Warning: This article contains spoilers for Season 3 of Euphoria
Euphoria has never shied away from pushing boundaries, but Sunday night’s penultimate episode delivered a far more brutal surprise than many viewers expected.
In the May 24 instalment, Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) saw his past and the pressure surrounding him finally collide. After his mounting trouble caught up with him, he ended up imprisoned underground for three days — and Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney) was left tangled in the consequences of it all.
Even before the episode’s darkest turn, the situation was already bleak. But the tension escalated further when Cassie attempted to get Nate out — unknowingly setting the stage for a horrifying twist after a snake made its way into the confined space where he was trapped.
Unaware of what had slipped inside, Cassie and Maddy Perez (Alexa Demie) enlisted Alamo to help dig him out. By the time they reached him, it was already too late: Nate had been fatally bitten by a rattlesnake, and the rescue became a recovery.
As soon as the episode aired, viewers flooded social media with reactions — ranging from shocked sympathy to grim satisfaction.
“Nate death’s is so sickening to think about that’s like one of the worst ways to go out… I feel slightly bad for him,” wrote one viewer.
A second then added: “No but I really am gagged they killed Nate tho… like am I not the only one gagging like omg? That was our main white boy villain and the main just got killed and replaced”
Meanwhile a third viewer commented: “They are f***ing Nate up on this show. My goodness. New Fear Unlocked. Snake in the damn coffin.”
Others welcomed the outcome, arguing it felt like a grim payoff for everything the character had done across the series. One fan wrote: “Euphoria 3 basically exists just to make Nate suffer, to pay for everything he did.”
Another viewer also echoed the sentiment as they reflected on Nate’s journey. They wrote: “Maybe last time I get to post this but Nate Jacobs story concluded tonight. He treated everyone around him like objects to control & own.It’s a shame because his mom says “he was a sweet little boy.””
“Many young dudes like Nate exist in real families. You can get out from under your business owning father & controlling mom. I promise you don’t have to end up buried in property you couldn’t afford to impress a wife that didn’t even love you. Be YOU. Get the help you need & admit to the hard stuff so you don’t get buried alive by your self & secrets.”
With only one episode remaining before season three wraps up, the show now has even more unanswered questions hanging over it — particularly the ripple effects of Nate’s sudden death. Still, the series has proven before that no character is truly safe.
Viewers will remember the devastating season two finale, when the shootout claimed Ashtray (Javon Walton) in a moment that left audiences stunned long after the credits rolled.
But this latest loss lands differently. Removing the show’s central antagonist at the eleventh hour drastically reshapes the balance between the remaining characters and changes the emotional stakes heading into the finale.
How will Cassie process what happened during the failed rescue? Will Maddy feel any sense of closure — or will the aftermath deepen the fractures already splitting the group? And looming over all of it is the question of Cal Jacobs: what happens when Nate’s father learns his son is gone?
With the final pieces now scattered, Sam Levinson has set up a finale with unpredictable consequences — and the sense that anything could still happen.
The series finale of Euphoria airs next Sunday on HBO and Max.