Euphoria season 3: What happens in the finale episode 'In God We Trust'?

Warning: Major spoilers ahead

Euphoria has officially come to an end following a rather explosive S3 finale, which saw three major deaths, and an unexpected, wholesome cameo from a cast member past.

To recap, this season takes place five years after the events of season two, and the group have left high school.

Cassie's (Sydney Sweeney) OnlyFans career took off and subsequently flatlined when she landed a role on LA Nights, forcing her to delete her account. But, unfortunately for her, her new venture would prove unlucrative, after she gets dropped from the show, leaving her with no income at all, all while trying to pay Nate's debts.

Meanwhile, her new, yet estranged husband (played by Jacob Elordi) has seemingly been losing more fingers and toes every episode thanks to the aforementioned eye-watering sum of money he owes. That is, until things come to a head in episode seven, when he's buried underground by his debt collectors with nothing but a pipe to breathe out of - except, a rattlesnake gets to him before Cassie can, marking our first major death of the season.

Maddy (Alexa Demie) is taking her role as an adult model agent more seriously, even convincing Silver Slipper owner Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) to let her manage some of his best dancers, enlisting his help when she needs to recoup Nate's debt money for Cassie.

Not only that, but prior to the finale, she's pretty much the only thing standing between Alamo killing Rue (Zendaya), who also happens to be relaying information to the police about his operation, to keep herself out of jail; which Maddy appears to accidentally confess.The finale episode, titled 'In God We Trust', ties up the stories of all the main cast - which, of course, means not everyone gets their happy ending.

So, what happened in the Euphoria season 3 finale?

Let's recap.

Picking up where episode seven left off, it opens with Faye (Chloe Cherry) screaming for Wayne (Toby Wallace) to wake up as Rue (Zendaya) robs the safe. After knocking Faye out and injuring Wayne's knee, she manages to escape just as he grabs his gun and begins shooting.

Harley (James Landry Hébert) chases her across the farm on horseback, eventually grabbing Rue by the ankles using a lasso, dragging her down the dirt track.

Just when it appears like this could be the start of Rue's demise, G (Marshawn Lynch) appears, shooting Harley and driving her away to safety.

Rue makes it back to Alamo (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) with the driving licenses from the safe. As a token of his appreciation, he gives Rue the week off, a bag of cash, a bottle of pills, and splits two Percocets with her. She heads back to Ali's house and contemplates the pills Alamo gave her, before listening to her Bible audiobook.

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We then see Mitch and Eddy driving two of the girls, including Kitty (complete with new BBL), over the border from the plastic surgeon - with fentanyl beneath their feet ready to make a deal with Laurie.

However, while they're on the way to Laurie's farm, the DEA surround the area, prompting panic from the kingpin and her right-hand men.

Wayne and Faye have already rode off into the sunset, but it would appear time is up for Laurie, Bruce, and Bruce Sr.

While the latter give themselves up to the cops, Laurie decides she can't face jail and dies by suicide.

What's more, it turns out that Bishop had quietly swapped the vans while in Mexico, and drives the money from the deal back to Alamo. Big Eddy tells the DEA he quits as their spy.

We then cut back to Rue, who's watching the news, and sees that Fezco (Angus Cloud) has finally managed to break out of prison. Reminiscing that she promised him she'd go pick him up if he ever got out, she gets in the car to go find her friend.

Things start getting a little sinister when we begin seeing flashbacks of a younger Rue and Jules, as well as a cameo from Fez, with the pair laughing and drinking together.

But instead of with Fez at the prison, she ends up at her childhood home, where she sees her mother alone reading a Bible.

When her father appears, it becomes apparent that the whole thing has been a figment of her imagination, with Ali finding her dead on his couch the next morning. He adds the final name to his 'book of the dead' that's been popping up throughout season 3.

He tests the drugs that killed her, and it would turn out they were laced with fentanyl.

“I used to believe the world would be a better place if people could empathize with addiction", Ali goes on to tell the attendees of a 12-step meeting he speaks at, following the harrowing scenes. "To understand that addicts were suffering from an incurable disease, no different than cancer. The addict may be in remission, but the disease ain’t gone. I thought that empathy was the key. But if you can empathize with an addict, you can also empathize with a dealer. They’re selling drugs to feed their children. Who can’t understand that? So maybe empathy ain’t that helpful after all. Maybe the real disease is people no longer know the difference between right and wrong. I don’t care what your struggles may be. You poison kids for money, you’re evil. It’s plain and simple.”

HBO

The story teases that Ali will go after Alamo for supplying Rue with the pills that killed her.

Meanwhile, Cassie is still beside herself after losing Nate, but plans to turn their marital home into a content studio for OnlyFans creators, with Maddy and Lexi in tow (who is still unaware that Nate has died).

Over at the Silver Slipper, Maddy turns up with more cash for Alamo, and in a roundabout way, he expresses interest in building the 'white picket fence' life with her.

“Norman Rockwell kind of life,” he says. “Cute little girl in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. It’s biblical. I want the American dream."

However, celebrations are cut short when, as predicted, Ali turns up with a shotgun ready to confront Alamo over Rue's death.

His first target is G, who at this point is trying to convince him that Rue no longer works at the club. Ali shoots him in the stomach, prompting Alamo to make an appearance, taking matters into his own hands.

HBO

While the pair agree to a duel (heavily-skewed in Alamo's favour, with Ali only having three bullets left and no allies), it would turn out that the ever-elusive Bishop has secretly removed all of the bullet's from his boss's gun.

When Alamo goes to draw, there's nothing in his gun's chamber.

Ali uses all three of his remaining bullets to fatally kill Alamo.

How does Euphoria season 3 end?

The show ends with Ali heading back to the ranch where Rue ended up in episode one, and being invited to join the family for a meal.

Sitting where Rue once sat, he reflects on her legacy, and offers prayers and thanks to his former friend.

“May God bless us all,” Rue is heard saying as the show ends.

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