscape outside Jules’s lavish apartment resembles the one Cassie stomped through in a giant fetish fantasy last week. Considering Rue has just pulled apart the fantasy life Jules is living, the connection is worth mentioning.
That it takes an argument with Jules to get Rue to a place where she can verbalize regret is another case of Levinson reaching for the hits that made viewers fall for the series in the first place. The centerpiece of this is when Rue ends up in a church and is surprised to get a phone call from her mother (not the DEA posing as her mother in her phone contacts). The combination of Zendaya’s raw delivery and cinematographer Marcell Rév’s use of light—including the gorgeous stained-glass windows—makes this scene one of the best of this entire third season. One-sided phone call acting can become overacting quite easily, but Zendaya avoids that trap, even if Levinson’s dialogue leaves little room for nuance. It’s times like this that make me glad I did a Euphoria rewatch ahead of the third season, because this conversation hits hard on the difficult relationship between mother and daughter that was a larger part of seasons one and two. Yes, there was a flashback in the second episode of a broken, crying Rue leaving her mom a voicemail, but that can only fill in so many gaps.
At first, I thought the entire conversation would be from Rue’s perspective, hearing nothing from the other end of the line, so when the scene finally cuts to Leslie sitting in the Bennetts’ familiar dining room, the impact is more acute. Rue says she’s coming home, which I imagine Leslie has heard many times before. The look of concern is nothing new, but it reads as more significant later on when we learn that Bishop called Leslie (which likely prompted Leslie to reach out).
That detail reframes the entire phone call. Signs can be seen everywhere if you look for them, but is it less divine if Bishop’s less-than-divine motives prompted Leslie’s call? Bishop only mentions talking to Leslie after he gives Rue the origin story of the Silver Slipper’s python, which ends with the snake sizing up its original owner for its next meal. (Moral of the story: You never know someone’s true intentions until it’s too late) It’s a direct warning that Rue’s actions will have consequences— for her and her mother. I also worry that Bishop knows the DEA is spoofing Leslie’s number, since Alamo’s guys took her phone at the end of last week’s episode. Perhaps the big meeting with Laurie is part of the ruse, and the rat Bishop got Rue to feed to the snake is a tell that he knows.
Even if Bishop hasn’t clocked Rue’s ulterior motives, she’s back in the firing line with an assignment to steal everything Laurie’s crew took from the Silver Slipper. It’s one calamity after another, but at least the drive gives her more time to listen to the Bible. Previously, Rue was stopped by the DEA just as she got to the verse about the burning bush. Now, she experiences a version of this in real life. An issue with the audiobook CD causes Rue to swerve into the path of a truck, but she course-corrects before disaster strikes and drives off the road. It’s here that a bush (or Joshua tree in this case—which is a whole other layer of religious iconography) sets alight, and Rue drops to her knees. Again, subtlety is not Levinson’s strong suit. Is this God showing his divine presence as he did when Alamo shot the apple on her head? Or simply a coincidence based on dry terrain and a spark from Rue’s car? Whereas last week’s cliffhanger didn’t make me concerned for Rue’s life, I don’t quite know how Rue will respond to this so-called sign from God.
Of the three overarching storylines in “Stand Still And See,” Rue’s has the strongest throughline. But the opening flashback is a reminder of how efficient Euphoria is at using the past to illuminate a character’s behavior in the present. I don’t think anyone is surprised that Alamo’s entire outlook is rooted in his childhood—or, more specifically, his mother. The 11-minute opener ends with Rue’s signature narration summing up Alamo’s motivations succinctly: “Never again would a bitch outsmart him.” The stench of misogyny is strong. The sequence of events also fits the Euphoria pattern of messed-up childhoods that lead to crime (see also: Fezco taking over the family business from his grandmother). Here, a young Alamo experiences the summer of his life, only to have his mother destroy his happiness as part of a long con.
Casting is a key ingredient in Euphoria’s special sauce, even for small guest star roles, and “Stand Still And See” gets an extra kick from Danielle Deadwyler’s portrayal of Alamo’s mom. Deadwyler deftly depicts the cruelty of her character’s scheme and the shred of guilt as she wipes away a tear in church. In other hands, Alamo’s mom would be a one-note operator, but Deadwyler adds complexity even if Alamo can see none.
The trust issues Alamo exhibits in the present are warranted, seeing as Rue is double-crossing him (though not for the reasons he suspects). He’s also prickly about the deal with Maddy. The intersection of their business interests continues this week, but Maddy doesn’t have much to do. She wants to take Kitty and Magick out, so she needs them to have time off from the club, but Alamo immediately vetoes it. Little does Maddy know that Cassie is about to quit, but none of this conflict is shown. Given their history and the fact that Maddy only got Cassie the L.A. Nights audition to keep her as her client, this is one fight I hope doesn’t fizzle.
Disjointed storytelling remains a problem this season, and OnlyFans entering the Silver Slipper world hasn’t rectified that issue. “Stand Still And See” is stronger than previous weeks because while those flaws still exist, the individual scenes are more compelling, even when there is tonal whiplash. Take the shift from Rue’s emotional journey with religion to Cassie thanking God after she gets a much bigger part on L.A. Nights. Only Cassie could get a larger role in a show from improvising dialogue based on her own disastrous marriage. Talk about failing up. The moment Cassie has to delete her OnlyFans account is hilarious, with Sydney Sweeney fully leaning into Cassie’s terror at hitting that button. The disconnect between genres comes from Nate’s ongoing disaster, which remains a sideshow afterthought. There are strong farce vibes as Nate stomps all over the flowers he blames for his predicament, but I don’t know how much humor is intended. Nate’s loser streak persists, and now Cassie is being sent his finger (and wedding ring) in the mail. If anyone needs an intervention from on high, it is Nate. God has many prayers to answer as the third season of Euphoria nears its conclusion.
Stray observations
- • Lexi tries to shame her sister by bringing up OnlyFans, but that only makes Cassie sound more compelling to Patty. But it isn’t all thorns for Lexi, because she’s given the opportunity to write an episode of L.A. Nights. It seems likely that Lexi will be putting a lot of their lives into the storyline again.
- • “If someone doesn’t die periodically, people get bored,” Gillie says to Lexi about killing off Cassie’s character in L.A. Nights. This sure sounds like foreshadowing to me, but who has the biggest target on their back?
- • Alamo tells Maddy that he designed the Silver Slipper “right down to the last piece of fabric,” and the retro feel directly links back to his mother’s taste in the flashback, with production designer François Audouy nailing that connection (the same goes for Alamo’s home).
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