Euphoria S3 episode 7: Fans react to major character's death ahead of season finale

*Major spoilers ahead for season 3, episode 7*

Euphoria Sundays are so back.

The seventh episode, titled "Rain or Shine," from the long-awaited third season of the HBO series aired on Sunday night (May 24), where we finally got to see how the characters are getting on in a five-year time jump from high school to their adult lives.

It's been a long time coming for fans, given that the last season aired in early 2022, which has meant there's been almost a four-year gap between seasons.

With only one episode left of the series, there was plenty of drama in the latest episode - here's everything that went down.

What happened in episode 7?

Eddy Chen/HBO

The episode begins by telling the backstory of Rue's sponsor Ali (Coleman Domingo), who used to be crack cocaine addict. He had a heart attack that pushed him to recover, changing his life around and helping others quit their addictions. However, we also see how he loses friends and mentees - particularly during COVID where in-person group meetings weren't possible. Ali keeps a book where he writes the names of those no longer with us and the date they died.

After this, we see Alamo sending Big Eddy (who now has a colostomy bag after being shot by Harley) to Laurie’s place, as the Mexico deal between Alamo and Laurie is on - but the DEA agent are also secretly listening into conversations.

Eddy Chen/HBO

Rue pays Lexi a visit and explains how when she started believing in God her life got "considerably worse until it got better" and explained how she thinks God revealed himself to her. However, judgmental Lexi, who is distracted with her writing, isn't convinced and when Rue tells her she has been working with Nazis and the DEA, Lexi accuses Rue of using drugs again, much to Rue's dismay who then leaves.

She decided to pay a visit upstairs to Cassie's place, but there's no answer and we see a gun being pointed at Rue on the other side of the door, although Rue eventually leaves.

So what's going on with Cassie? Well, she gets a phone call from Nas who wants his money - but she's already deleted her OnlyFans account, and can't get it back. As for her LA Nights gig, the studio doesn't want to "deal with the complications of hiring a sex worker" and so Cassie loses this job too, much to Lexi's delight.

As for Maddie, she gets fired from her job after her boss learns that she sent Cassie in to audition for LA Nights. We then see Maddie confront a crying Cassie over deleting her OnlyFans account. "I should've never let you back into my life," Maddie says to Cassie, and proceeds to hit her in the face and then tells her "...I'm not your manager, I'm your f***in' boss, b****."

A plan is afoot as we see Cassie meeting Dylan Reid for dinner (with Maddie calling up TMZ to inform them). The two go back to Cassie's place where she suggests they take a photo together on Dylan's phone, which he agrees to, unlocking his phone in front of her which she clocks the code...

The pair sleep together, Dylan then goes to get water from the kitchen where he drinks out of a glass that contains a severed finger, meanwhile Cassie unlocks his phone and posts the photo of them two together on his Instagram with the caption, "Worlds greatest f***" and tagging herself before wedging the phone under her bed.

Eddy Chen/HBO

Maddie comes over to Cassie's the next day, and Dylan is still there sleeping as Cassie reveals to her how she posted on Dylan's Instagram. Maddie tells her the post is everywhere and has been trending for hours, and Cassie has now gained nearly 110,000 subscribers. But Maddie is concerned when she looks in the kitchen sink and sees the severed finger in the cup, asking whose finger it is and questioning if it's Nate's.

It then cuts to a desperate tied up Nate who tells Nas that Cassie is going to "come through" with the money but Nas has him measured up for a coffin.

Eddy Chen/HBO

Rue visits Ali and shares what's going on with her, including Alamo's plan which Ali doesn’t want her to go through with. Rue explains her mother, sister and even Ali's life is in danger if she doesn't follow the plan. She assures him that after this last run, and how she has plan to Texas, reference the Bible. Despite agreeing with Ali to visit her mother the next day, she instead leaves behind a ‘forgive me’ note, going ahead with the plan to go to Laurie’s place and get Alamo his money back.

Things are underway as DEA agents preparing a team to be able to catch Alamo and Laurie at her place, which they planned with Rue who goes to Laurie’s place along with Alamo’s man, G and proceeds to hit her face into the dashboard of the car to convince Laurie that she came to hers after Alamo attacked and tried to kill her.

Back at Cassie's, she innocently answers the door, not knowing what's about to happen next as Naz's thug proceeds to choke her and slam her into the glass table before tying her up. Naz then warns her that she has 72 hours to get him the money "because that's how long it take to die of dehydration" as it's then revealed Nate has been buried alive in a coffin underneath his building site.

