Rue’s death in the Euphoria finale sparks debate about how she died and raises point about addiction

It’s been almost a whole week since Euphoria’s dramatic finale - and fans are still arguing over Rue’s tragic fate.

After seven years and three seasons, the HBO TV show came to an emotional conclusion on Sunday (31 May), as creator Sam Levinson wrapped up all storylines, giving some characters happier endings than others.

Sadly, Rue, who’s been played by Zendaya for Euphoria's entirety, and is the show’s main character and narrator, faced a tragic end.

The fan-favourite character has battled addiction throughout the entire series, with drug abuse and the struggles tied to it being a central theme in the show.

Season three saw Rue begin working for Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), a ruthless drug dealer, arms dealer, and human trafficker who owns a strip club.

However, after he found out that she had begun working for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a mole, he laced the Percocet pills he gave to her with fentanyl.

Rue took the high-strength pills as she was injured after being captured by Laurie’s henchman and dragged around by a horse.

Despite her previous addiction to painkillers, she took the drugs for the pain, not knowing they were laced with fentanyl, which killed her.

Zendaya has played fan-favourite character and narrator Rue for all three seasons of the HBO TV show (HBO)

The complexities surrounding Rue’s death have stirred up important conversations on addiction and sparked a debate on social media.

It's prompted a debate over why Rue didn't go to the hospital with her injuries, and whether she chose to take the pills, not necessarily for the pain, but to give into her addiction.

One X user brutally argued: “She took those pills bc she was an addict. If she had gone to the hospital like she did in early season they would’ve given her Tylenol or motrin. She died on her own accord.”

A second agreed: “Except she DID relapse. When you're an addict, you don't take narcotics; even for pain management. Or you shouldn't, as that will open up the door for a relapse. But she was also murdered. Two things are true. If it had been a regular bottle of perc? Yeah, still a relapse.”

While a third wrote: “Fr tho, calling it just an ‘accidental overdose’ feels like it lets Alamo off the hook. She was in real pain and didn't know the pills were laced straight up murder.”

However, someone else argued: “Idc what anyone says, she didn’t accidentally overdose. She took pills bc she was in pain, not knowing they were laced, she was murdered.”

Rue's death has left fans discussing the complexities of addiction (HBO)

While a second emotionally reasoned, “Rue stayed clean for years, only to end up dead. The most heartbreaking part is that she broke her sobriety for a brief moment of relief from the pain and desperation of a situation she'd gotten herself into. It's easy to understand why she did it, even knowing the consequences. Addiction is such an insidious disease, it waits patiently, and sometimes a single moment of vulnerability is all it takes.”

A third argued: “There was no accident. She was killed intentionally,” while a fourth wrote: “Correction, Rue was murdered by Alamo after taking fentanyl laced Percocet.”

If there’s one thing fans can agree on, it’s that the devastating death scene had everyone reaching for a tissue.

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