'Euphoria' Ep 3. Review and Recap

The third episode of the HBO series Euphoria titled "Made You Look," is centered around the character Kat. In the previous episodes, a video of Kat having sex is leaked, but it quickly goes away. The show ends with Kat on her laptop looking at the video of her on a porn site, and being surprised by the amount of views and positive comments she received. She then is seen clicking on a site where it reads, "Get money for camming." Other information that you need to know before watching the episode is that Rue and Jules have started a very close friendship, but Rue still struggles to stay sober. As Rue and Jules are getting closer Jules begins to talk to some random guy online who is revealed at the end of episode 2 to be Nate.

Kat's backstory

Just like the previous episodes there is a backstory based on the character. The show opens up with a backstory of Kat drinking pina coladas and gaining 20 pounds at the beginning of 6th grade. The scenes really show you what shaped Kat into the shy and closed off person she is today. The flashback which is narrated by Rue ends in Kat twerking in lingerie and posting it online. To me, I don't understand how she went from being traumatized by her video being leaked to showing off her body and twerking. After the video is posted she receives messages from guys thus making her dive deeper into the life of internet porn and fetishes. She ends up receiving $100 and doing her first session with a creepy old man who gets turned on by being humiliated. This really confused me, because I don't get her motives for doing this. Usually girls go into these things because they are desperate for money, but with a laptop and a family that can pay for a vacation, this is not the case for Kat. I definitely feel like there are better ways to build confidence, but of course those ways don't make a good TV show. That scene with Kat face timing that old man really brings up the question where the hell are her parents?

Rue and Drugs

Rue reaches the accomplishment of being 2 weeks sober, but tells her NA group she's been sober for 60 days. Her motivation for these 14 days without drugs is Jules who says she, "doesn't want to be best friends with someone who is going to kill themselves." After telling her NA group a sob story about "being sober," what I would call an old head in the drug game Ali approaches Rue and calls her out on her bull. His insight and clear experience on what Rue is going through make her question her choices and how they are affecting the people around her. One of these people being Rue's little sister Gia. Of course Rue goes back to her addict ways, after kissing Jules. She goes to her kind hearted dealer Fez who doesn't let her inside no matter how much she begs. I really love this scene because it shows Rue hitting her rock bottom and spewing hateful comments to Fez who stands on the other side of the door as Rue screams for him to open it. While this is a very dramatic scene it does lead Rue to do the right thing and call Ali.

Jules and Shy guy

Like I said before Jules spends most of this episode infatuated by this mystery guy she is talking to. We already know the guy is Nate and I find it weird that Nate knows Jules's name, but she doesn't know his, or at least his real name. Jules ends up asking Rue to help her take nudes for Tyler, and Rue doesn't object. From Kat signing up for a porn website to Jules taking nudes these teens clearly need a lesson on the child pornography laws in California. Hopefully the show shines light on this later in the series and the consequences that come with sharing those type of pictures, so teens watching know to be careful. Moreover on Nate's side of the phone Maddie finds his several compromising pictures and like anyone else would, she gets weirded out. She then proceeds to tell Kat, and Kat might have sworn to keep her mouth shut, but I doubt that's going to happen. Other than that Nate, Tyler, or Shy guy whatever you want to call him agrees to meet Jules, and Rue doesn't get as excited as Jules.

Review and Ending

In the end Kat gets a change in wardrobe and transforms into some bad ass cam girl. Rue finally asks for help with her addiction, and Jules is still smitten with Nate and his text messages. The episode was good and didn't lack any suspense or shocking events. What I liked most about this episode is that relied more on the characters true emotions rather than shock factor. As of episode 3 of Euphoria I feel like I actually made a connection with most of the characters. This episode my favorite character was Fez for showing he cares about Rue, and not letting her hurt herself. I hope to see more in regards to Fez and Rue's relationship.