Nate's brother visits the site looking for him, but Cassie couldn't tell anyone as Nas said Nate would die. As Nate's brother is leaving, Nate can be heard screaming for help but it sounds muffled above ground so his brother doesn't hear his cries. A snake can then be seen slithering towards the small hole Nate has for air...

We then see Rue coming up to Cassie's from Naz's thug's point of view with Naz warning Cassie not to scream.

Maddie calls up Lexi asking if she's heard from Cassie, to which Lexi berates them for what they did to Dylan. "It's like you've all lost your f***ing minds," she tells Maddie, adding how Rue's been ranting about Black cowboys and Nazis, and how she works for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

It then cuts back to Nate, whose situation is about to get even worse as the snake slithers down the hole and into the coffin with him.

Rue is still at Laurie's where despite her attempts to gain their trust, the crew aren't convinced, and suggest that they want Rue to kill Alamo when he visits.

Patrick Wymore/HBO

Out of desperation, Cassie calls Maddie where Naz tells her to bring $1 million or he'll slice up Cassie's face. With no other choice, Maddy turns to Alamo for help, she meets him but he insists on her getting in the hot tub with him to discuss business. When talking, Maddy tells him Rue has been "overwhelmed" as she got into a fight with their friend over Nazis and the DEA (uh-oh).

We then see Alamo filling up his bag, and him and Maddie then go to meet Naz, who has Cassie, on Nate's land. Maddy walks toward Naz with the money, and this is where things become messy. Naz instructs Cassie to bring the money back to him. However, upon checking the bag, he finds out that there is no money inside, and before he can even react, Alamo shoots Naz.

Patrick Wymore/HBO

Naz falls to the ground and instructs something in Armenian to his thug which leads him to immediately throw down his weapon. Alamo then walks closer and shoots Naz again, killing him.

Maddy soon realises that she is in debt to Alamo and now has to agree to whatever his terms are. Nate's coffin is finally unearthed, and opened - only to reveal that he's already dead from a snake bite.

Completely distraught, Cassie breaks down at the sight of her dead husband while Maddy blankly looks on at her ex's dead body.

Meanwhile, Rue wakes up to Faye unlocking the door as she decides to help her after learning that Wayne wishes to kill Rue.

She suggests to Rue that they steal the money from Wayne’s locker like they previously talked about and the pair cautiously sneak downstairs to where the safe is.

Jeremy Colegrove/HBO

However, when Rue struggles to open it using the copy of the key, Faye steals the actual keys and gives them to Rue.

After managing to unlock the safe, Rue finds different passports of Alamo’s girls working at his pub, and there's one big problem - there's no money in there like Faye said there has been.

Faye panics and hyperventilate about how everyone keeps lying to her and using her for their selfish reasons, and in the final moments of the episode screams for Wayne, despite Rue's pleas.

How are fans reacting?

Since the episode aired, fans have been sharing their thoughts on Nate's death, and how Rue, Maddie and Cassie have managed to get themselves in even more trouble, leading everyone to question what is going to happen in the season finale.

One person said, "So they give Nate no storyline this season, disregard his sexuality, his family, his plot with Jules, and decide to just kill him off! Lazy boring yawning sloppy."

"Maddy and Cassie about to go through HELL for Nate and HE’S ALREADY DEAD??" a second person said.

A third person reacted, "Maddy accidentally spilling to Alamo that Rue is undercover-"

"CASSIE WHY WOULD YOU OPEN THE DOOR WITHOUT LOOKING THROUGH THE PEEPHOLE!!!?!" a fourth person commented.

A fifth person noted, "u can see the moment it hit Rue that is was never abt the money for Alamo."

"Euphoria will be the worst show ever but then randomly hit you with the most beautifully haunting sequence you've ever seen. that ali scene was really something ohmygod."

"The snake eating Nate."

"Lexi isn’t really about that screenwriting life because if my friend started talking about Nazis, Black cowboys, encounters with God, and working with the DEA, I would’ve dropped everything and pulled out a paper and pen. These are the stories you should be killing for!"

"MADDY SLAPPED TF OUT OF CASSIE FOR DELETING THAT ONLYFANS ACCOUNT"

When is the season finale?

The season three finale of Euphoria will air this Sunday (May 31) on HBO Max.

Why not read...

• Euphoria season 3: Fans think they've worked out how the show will end
• Is porn as disempowering as Euphoria’s Cassie makes it seem?

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