Euphoria’s “Horrific” OG Character Death Broken Down By Sam Levinson

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Be warned, this contains spoilers for episode 7 of Euphoria season 3. The newest episode of Euphoria has caused a big reaction online.

After a seven-year run, HBO’s often-discussed and mature series, Euphoria, is wrapping up. The third season started strong, attracting 8.5 million viewers in its first three days and quickly reaching over 20 million viewers worldwide. Despite – or perhaps because of – the show’s controversial content, viewers are tuning in each week to see what happens next.

The seventh episode of Euphoria‘s third season centers around a surprising death: Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi, is killed. Many viewers found his death both shocking and emotionally impactful, while others saw it as a fitting consequence for his past actions. The details of his death caused considerable discussion, and series creator Sam Levinson recently explained the grim and “horrific” circumstances in an interview with Esquire magazine.

I often play with the idea of giving the audience what they expect in terms of justice or karmic resolution. But I like to twist it – I aim to deliver that resolution in a way that’s so unsettling and stressful that by the time it arrives, viewers question if it’s really what they desired.

It’s rewarding when the audience gets what they want – like seeing a character face the consequences of their actions. That shared feeling creates a unique dynamic within the story. It makes you wonder if the character’s fate was just, and those questions are what really engage viewers.

Throughout the third season, Nate has experienced significant repercussions for his actions. He struggled in his relationship with his wife, Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney), and faced violent consequences for borrowing money from a dangerous loan shark – he was severely beaten, and even lost a finger and toe.

Nate’s death was much worse than anyone realized. He was buried alive and held for ransom, with only a small air vent for breathing, until his debts were paid. Ironically, the air vent became his downfall when a rattlesnake slithered in and bit him, causing his sudden and shocking death. His body was later discovered by Cassie and his former girlfriend, Maddie, in a horrifying condition.

Before filming, the animal handlers made it very clear: if a rattlesnake bit anyone during the Lancaster shoot, they’d have only about an hour to live – and the closest hospital was an hour and a half away. Their advice, as Levinson recalls, was simple: don’t get bitten.

Levinson explained that Nate Jacobs’s ultimate downfall was inevitable, given his consistently toxic, angry, and violent behavior throughout the first two seasons. While season three showed glimpses of Nate’s humanity – a deliberate move by Levinson to mislead the audience and make them question his fate – the creator also used the time jump to remove any protective buffer for his flawed characters, forcing them to face the consequences of their actions.

Euphoria is available to watch on HBO.

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2026-05-25 16:28