Euphoria kills – In the May 24 episode ahead of Euphoria’s presumed series finale, Jacob Elordi’s Nate dies underground after being bitten by a snake as Cassie tries to free him.
The moment Cassie realizes she has a shot at getting Nate out, it still doesn’t look like the end. But it is. In the Sunday, May 24 episode of HBO’s Euphoria, Nate’s (Jacob Elordi) debt catches up to him—and what follows turns that hope into something far harsher.
Nate is locked underground for 72 hours while Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) is forced to pay up. When Cassie finds a way to get him out, a snake slips into the box where Nate is trapped. Cassie and Maddy (Alexa Demie) enlist Alamo to help them dig Nate out—but Nate is already dead after suffering numerous rattlesnake bites.
It’s a major twist for a show that has been building toward its presumed series finale.
Euphoria is based on the Israeli series of the same name and follows troubled high school student Rue (Zendaya) as she struggles to remain sober after rehab. Across its run, the HBO drama has also tackled mental illness, toxic relationships, sexuality and more. Since the show premiered in 2019. its ensemble cast—including Hunter Schafer. Demie. Elordi. Sweeney. Maude Apatow and Colman Domingo—has quickly skyrocketed to fame.
The series was renewed for a second season soon after, but the wait for new episodes stretched to nearly three years. HBO ordered two individual specials about the aftermath of Rue and Jules’ (Schafer) breakup during the downtime.
When it came to a third season, HBO originally planned for it to air in 2025. Instead, delays piled up. Part of the disruption came from creator Sam Levinson’s commitment to his short-lived series The Idol. and then the schedule was further extended during the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that took place in late 2023.
Even before the most recent episode, the cast had already weathered real-world loss. Since season 2 concluded, Angus Cloud died at age 25 in July 2023 following an accidental overdose. The show addressed the fate of his character, Fezco. Eric Dane’s Cal also returned in two episodes after the actor’s death following a battle with ALS. He was 53.
Before Euphoria returned, Elordi teased a different version of Nate. In a December 2025 episode of Variety’s Actors on Actors interview. he said. “I finished filming a new season just recently. and it’s a completely different thing. ” adding. “I really do think [he will be nicer].” He continued: “Whether it works or not — I don’t know. There’s a chance that what I’ve done is not good.”.
For now, though, the May 24 episode delivers a final, brutal kind of certainty—right as the series seems to be closing in on what comes next. Euphoria airs Sundays on HBO.
Euphoria Jacob Elordi Nate death Sydney Sweeney Cassie Alexa Demie Maddy May 24 episode HBO series finale rattlesnake bites Angus Cloud Fezco Eric Dane Cal Sam Levinson The Idol WGA strike SAG-AFTRA strike